22. Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Two
Brody
I’m sitting beside Tasha with her small hand resting in mine as the nurse dims the lights and prepares the ultrasound machine.
The beeping monitors and soft hum of the hospital room fade into the background as I focus on her. She still looks stunned, her eyes darting to mine like she’s not quite sure if I’m really here.
I give her hand a gentle squeeze, and she squeezes back. Relief floods through me. I was terrified I wouldn’t find her in time.
The man who attacked her is behind bars now, thanks to the LVPD. But every time I think about it, rage simmers just below the surface.
If I had arrived even a minute later…
The nurse walks in with a warm smile. “All right, let’s take a look at how everything’s going,” she says, snapping on a pair of gloves. “Any pain or bleeding?”
Tasha shakes her head. “No, nothing like that.”
“Good,” the nurse replies, applying the ultrasound gel to Tasha’s belly. I keep my eyes glued to the monitor as the wand moves over her skin, revealing the grainy image of our babies.
“Everything looks perfect,” the nurse says with a smile. “And here they are, all three of them.”
I blink, my heart swelling with joy.
Triplets.
I glance over at Tasha, my eyes stinging.
“Three babies,” I murmur, my voice breaking. Tasha looks back at me, her eyes shimmering, and before I know it, we’re both tearing up.
Tasha smiles through her desire to cry, but it quickly fades into a grimace. She looks down at her slightly rounded belly, her fingers brushing over it.
“I’m going to have terrible stretch marks,” she mutters under her breath.
I frown, taken aback. “Why are you worried about that?” I ask softly. “You’re carrying our children. You’re beautiful, Tasha.”
Her eyes flicker with doubt, and she lets out a shaky breath. “Brody, I don’t think you understand,” she says, her voice breaking. “You didn’t even seem excited when you found out about the pregnancy. And now, three kids? That’s more than anyone would have bargained for.”
I tighten my grip on her hand, leaning closer. “Tasha, of course I’m excited,” I say, but she shakes her head.
“You’re almost fifty, Brody,” she says, her voice dropping to a whisper. “I’m nearly half your age. You’ve already raised a son. You don’t want to be tied down again, especially not to someone like me.”
Her words hit me like a punch to the face.
“Tasha, that’s not true,” I protest, but she looks away, tears spilling down her cheeks.
“I don’t see how this can work,” she says quietly. “You and me...it’s just too complicated.”
I swallow hard, a sinking feeling in my stomach. “Tasha…did you overhear me at the bar that night?” I ask, dreading the answer.
She nods slowly, her eyes cast downward. “I heard you talking to Josh…you said I was too young, that there were complications…” Her voice trails off, and she wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. “I thought…I thought you didn’t want me.”
I lean forward, my heart breaking for her. “Tasha, I was confused back then. Yes, I was unsure about everything, but that doesn’t mean I wanted you gone. I didn’t mean for you to overhear any of that. I was just…processing. But I never had any intention of sending you away.”
She turns her head, finally meeting my gaze, and I see the fear and doubt that’s been haunting her.
“You have to believe me,” I continue. “You brought light into my life, Tasha. Every day I got to see you at work, every night you were in my house...it made me happier than I’ve been in years. I don’t want it to end.”
Her lip trembles, and I reach up to wipe away a stray tear. “I was an idiot for not saying it sooner, for letting you have doubts.”
Tasha looks at me, still uncertain, her eyes searching mine. “But how can I trust that this isn’t just…a temporary feeling? That once the babies are here, you won’t change your mind?”
I shake my head, a bittersweet smile forming.
“God, you’re stubborn,” I murmur, leaning in to kiss her softly. Her lips are hesitant at first, but then they soften under mine in a tentative surrender. When we pull back, I press my forehead to hers, our breaths mingling.
“Tasha, I love you,” I say, my voice barely more than a whisper. “I love everything about you. And that terrifies me. I’m not used to giving up control, to making space in my life for someone else, but you...you make me want to do it. You make me want to be better, to step up in all the ways you need me to.”
Her eyes widen as I reach into my pocket, my fingers closing around the small velvet box. I pull it out and hold it between us, the diamond catching the soft light of the hospital room.
“Tasha, I don’t want to lose you. I want to be with you—really be with you. I want us to be a family. This ring…it’s not just a promise. It’s a commitment to you, to our babies, to everything we can be together.”
Her eyes fill with tears again, but this time, they’re different. This time, she’s smiling while she cries.
She reaches out, her fingers brushing against mine as I open the box, revealing the ring that represents everything I’ve been too scared to admit until now.
The room feels like it’s holding its breath, the air thick with anticipation. As I open the ring box, the soft glint of the diamond catches the light. I can hear my heart pounding, each beat echoing in my ears.
Just then, the nurse, a cheerful, round woman who’s been quietly watching us, lets out a delighted yelp.
“Oh, my goodness!” she exclaims, a hand over her chest. Without missing a beat, she hurries to the corner of the room, grabbing Tasha’s phone from the counter. “This moment needs to be captured,” she says with a warm smile, giving Tasha a conspiratorial wink as she starts recording.
I turn my focus back to Tasha, who’s staring at me with wide, tear-filled eyes. “I love you, Tasha,” I say, my voice raw and unsteady. “Now and always. I want to be by your side through everything—through the good, the bad, and all the chaos we’re bound to face. Will you marry me?”
For a second, it’s like the world stops turning. I hold my breath, waiting, praying that this moment is real and that she’ll say yes.
Tasha bursts into tears, her shoulders shaking as she nods furiously. “Yes! Yes, of course! I love you, Brody!” she cries, her voice choked with emotion.
In an instant, she’s in my arms, her lips crashing against mine in a desperate, joyful kiss. I hold her close, my heart nearly bursting with relief and happiness.
When we finally pull back, I take her trembling hand and slip the ring onto her finger. The diamond is huge, glittering like a star, and Tasha stares down at it with a mix of shock and awe. She turns her hand this way and that, the light catching every facet of the stone.
“I can’t believe this,” she whispers, her voice still thick with tears. “It’s…it’s beautiful.”
She looks up at me, her eyes filled with so much emotion that it nearly knocks the breath out of me.
I cup her face, wiping away the tears that continue to spill down her cheeks. “You deserve the world, Tasha,” I murmur. “And I promise, I’m going to do everything I can to give it to you.”
The nurse beams from the corner, still recording on Tasha’s phone. “Congratulations, you two!” she says, her voice thick with genuine warmth. “This is going to be quite the story for those little ones to hear someday.”
As I look at Tasha, with the diamond ring gleaming on her finger and the light of happiness in her eyes, I feel more complete than I’ve ever been. We’re about to take on the world together—me, Tasha, and our three little miracles.
I’ve never been more ready.