“I’m sure,” Farrow says easily. “By the information you gave me, you’re about 4-weeks along. I’m going to grab an ultrasound and confirm the fetal heartbeat.” He smiles at her. “Congratulations.”
An overwhelmed smile plays at her lips.
I could toss Farrow the keys to heaven’s gates if I had them. For not casting doubt or shame on Sulli. But instead, he elevates the happiness in the room.
I bend down and kiss her cheek. She clutches my bicep, keeping my head near her head. “You’re not going anywhere?” She’s scared, which is a gut-punch, a soul-punch, a dick-kick. And everything in my being wants to soothe Sulli.
“I’m not going anywhere.” I promise like I always have. Akara is the one who has left before, but I understand needing extra reassurance from me too. One of her greatest fears is being left behind, and a baby is complicating the fucking system we have in place. “I’m always beside you. Or in front of you. Or behind you. Depending on where I need to be.”
“Where I tell him to go,” Akara smiles.
My mouth curves up. “Can’t get enough of ordering my ass around.”
“Can’t get enough of you.”
I love you too, Nine. I don’t say the words because she’s asking him, “You’re not leaving, Kits, right?”
“Never.” Akara kisses the top of her head. “I’m always on the other side of you.” He’s implying that I exist next to Sulli too.
That gets to me. How strongly Akara has been holding onto not just Sulli…but onto me.
Sulli soaks up our happiness. “We’re fucking doing this. We’re having a baby.”
“Our fudging baby,” Akara teases.
Sulli grins. “Our little fudgsicle.”
We all laugh. Mother of God, I’m so in love with Sulli. And I know I’m rooted to her, but sometimes being this deeply in love feels like jumping into a bottomless crater. Where I’m falling for eternity.
Where I’m reaching out for the other two sets of hands as they fall with me.
“Congratulations to you, Kitsuwon,” Farrow tells Akara, and cold blows over me—thinking Farrow knows something we don’t. Can’t be fucking right. No one took our DNA. “And to you, Banks.”
I almost had a heart attack. I exhale a tensed breath. Knowing Farrow only took a half-second to mention me too, but Christ, that felt longer.
Akara is eagle-eyeing the fuck out of me. I want to tell him I’m fine if the kid is his biological kid. I’ll be a great uncle. I’ve been preparing for uncle-hood more than fatherhood. But I can’t stomach saying the words in front of Farrow. Just so he’ll run off and possibly tell Thatcher.
Love my brother to the ends of the fucking earth, but I don’t want him to be overprotective of me when it comes to Akara. He doesn’t need to take sides or come to my defense. I’m not in a lose-lose competition with Akara Kitsuwon anymore. We haven’t been since Yellowstone, and that feels like eons ago.
“Thanks, Farrow,” I say first.
Akara tries to nod in gratitude, but he’s still trying to read my face.
Sulli focuses on Farrow. “I didn’t think anyone would congratulate us.”
His smile stretches. “See, that’s where you’re wrong, Meadows.” He lifts his brows. “Many more than just me will be happy to hear you’re having a baby.”
“Like who?”
“You’ll see.”
I think that gives Sulli more hope. It definitely gives me some. I was preparing to combat some jackass reactions, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Akara and I still have to shut up Alpha and Epsilon. Price’s men.
“Do you have any questions?” Farrow asks.
“Um…should I be doing anything…avoiding anything? Prenatal vitamins…or…” She touches her temple. “Okay, none of that probably made sense. I feel like my brain is Alphabet Soup right now.”
“It’s okay,” Farrow says with ease. “I have a list. We’ll go over it together.” He glances to me and Akara. “I can also get a paternity test, if that’s something you’d both like.”
“No,” I say just as Akara says, “We don’t want one.”
We discussed this last night. Briefly.
No paternity test.
Sulli was on board. Whatever makes this easier for us.
Akara explains to Farrow, “We’ll learn who the biological dad is at birth, but it won’t change anything.”
Farrow nods like he understands completely. And then his attention reroutes to Sulli. “A gown is on the counter over there. You can change into it, and I’ll be back in ten. Sound good?”
She nods. “Yeah, sounds good.”
With a casual stride, Farrow leaves, the door shutting with a solid thud behind him.
Akara spins onto me. “Are you having second thoughts?”
“No way in hell.”
“You’re upset?”
“No,” I refute, a little angrily. “I’m fine, Akara.”
Sulli hops off the table to grab the gown.
We watch her for a half-a-second before Akara asks me, “When the condom broke, did you ever imagine the three of us that far into the future? What it’d look like with a baby?”
“Not really,” I admit. “She took Plan B.” I cast my gaze over to Sulli. She’s watching us while she returns to the exam table, setting down the gown. I exhale a heavy breath. “Did you gear up for that scenario? Where the baby was mine?”
Akara shakes his head slowly. “No, I wasn’t even picturing what a baby between you two would look like.”
“Cute, clear as day.” I motion from my face to her face. I’m not an ugly motherfucker. And she’s such a fucking beauty.
Sulli smiles.
Akara’s lips rise. “Yeah, they’d be adorable. Not as adorable as mine though.”
Sulli snorts, but she stays smiling.
“Can’t argue with that,” I say. Akara is a good-looking guy. He’s way more photogenic than me. He pops on tabloid covers, and I’m six-seven. It’s hard to steal the show when you’re standing next to a giant.
Seriousness draws Akara’s lips back down. “Are you ready for the possibility that the baby is mine?”
“Yeah.” I want to be ready. Isn’t that enough?
He sighs like I’m full of shit.
“I’d be a great uncle to the kid.”
“You aren’t going to be some fun uncle to our kid,” Akara says strongly, eyes flashing hot.
“You want me to be a mean uncle?”
“I don’t want you to be an uncle at all!” Akara shouts like I’m not seeing the picture.
I rake a hand through my hair. Sulli tensely pulls off her shirt, and Akara and I are distracted at the push-up bra lifting her breasts.
Fuck me sideways. Heat gathers and drives south seeing Sulli bite the corner of her lip and study our desire. Yeah, we have the eternal hots for you, mermaid.
“Oh hey, um…don’t mind me, fuck.” She smiles, a little giddy. “Just um, fucking proceed. Work out what you need to work out.”
I try to ignore my rising hard-on.