Eight
Eight
Hailey hated crying, and the fact that she couldn’t control it only made the tears come faster. Wes pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair as he whispered unintelligible things to her. Without warning, he scooped her up in his arms and her heart stuttered, her breath hiccupping. Burying her face in his neck, she felt them moving and jostled when he flopped down, continuing to hold her like he’d never let go.
His back arched and even though she wanted to stay hidden in his neck, she met his gaze. The anguish in his eyes felt like a sharp slap. Sniffling, she swiped at the tears, doing her best to pull herself together.
Wes cupped her face in his hands, bringing their faces so close she could feel his breath. “What are you talking about? What’s going on, Hailey?”
Hailey curled her hands around his wrists as much as she could, pressing her forehead against his. He whispered her name, and the sound sent a crack rippling through her heart.
He pushed closer, like he was trying to meld their heads together, like maybe then he could read her mind. “I love you, Hailey. Tell me what’s wrong. Let me fix it.”
She sighed and a small smile played on her lips. Mr. Fix-It. He always wanted to smooth out her troubles and make things easier for her. Hailey sat up, putting some space between them—as much as she could while staying on his lap. She pulled his hands from her face, sliding her hands into his to rest them on her lap.
“You can’t fix this, Wes, and I’m scared it’ll change everything,” she said. Her courage trembled like a dandelion in the wind. What if he didn’t want this? What if it was too much? What if he’s thrilled?
“ You’re scaring me ,” he said. “Just say it. Nothing could change how much I love you. How much I want you to be my wife.”
She pulled in a deep breath, filling her lungs, unable to stop it from coming out shaky. “I’m pregnant.”
The words sat between them and Hailey watched Wes like he was a silent movie of emotions. Worry shifted to shock, slid into wide-eyed surprise that including several glances at her belly, until he landed on what could only be described as disbelief.
“Wes?” He hadn’t spoken in over thirty seconds, and she was pretty sure he’d stopped breathing.
Hailey’s heart beat at a frenzied pace. She started to get up, doing her best not to let her thoughts spin out. Wes’s hands gripped her waist, holding her there.
His eyes went to her stomach so she couldn’t read his expression. “You’re carrying our baby?” Wes’s voice was so quiet, she barely heard him, but there was no escaping the reverence in his tone.
Hope flared like lightning in her chest.
“Wes?”
Lifting his chin, he met Hailey’s eyes, and it stole her breath to see the wetness in his.
“Say something,” she said, her tone one sliver away from begging.
He pulled her closer, then turned his head, wrapping his arms around her, his cheek resting on her heart, his body trembling. Hailey stroked one hand over his back, one through his hair.
“We’re going to have a baby. I love you. I love you.” He kept whispering it, even as he nudged her back, pushed her to lay on the couch and spread his palms over her stomach, showering her with more kisses there, through her clothes. He lifted the hem of her shirt, his lips trailing over her sensitive skin.
Happiness surged so hard she shut her eyes in an effort to absorb it. Wes shifted, moving up her body until they were face-to-face.
“Do you feel okay?”
Her lids fluttered open. Hailey lifted a palm to his cheek. “You didn’t go running in the opposite direction, so I feel great.”
Wes’s brows furrowed. He pulled them both to sitting so they were angled toward each other on the couch. “Hailey. I don’t want you to think, even in passing, not for one millisecond, that’s what I’d do. I love you. With everything I have and everything I am.”
Tears pushed again but she willed them away. “I know you love me. And I love you back every bit as much, but we haven’t talked about this. Two years ago you didn’t want a wife. This isn’t exactly easing in, right? A baby before we even get married?”
He inched closer, holding her hand, his thumb brushing across the top. “I’m not the same man I was when I met you, Hailey. I’d like to think I’m a better one.”
“But do you want children?” She forced herself to say the words that had hovered in the back of her mind for weeks. “You were so reluctant to babysit for Piper and you wanted nothing to do with Milo.”
His head tipped to the side, like he was considering her words, then he gave a brief nod. “I suppose both of those things are true. I was nervous. I haven’t been around babies much. I’ve been so wrapped up in getting to spend my life with you, to working with my brothers, and just enjoying this time, I didn’t give it a lot of thought. But I can tell you, these last few days, I felt you pulling away from me and I knew there’s nothing I wouldn’t have done to make things right between us. And when you said you were pregnant, aside from shock, the only thing I felt was a bone-deep happiness I’ve only ever felt once before, and that was when you said yes to marrying me.” He got up, pulled her to standing, then stroked her hair back from her face. “I don’t think I ever would have said I was ready to be a father. The thought scares me as much as it thrills me. But I want every adventure and experience with you.”
One lone tear slipped through as Hailey wrapped her arms around his neck. “You’re going to be an amazing father. I love you, Wes. We didn’t plan for this, but we didn’t plan for each other, and look how well that turned out.”
He laughed and she pulled back, took a deep breath that came a lot easier than the ones earlier.
“Why were you late? How long have you known?” He took her hand, pulling her toward the kitchen as he asked.
“I found out the other day and today I went to the doctor to confirm.”
