“Why this one?”
“Because you’re mine,” he says over a yawn.
I don’t comment. We’re both too exhausted. Instead, I close my eyes and let the security of his embrace lull me to sleep.
“It’s a nice place you have here, son,” Stanley tells Conrad.
“Thanks, Dad.”
“I can’t believe you kept this from us,” Lena comments. She doesn’t sound angry, just surprised.
“It all happened kind of fast.” His hand that’s resting on my shoulder gives a soft squeeze.
“Well, you’ve chosen well,” his mom tells him.
“Which room is mine?” Marshall asks, shoving the last bite of pizza from his plate into his mouth.
“You have your own place,” Conrad answers.
“Yeah, but this place is huge. You can’t stay here all by yourself. You’ll get lonely,” he teases.
“I won’t be as soon as Aspen decides she’s ready to move in.” He says the words with such confidence and assurance.
“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Lena praises.
“I’m not moving in,” I tell him.
“Why not?” Sawyer asks, holding her belly.
“Are you okay?” I ask her.
“I’m fine.” She waves me off. “It’s these stupid Braxton Hicks. I’m ready to meet this little one.” She smiles softly.
“How long have you been having them?” Lena asks.
“A couple of days now.”
“I have the bags in the car and the car seat. Maybe we should go to the hospital?” Royce suggests. He looks haggard and worried about his wife and unborn child.
“I’m fine, Royce. This is all a part of being pregnant.”
“You were due yesterday,” Layla reminds her.
“I know, but sometimes with the first baby, you go over.”
“And sometimes you can be in labor and be too stubborn to realize it,” Royce grumbles.
“Royce, my water hasn’t even broken. I’m not in labor. I was just at the doctor yesterday, and they checked me. There was no change from the week before.”
“These things can happen fast,” Lena says worriedly.
Royce kneels next to his wife. “Please, let me take you to get checked out.”
“We can’t run to the hospital every five minutes.”
“They’re getting worse. That’s a change from yesterday. At least let me call the doctor.”
“Fine. You can call, but I’m telling you I’m fine.” Sawyer stands from the recliner and freezes. Her eyes go wide. “Oh, shit. I think I’m in labor,” she says, looking down at the wetness between her legs.
“Damn it,” Royce growls. “Somebody get the door.” He scoops her into his arms, and there’s a flurry of activity as everyone follows after them.
“We’re right behind you,” Stanley tells him.
“I’m driving.” Marshall takes the keys from Royce and climbs behind the wheel.
“All right then, I guess we’re moving this party to the hospital.” Conrad laughs. “You all go on. We’re going to clean up here.” He winces, and I know he’s thinking about the mess on the floor. “We’ll be right behind you.”
Everyone says goodbye and rushes to the hospital. “So, do we know where the cleaning supplies are?” I ask Conrad with a smile.
“Somewhere in the kitchen boxes.” Together we find the cleaning supplies and get the living room floor cleaned up. “It’s hell, isn’t it? What women have to go through to have a family?”
“Not hell, but it’s not without pain either.”
“How many do you want?”
“How many what?” I ask, playing dumb.
“Kids? How many do you want?”
“At least two, maybe more.”
“Two.” He nods. “I think I can do this two more times.”
“Not every woman’s water breaks like that. And who says it’s me you have kids with?” I’m only teasing. The thought of having his babies makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
“If there is a man that’s going to have part of him growing inside you, Aspen Steele, it’s going to be me.” He kisses me hard. “Now, grab your shoes. We have a nephew to meet.”
I don’t correct him that this baby isn’t related to me. I also don’t correct him when he says nephew. Royce and Sawyer wanted to be surprised. Instead, I grab my shoes, my phone, and purse and follow him out to the garage. Ready to meet the newest member of the Riggins family.
Chapter 26
Conrad
Watching my brother hold his son is surreal. The smile on his face looks as if it will be permanent. The same goes for Sawyer. Royce has always wanted a family. He’s never been one to party a lot and sleep around. When his first wife cheated on him, he became jaded and gave up on love.
That is until he met a gorgeous woman on a plane. Sawyer is perfect for him, and I love seeing him happy. However, now that he’s holding their son, it’s an all-new level of happiness I see in his eyes. I want what he has.
My eyes turn to Aspen, who is sitting next to me. Her eyes are soft, a smile tilting her lips as she watches my brother and his family. How did I not see her before our time at the cabin? How did I not realize how incredible she is and that she’s the one for me? They say everything happens for a reason, and I believe the universe knew I needed to pull my head out of my ass and see the woman who has been in front of me, in my life for the last year. I needed the push to see her, to really see her, and now that I have, I want her all to myself.
If this is what the men in my family refer to as the magic, I’m pissed I didn’t get to experience it sooner. Then again, when I first met her, I was still happily unattached. As each of my older brothers fell for their wives, I began to see the appeal of having someone to share my life with, not random faces in a club night after night.
“He’s beautiful,” Aspen says, pulling me from my thoughts.
“He is, isn’t he?” Sawyer beams with pride. Her labor was quick. Only three short hours after they arrived at the hospital, she delivered a healthy baby boy.
“Do we have a name?” I ask them, glancing at the time on my watch. We’ve already been warned no more than two visitors at a time. We’re a large family, and everyone was excited to meet the little guy, but we’re playing nice and taking turns.
“Yeah. Roan Gibson Riggins,” Sawyer says with tears in her eyes. “Royce thought, giving him my maiden name for his middle name was a cool idea, and I readily agreed.”
“I love that idea,” Aspen tells her.
“You plan on letting us hold him before our time is up?” I ask Royce.
“Fine,” he grumbles good-naturedly. I get ready, sitting up straighter, but he stops at Aspen, who is sitting next to me but closest to him. “Roan, this is your aunt Aspen,” Royce says softly, handing over his son.
Aunt Aspen.
Those two words have me all up in my feels, and I don’t hate it. Not one single bit. In fact, I want to make it happen. I want her to be a member of our family, and not just because her sister married my brother. I want her to be mine. I want us to share a moment like this where we introduce our baby to our family. The reality of what that means has me swallowing hard.