Epilogue
“Hey, I’m home.” Miles dropped his keys on the small table by the garage door and followed the noise. “Gabriel, where’s your sister?”
Gabriel glanced over his shoulder after pausing his video game. Stephanie, his girlfriend for one full year, sat next to him on the sofa. Her family had moved to Lighthouse Cove six months ago, after Harvey had sold them a small place not too far from Steve.
About that time, Gabriel had started spending two days a week at the development company with his father and the rest of the week, he still worked at the shop with Miles.
Gabriel thrived in both environments, as long as he didn’t have to deal too much with people.
And he wasn’t made to feel like he was choosing between his dad and Miles.
Which neither man would do.
But now there was Kirk, Liberty’s biological father. Gabriel understood what that meant and he also comprehended that Liberty didn’t see Kirk that way. That Harvey was father to them both, in all areas that mattered. However, she still wanted to know Kirk. To make a connection to the man whose biology had created her and since they had been talking about having a child, that discussion had become a little more intense.
“In your bedroom,” Gabriel said. “She was already here when Dad and I got home.”
“Oh, hello.” Harvey stepped from kitchen. “I hope you don’t mind.” He lifted a glass of scotch. “Liberty must have caught a bug because she was white as a ghost when I brought Gabriel home. I ordered pizza since she said she wasn’t cooking and I kind of asked Sandra to come over too.”
“That’s fine. You’re both always welcome.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “She hasn’t been feeling well all week. She had a doctor’s appointment earlier. I better go check on her.” Although that appointment was all about going off birth control and female stuff that Miles didn’t even pretend to understand.
“Well, when you’re done with that, why don’t you join Gabriel, Stephanie, and me in some video games.”
“I might do that.” Miles strolled toward the master bedroom where he found Liberty in bed. “Hey, you,” he whispered, sitting on the edge of the mattress. “What’s going on?”
“More like what’s coming up.”
“Okay. I’ll keep my distance.” He stood.
She chuckled.
“Not funny. I can’t afford to be sick.”
“I’m not sick.” She waved her hand over the nightstand. “Grab that.”
He lifted a piece of paper. “Oh. I’ve seen this before. Emmerson showed me one of these when he found out Rumor was having…” Miles went to sit back on the bed but missed and landed on the floor with a thud. “Please tell me you’re not having twins.”
“There is only one baby in my belly.” She patted the top of his head. “Daddy.”
He pushed to his feet and eased back onto the bed, resting his hand on her stomach. “Seriously? You’re pregnant? And why did you have an ultrasound so fast? Are you okay? Is the baby okay? And how did this happen? You haven’t even gone off birth control.”
“You sound upset.”
“No, babe. Not at all. Just confused. Scared. And maybe a little freaked out.”
“Well, it turns out our birth control failed like two months ago and the doctor pressed my belly and was like, hmmm, feels like your uterus has expanded. Let’s take a look and holy shit, there’s a baby in there.” She pushed to a sitting position and kissed his lips. “Turns out you have super sperm to go with your other superpowers.”
“I guess so.” He bent over and lifted the picture, running his finger over the image. “I’m sorry, but our baby looks like a blob.”
“Yeah, that’s what I said.” She bit down on her fingernail.
He cocked his head. “What am I missing?”
“I’m actually feeling okay. I mean, I was a little queasy this morning, but that was a ruse so I could get you alone while the rest of your family sneaks into the house for a little congratulations party.”
Miles arched a brow. “Your dad, Gabriel, and even Stephanie already knew? My mother knows?”
“Everyone knows.” She covered his mouth. “But only because when I was walking out of the pharmacy with a handful of prenatal vitamins, I ran into your mom, Trinity, Bryn, and Shelby. It’s impossible to lie to those people. Next thing I knew, we were having a party.”
He cupped her face. “As long as we don’t let my mother name our kid, it’s all good.”
“About that.” She pursed her lips. “I have some ideas about names and before your mom, or anyone else for that matter, even starts, I want you to hear my ideas.”
“I’m barely wrapping my brain around being a dad, and you want me to commit to names?”
“Just hear me out.”
“All right. Lay them on me.”
“If it’s a boy, I want to name him Harvey Kirkland Kirby.” She lifted her finger. “Before you go shooting it down. Gabriel’s never going to have children so my father’s never going to have his name carried on. This way he can. And while Kirk isn’t my dad in any way that matters, biology does mean something. And he’s been incredibly understanding about all of this. Also, knowing that his and Sandra’s divorce had nothing to do with me was such a relief.”
“Are you done?”
She nodded.
Miles couldn’t love his wife anymore if he tried. “I love the name. It works for me. Now, what if it’s a girl?”
“This one I’m afraid you might not be on board with, but I want you to consider that it’s important to me because this person has been so incredible to Gabriel. And she was the one who?—”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Miles smacked his forehead. “You seriously want to name a girl Rebecca after my mother? Do you have any idea how that’s going to play out?”
“I know how your mom can get, but she’s been incredible to me.” Liberty held his hand over her stomach.
How could he say no to that? “And the middle name?”
“You can choose that.”
“If you leave it up to me, her name will be Rebecca Francis Kirby.” Miles chuckled.
“Why Francis?”
“That’s what I named my first car.”
“Oh my God.” She cupped his face. “Rebecca Francis it is.”
“My mother’s going to hate that because she despised that vehicle.” Miles pulled back the covers and climbed in next to his wife. “It was a beat-up old Gremlin. Puke green and I was so freaking proud of it. First car I restored to its original glory. Took me five months, but I had her purring like a kitten.”
“What happened to her?”
Miles shook his head. “She’s still in my shop. No way would I ever part with my first love.”
“Well, now you have me.” Liberty pressed his hand over her belly. “And our little baby.”
“Something for both of us to love.”
Thank you for taking the time to read MINE TO LOVE. Feel free to leave an honest review.