Sean shakes his head. “Nope. I don’t want to.”
“I would want it to be a surprise too,” Jacob adds on.
“Really?” I ask, my voice going a bit higher.
He nods. “There aren’t many things in life that surprise us, I think part of the fun is the doctor holding up the baby and telling you.”
I never pictured him as the type of guy who would want to be surprised. “Interesting.”
“Well, I for one couldn’t wait to find out,” Syd says. “Of course, my gender appointment was much more dramatic than any of us cared for.”
Everyone laughs, except for Declan, whose eyes look haunted as he watches his wife. “It was hell, Bean. Absolute hell.”
She brushes her fingers along his cheek and smiles. “I know, but it brought us to heaven.”
Jacob leans in. “Sydney almost died. They found some issues, and it was . . . well, it was the scariest thing I’ve ever watched my brother go through.”
It’s clear that Declan still struggles with it. “I’m glad you’re all here and safe now.”
“Me too,” Sydney says. “However, Jacob, you’re stupid, and until you actually have a baby on the way, you can’t possibly know what you would do.”
“Ellie, did you find out?” I ask.
“Nope. Connor and I wanted to be surprised.”
“They’re also stupid, but I love them,” Syd notes. “I needed to plan. I had clothes to buy, and I couldn’t handle not knowing.”
I laugh. “I was the same. As soon as I could find out, I needed to know. I don’t do well with surprises.”
Sydney gives me a beer-bottle salute and then leans back in her chair.
All of us laugh and Devney clears her throat. “Sean may not want to know, but I plan to find out the sex of the baby.”
“Wait, you’re going to find out?” Jacob asks in disbelief.
“Yes, Sean doesn’t have to know, but there’s not a chance in hell I’m not.”
Sydney nods. “That’s right.”
“Stay out of it, Bean,” Declan warns and then turns to his brother. “I give it three days after Devney finds out before you’re begging for her to tell you.”
Sean flips him off. “Wanna bet on it?”
Connor laughs. “I got twenty on Sean begging too. He’ll never last.”
“Knock it off,” Syd chides. “I have faith in Sean. Devney is going to hide all the baby stuff she buys at our house and I’ll make sure Sean can’t get access.”
“Like you could stop me from getting in?” Declan challenges.
“Wanna bet on that, pumpkin?”
He groans, and his head falls back. “Why do I even try?”
“I’m not really sure.”
Ellie grips Sydney’s hand. “This is going to be great, we’ll all know and be able to buy stuff, but Sean won’t.”
This family takes way too much joy in bickering with each other, and it’s entirely too entertaining to watch.
“I love our bonfire nights.” Sydney sinks into the chair, taking a long pull on her beer before tipping the neck toward the flames.
“Why is that?” Connor asks.
Syd looks around with a smile. “Because I never thought this would be our lives. I hoped, of course, that maybe we’d all be happy, but I didn’t think it would be together like this. All four Arrowood brothers here and in love with the best women in the world. I feel like Mama A would be so happy.”
Jacob’s hand engulfs mine. “She would be happy with who we chose.”
I tangle my fingers in his. “I’m glad she would.”
He lifts our hands to his lips and kisses my knuckles.
“God, who is pathetic now?” Sean asks with a laugh.
“Fuck off.”
“Dude, you were at my wedding not five months ago, talking about how stupid I was and how you were going to never be like us. Now look at you—whipped.”
Jacob shrugs as though he couldn’t care less. “I’m not whipped, brother. I’ve just found what you all have, and I’m happy.”
“Awww,” all the girls say at the same time.
“That’s so sweet,” Ellie adds on.
Devney slaps Sean’s chest. “You shouldn’t talk.”
“I never said I wasn’t whipped. I’m very happy to be in your clutches, sweetheart. There’s not another woman alive I’d rather be with.”
That seems to mollify her. “Good.”
“But I’m saying that Jacob was talking about having him committed if he was like us, and look . . . all it took was Brenna to show up with a casserole, and he was gone.”
Again, Jacob doesn’t seem fazed. “I’m not going to deny it.” He turns to me. “When I saw you, everything changed. I tried to deny it, but things that I thought made sense before—didn’t anymore. The dreams I thought were dead all came back.”
I brush my thumb along his lips. “You’re going to make me love you even more.”
“My goal is to make you love me so much that you can’t imagine a world without me.”
Little does he know I’m already there. I wake up thinking of him. I fall asleep wishing his arms were wrapped around me. During the day, I wonder where he is and if he’s thinking of me the way that I am about him.
I can’t remember the last conversation I had that didn’t include his name. And then there was earlier today.
When we stood in the woods, staring at each other and confessing how we felt. It was the most beautiful moment I’ve shared with a man.
Yes, my wedding was something, but it was two kids who weren’t sure if what they were doing was right. Luke proposed to me on my driveway three days after we found out we were pregnant. There was no beautiful or elaborate plan.
I can’t remember the first time we said we loved each other or if we meant it.
But there isn’t a doubt in my mind that I will never forget today.
I love him, and he loves me.
“Were we this gross?” Connor asks, breaking the moment.
Ellie sighs. “We sure were.”
“You still are!” Declan offers. “While the rest of us are just as ridiculously in love, we don’t go around, unable to keep our hands to ourselves.”
Sean chuckles. “Says the man who created the smolder.”
“The what?” Declan asks.
“The smolder. You get all broody and stare at Syd like she’s wood and you’re about to light her on fire.”
Declan turns to her. “Do I do that?”
“I mean, you definitely think I’m hot. But . . . I don’t know, look at me now like you want me to burn,” she teases.
He glares at her, and she looks away. “Didn’t work.”
Jacob stands. “I’d like to say we had a good time, but that would be overstating the time I’m forced to be around you people. Brenna, how about we head off?” He extends his hand to mine.
“We all know where you’re heading off to,” Connor says with a snigger.
I feel the heat flood my cheeks and stand, allowing Jacob to cocoon me. “Be jealous.”