He stopped by the small table where they shared their meals most days. He frowned at her. “I would have gone to the doctor with you. I don’t want you to ever be worried to tell me something. We’re building a life together. You’re the one who taught me that some weight isn’t meant to be carried alone.”
She smiled, thinking about how, as the oldest, he’d always taken on more responsibility for his brothers, which including shielding them from the anger that permeated his parents’ marriage.
“I just wanted to be sure before I said anything. But you’re right. We’re partners and I should have told you right away.”
He nodded with a wide smile on his lips. “Sit down. Let me feed you.”
She sat, grinning, energy thrumming through her veins. They were going to have a baby. Wes doled out their food and set a plate in front of her, sitting down next to her instead of in his usual seat across the table. He was so sweet it made her heart ache.
Her stomach rumbled loudly as she dug into the meal. “About the wedding.” She took her first bite and let out a sound of appreciation.
Wes’s gaze darkened even as one side of his mouth tipped up. “When are you due?”
“Summer.”
Wes laughed. “So definitely no wedding then. Okay. Do you want to move it up?”
Finishing her bite, she set her fork down. “I don’t. It’s made me happier than I can explain to see you dive into our wedding plans. Honestly, it made me fall even more in love with you. I want what we planned. But there’s no way to move it up. Our only option is to move it back.”
Wes put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to kiss her forehead before returning to his food. “Then we’ll move it back.”
That felt too easy. “That’s okay with you?” She picked up her fork again.
“I want you . Where or when doesn’t matter. How about we aim for the following summer? That’ll give us time to adjust to our new lives and we’ll have our own mini wedding attendant.”
Hailey’s heart expanded. “Oh my gosh. That’s adorable. Our own baby flower girl or ring bearer.”
Shaking his head, Wes stared at her. “We’re going to be parents.”
She nodded. “Does that worry you? Neither of us have the best examples. Though, I adore your mom.” She loved her own mom and her dad too. But loving someone for their role in your life didn’t mean you couldn’t acknowledge their shortcomings. At least in her own mind.
“Wait until she hears she’s going to be a grandmother,” Wes said, chuckling. “We’ll work to not repeat the things we think shaped us negatively. All we can do is our best. Something tells me with your drive and my organization, we’ll make out okay.”
Hailey reached out and took his hand, squeezed it. “And whatever we lack in any area will be made up with love. I love you, Wes. There’s no one else I’d want this life with.”
He reached over, cupped her jaw, kissed her. “Absolutely the same.”
As they focused on their meals for a few minutes, a wave of fatigue washed over her. Christmas was in just a few days. They’d need to tell people, but she was grateful they had a bit of time to just have the news between them. To soak it in together.
“It’ll be a big job to reschedule everything for the wedding,” she said, thinking out loud.
Wes scooped up the last bite on his plate. “I’ll take care of it.”
He started to rise but Hailey stopped him. “ We’ll take care of it. Together.”
Wes leaned in, kissing her again. “You’re right.” He stood up, picked up his plate, then stopped still.
Hailey looked up at him, stabbing the last cherry tomato in her bowl. “What’s wrong?”
Wes shook his head. “Nothing. But we have lots to do to get ready for a baby. I was just running through a list in my head.”
Hailey laughed. “Of course you were.”
He arched his brows as she stood, picked up her own dishes. “You know what this means, right?”
“We’re going to have a type A baby?”
He gave her a mock scowl. “Funny girl. It means the wedding board needs a makeover.”
Following him over to the sink, Hailey snort-laughed. “You’re ridiculous. You can’t do a month-by-month countdown for the baby’s arrival on that board.”
Wes took their plates, set them down, then pulled Hailey into his arms. “See? Now that just sounds like a challenge.”
Hailey laughed, going up on her tiptoes. “You’re ridiculous.” By tomorrow, he’d have ordered every book on babies available.
Wes closed the distance between them, whispering against her lips. “And all yours.”
Hailey sighed into the kiss. This man. This life. She wasn’t sure how she’d gotten so lucky, but she knew she’d never take it for granted.
As the intensity of the kiss grew, Wes walked her backward toward their bedroom. When they reached the doorway, he stopped, looked up.
Hailey followed his gaze and couldn’t hold back the tiny squeal of joy. Mistletoe hung over the doorframe. She met his gaze, overwhelmed by the love shining in it.
“Do you remember the first time we kissed under the mistletoe?” His voice was low and husky, sending shivers over her skin.
“I’ll never forget. You were all I wanted. You still are.”
His hand slid down, pressed her closer. “The minute I stopped fighting what I felt for you, my life changed for the better. I want to kiss you under the mistletoe for the rest of my life.”
Hailey pushed up on her tiptoes again, neediness flooding her veins. “No better time to start than now.”
As they fell into the kiss and into each other, she wondered how she’d ever doubted his response. In a few days, it would be Christmas and they’d celebrate with their family and friends. But Hailey knew, in her soul, that the very best gift she’d ever received was Wes Jansen. Together, they’d create the life they wanted. He could map it all out or they could take things as they came. But as long as they were together, they’d land on their feet. Side by side. Hand in hand. With a precious little human between them.