Chapter 47
Xander
“What?” Dahlia and I say in unison.
The doctor’s brow furrows. “You didn’t know?”
She looks between us, patient but cautious. “You’re pregnant, Mrs. Everette. Early, only a few weeks, but everything looks healthy.”
That one sentence, that one word—baby—has my heart soaring, pounding a million miles a minute. The room erupts into chaos, but I only have eyes on Dahlia.
We never talked about this. I never asked what she wanted.
A knot forms in my throat as tears glisten on her cheeks. She traces slow circles over her stomach, silent and awestruck.
My breath’s knocked out of me when her chocolate eyes meet mine. They’re crinkled in the corners from the force of her smile. Radiant.
“I’m pregnant.” Her voice comes out in a reverent whisper.
She gives me a watery smile, and I kiss her. I pull back, grinning, then kiss her again. I don’t stop until she pushes against my chest, laughing.
“Enough,” she says on a laugh, breathless.
I drop to the floor and kneel in front of her, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand resting on her still-flat stomach. A tear lands on my cheek. When I glance up, she’s looking down at me, eyes full of light and tears.
I kiss her stomach again before standing and cupping her face.
“We’re having a baby.” The words come out rough and full of disbelief. I kiss her again, quick and smiling, then rest my forehead against hers. The joy is almost too much, but unease slips in at the edges. “What if I’m not a good dad?”
“You’re going to be an excellent dad.” She laughs, bright and sure, burning away every trace of doubt. “The only thing I’m worried about is you spoiling them rotten.”
“I don’t see the problem with that. My kids will get everything they want. Just like their mother.”
“You’re impossible.”
“I’ve been called worse.”
She brushes her thumb along my jaw and smiles. “I love you.”
I kiss her again, slower this time, trying to memorize the warmth of her, the sound of her voice, the miracle she just gave me. Everything I’ve ever wanted is right here in my arms.