Lyla gasped, and I covered his mouth with my hand. “I wasn’t ready to tell her I’m pregnant, Zachary! She just got engaged. This is her time.”
Contritely, he kissed my palm before pulling it away. “Sorry, baby. I got carried away when she called you fat.”
Lyla jumped to her feet, pointing at her brother accusingly. “One, I didn’t call her fat. You called her squishy, and I assumed you were being your usual asshole self and calling her fat. And two—” her face lit up with delight “—I’m going to be an aunt? I’m getting a niece?”
Bashfully, I nodded. “Yes. I’m pregnant, and it’s a girl. Labs confirmed gender.”
She started jumping around in excitement. “Oh my God! This is perfect. I’m so happy.” Her smile dimmed slightly. “Wait. Weren’t you two still fighting like a week ago? Are we happy about this?”
“I’m happy. I can’t wait to be a dad.” Zachary rubbed his hand over my abdomen lovingly. “Elli?”
I could hear uncertainty in his voice, hesitation. As if he honestly didn’t know the answer. Covering his hand, I met his gaze. “I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. You’re the only man I’ve imagined being the father of my children. I love you, Zachary.”
His eyes began to glitter with suppressed emotion. “I love you, Elli.”
“Mommy, why were you yelling?” Josie asked as she and Howler came in from outside.
Lyla danced over to Josie. “Jo-Jo, guess what? Guess what!”
The little girl giggled. “What?”
Taking her hands, Lyla twirled her around. “You are getting a cousin!”
“For my birthday?” she asked hopefully.
“No. But maybe next time,” Lyla said with a laugh.
“Then can I have a brother or sister for my birthday?”
Howler choked on air, and Lyla laughed. “Not this year, Jo. We’re planning our wedding, remember?”
“Oh yeah.” She skipped over to her uncle and me. “Are you going to be a daddy, Uncle Judge?”
“Sure am, princess.”
She tilted her head thoughtfully. “Can it be a girl? My aunties all have boys. They smell bad and don’t like to play.”
“Then I will definitely make sure it’s a girl, Josie,” he promised. “Just for you, princess.”
“Yay!” she cheered. Jumping up onto the couch beside us, she smacked a kiss on his cheek. “Thanks, Uncle Judge. You’re the best. Cookies!”
Bouncing down, she grabbed two of the cookies. “I’m gonna go make the baby a card.”
Laughing, I watched her go. She was a ball of endless energy. With her blond hair, I could almost imagine she was my daughter. I didn’t know what our daughter was going to look like, and I couldn’t help daydreaming about my baby girl when she was Josie’s age.
“Elli is pregnant?” Howler asked, grabbing a few cookies.
“She’s due in March,” Zachary confirmed with pride. “We’re having a girl.”
His best friend burst out laughing. “Karma!”
Epilogue I
Judge
Adjusting the tree topper, I waited for Mabel to give me more direction.
“To the left. Just a little. A little more. Wait, too much. Right just a tad.”
“Mom, it’s perfect,” Elli grumbled from her spot on the couch where she was enjoying her s’more. At the beginning of her third trimester, she’d started craving something new every week. For the moment, it was cinnamon Graham crackers, marshmallow, and Reese’s with gummy bears. “Let him down now.”
“It’s still a little crooked,” Mabel critiqued.
I made another adjustment, wanting—needing—everything to be perfect. “How about now?”
“Just a little to the left again. There!” She cheered.
Dusting glitter off my hands, I stepped off the ladder and gave it a long appraisal. Tomorrow was Christmas. With as crazy as work had been for me and school was for Elli, on top of being pregnant and Mabel staying more often than not at Miss Lindy’s, we’d waited to decorate.
Ellianna hadn’t been in the mood for festivities, but no way were we spending our first Christmas together in years without a tree. Carols played softly in the background. The tree was the biggest I could find. It took three Sons to carry it in to avoid damaging it as much as possible. Josie was going to love it when Lyla and Howler came over for lunch the next day.
“Are we done yet?” Elli asked from the same spot I’d put her in to keep me company while I decorated the tree.
She had a smear of chocolate and marshmallow at the corner of her mouth. Dressed in green maternity pajamas with the Grinch on the top and little candy canes on the pants, her blond hair in a braid over one shoulder and thick wool socks on her feet, she was so beautiful, I ached just looking at her.
“That top is fitting, considering what a grump you are today,” Mabel told her. “Is your back hurting again?”
She shifted her gaze to the tree that was lit up with what must have been a hundred thousand lights. “I just want this day over with.”
Walking over to the couch, I crouched down in front of her. Rubbing my hand over her beautifully distended belly, I was instantly rewarded with the feel of my little angel kicking against my palm. “How about I give my good girl an early Christmas present.”
“Zachary,” she hissed, sending her mom a shy look. Mabel had her back to us, though, adjusting a few ornaments and pretending not to hear. “Mom is right there.”
Laughing at the adorable shade of pink her cheeks were, I shook my head. With all the dirty things she let me do to her, I thought I’d fucked the innocence out of her by now. But she still blushed easily. “I meant an actual present, baby.”
“Oh.” Her shoulders dropped. “No…I don’t deserve a present.”
“Of course you do, baby. How about the big one wrapped in the same shade of blue as your eyes?”
“No, really, Zachary. I don’t want it.” She licked her lips nervously. “I need to tell you something.”
I wiped away the lingering dessert on her lips. “Did you do something naughty, Elli?” I teased.
She swallowed hard. “Yes. I should have told you already. I’ve wanted to for days now. Weeks, actually. But I promised. I should have just spoken up.” Tears filled her pretty eyes. “Now it’s too late to warn you.”
Stroking my knuckles over her cheek, I tried to reassure her. “Whatever it is, everything will be fine.”
“I kept something from you. We promised each other no more secrets, but I broke it.” Her chin trembled, driving me crazy. The doorbell rang, but all I could focus on was the sight of the tears spilling over her golden lashes. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” I soothed, lifting her hands to my mouth, kissing each palm. “Unless you’re going to leave me, I don’t care. We’ll figure it out. Okay?”
She closed her eyes, shaking her head from side to side. “No. You’re going to be mad. And you should be. I didn’t warn you when I had the chance.”