My shoulders sag in relief. “Good. I’m glad. Baby Bud?”
“Yeah.” She nods. “I’m Violet, our first baby was Rose. It’s kind of a theme.” She smiles, and then tears fill her eyes once more.
“What’s wrong?” I use my thumbs to wipe away the tears.
“I don’t know if I can keep the baby. I mean, I don’t know if my womb can. What if I lose her, too?”
I grab her hands and pull her close until she’s nestled in my arms. “We are going to do everything we can to make sure you carry this baby to term. The best doctors. Whatever you need. We’re doing it.”
“We?”
“Of course, we. This baby is mine, too. I’m in this. Every appointment, I’m there. Every craving, I’m running to the grocery store to buy you pickles and cream cheese.”
She giggles and it’s the sweetest sound in the world. “Gross.”
“Exactly. I’m going to ignore all those gross cravings and get you whatever you need.” I won’t promise to watch her eat those freaky food combinations pregnant women crave, but I’ll buy her whatever she needs.
Violet squirms until I loosen my hold and she can look up at me. “You don’t have to do this, you know. I don’t want you to feel obligated.”
I pull her close again. “I’m not obligated. I’m honored. You’re carrying my baby. It’s the greatest gift a woman can give a man.” I’m not talking out of my ass, either. She is giving me the greatest gift, but I don’t want to be her baby daddy. I want to be her man and her lawfully-wed husband. I want to marry her and make sure the baby is born into a family. Our family.
I release her and fall to my knees in front of her. “Marry me.”
She slaps my shoulder. “I’m not marrying you because you got me pregnant.”
“That’s not the only reason I want to marry you.”
She raises her hand to stop my next words. “I don’t want to hear it. Emotions are running high right now.”
I nod. It was a stupid, impulsive idea. Although I already have the ring. I’ve had it for years. I bought it right before I was deployed to Iraq. I wore it on my dog tags the entire time I was gone. I planned to propose as soon as I saw her again. Despite believing she’d betrayed me all those years ago, I couldn’t get rid of it. I should have known I was a goner.
I stand and pull her from the loveseat. “Come on, let’s get some rest. You must be exhausted.”
“No hanky-panky,” she admonishes with a wag of her finger.
“It’s not like you can get pregnant.”
She rolls her eyes, but there’s a smile on her lips. I lift her into my arms and carry her to the bed. I pull down the comforter and lay her down. I toe off my shoes and pull off my sweater. Her eyes widen and she licks her lips as she stares at my chest waiting for my shirt to come off.
I smirk. “Reconsidering the no-sex rule?”
She swallows. “No. Yes. I mean.” She shakes her head. “Why are you undressing?”
I turn around and take my t-shirt off before putting my sweater back on. Seeing what’s on my chest will only lead to questions she’s not ready to hear the answers to yet.
“I thought you’d like something more comfortable to sleep in.” I throw her my t-shirt.
“Oh, thanks.” She sounds disappointed and I have to reel in my desire to pull her close and show her how devoted I am to her and our child.
We get settled in the bed. Me in my jeans and sweater and her in my t-shirt. I pull her close and she lays her head on my chest. I can’t resist reaching down and rubbing my hand over her belly. Welcome to the world, little one.
Chapter 23
Will I be evicted from the girl club if I admit I don’t like shopping? ~ Violet’s Secret Thoughts
I wake to someone kissing my lips. “Mmm…”
“I need to get to work, Petal.”
My eyes fly open. What is Luke doing here? I rub my eyes until they can focus on the fancy-schmancy room I’m in. There’s only one place I can be - Bailey’s. We’re at Bailey’s place. Because I had a major freak out when I realized I’m pregnant. My hand rushes to my stomach although my stomach is still flat, and the baby hasn’t made her presence known yet. Luke’s hand joins mine.
“You feeling okay?”
I nod. “So far, so good.”
He leans over and kisses my forehead. “Text me when you get home. Let me know if you need anything.”
I roll my eyes. “Is this what it’s going to be like from now on? Constantly checking in on me and Baby Bud?”
“Yep. I’ll see you later, Petal.”
As soon as the door closes behind him, I snuggle into the bed for more sleep. Knock! Knock! There goes my sleep. “Time to get up, Violet.”
“Why?”
“Frankie and Shelby are on their way for our Christmas celebration.”
Drat. I forgot all about our girls’ Christmas Eve day celebration. Since each of us is spending Christmas day with our families, Bailey decided to start a Christmas Eve day tradition with just the girls. No one could say no to her. Not when she has no family of her own. We did remind her she now has a father, but she pulled out the tears and said we’re her family. At which point, all arguments were officially over.
“I put some fresh clothes for you in your bathroom.” When did she come in here? “You sleep like the dead, Mrs. Snores-A-Lot.”
“I do not snore.” I totally do. Luke recorded me once when we were dating way back when after I accused him of lying. It’s a sore subject.
“Whatever you need to tell yourself. Get your butt moving. I’m making bacon.”
I force myself out of bed. Seriously, I have to force myself out of the bed as it is literally the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept in. Roman the gazillionaire probably had someone steal a cloud and fashion it into a mattress. In the attached bathroom, I find a pair of jeans, a sweater, and underwear with the tags still attached. I stare at the soaking tub and debate taking a good, long soak. The sound of the doorbell destroys my dream. I wouldn’t put it past Shelby to barge in here and pull me out of the tub herself.
All eyes focus on me when I walk into the kitchen. Frankie starts clapping. They already know? “Seriously, Bailey. You couldn’t keep your mouth shut for one freaking day?”
Shelby raises her hand. “I already knew. Roman told Brodie, who told Jackson, who told me.”
Frankie rushes me and pulls me into a tight hug. “I’m so excited! A baby! Yeah! Plus, you won’t be searching for a new job anymore, since there’s no reason to avoid Luke.”
“Don’t get excited too soon. Violet hasn’t told us what she’s planning to do about the baby yet,” Shelby points out.
I extract myself from Frankie’s hug and plop down on a barstool at the kitchen island. “Well, I was planning on keeping my pregnancy secret until the first trimester is over, but someone had to go blabbing his mouth.”
“You’re keeping it then?”
I nod in response to Shelby’s question. “Of course. And don’t say it.”