10. Sami
Chapter Ten
SAMI
I wake up feeling like I’m floating on a cloud. The morning sunlight streams through Axel’s bedroom windows, painting everything in a golden glow that matches my mood perfectly.
Everything about my life has changed in just over two weeks.
And for once, all the changes are wonderful.
I stretch my arms above my head and smile. The bed beside me is empty, but I can hear Axel moving around in the kitchen. The scent of coffee drifts up, promising caffeine and whatever breakfast he’s preparing.
I close my eyes and replay last night’s events in my mind.
The way his family welcomed me with open arms, like I already belonged.
The easy conversation around the dinner table.
The genuine interest they showed in my music.
And most incredibly, the news about Lane Rivers wanting to meet with me about scoring actual films. Real, paid work doing exactly what I’ve dreamed of since I was a little girl.
It still doesn’t feel real. None of it does.
“You’re smiling in your sleep.”
I open my eyes to find Axel standing in the doorway, holding a mug of coffee. He’s wearing just sweatpants, his chest bare and his hair still mussed from sleep. The sight of him sends a flutter through my stomach.
“I wasn’t sleeping. Just savoring the moment.” I push myself up to sitting and pull the sheet with me. “Everything feels perfect this morning.”
He crosses to the bed and sits beside me.
“That’s because it is perfect.” He hands me the coffee. “You. Me. This life we’re building.”
I take a sip, appreciating the rich flavor. Even his coffee is perfect. But as the liquid hits my stomach, a wave of nausea rolls through me, stronger than the queasy feeling I had at his family’s cabin yesterday.
I set the mug down quickly on the nightstand.
“You okay, Kitten?” Axel’s brow furrows with concern.
“Just a little nauseous.” I force a smile. “Probably all the excitement catching up with me.”
His frown deepens. “You felt sick yesterday, too.”
“It’s nothing.” I swing my legs over the side of the bed, intending to stand, but another wave of nausea hits me. This one is strong enough to make me close my eyes and breathe deeply through my nose.
Axel’s hand rests warm and steady on my back. “When was your last period?”
The question freezes me in place.
My mind races as I count backward. When was it? Before I met Axel, definitely. Before I started working those extra shifts at The Summit. Before...
“Oh my gosh.” Realization crashes over me. “I’m late. I’m really late.”
The room seems to tilt slightly. How did I not notice? Between meeting Axel, moving in with him, and everything else happening at lightning speed, I completely lost track of my cycle.
“We haven’t used protection,” I state the obvious, my voice trembling slightly. “Not once.”
“I know.”
There’s something in Axel’s voice that makes me turn to look at him.
Instead of shock or concern, his expression holds barely contained excitement. His eyes are bright, his mouth curved in the beginning of a smile.
“You’re not worried?” I search his face, trying to process his reaction.
“Worried about creating a life with the woman I love?” He shakes his head. “Not even a little bit.”
My heart pounds against my ribs. “But we’ve only known each other for a few weeks. We can’t possibly be ready for a baby.”
Instead of answering, Axel stands and walks to the bathroom. I hear him opening a drawer, rummaging around for something. When he returns, he’s holding a small pink box.
A pregnancy test.
“You just happen to have one of those lying around?” I stare at the box in his hand, my mind struggling to catch up.
Axel kneels in front of me, taking both my hands in his.
“I slipped out this morning and stopped by the pharmacy.”
The significance of this hits me like a thunderbolt. He went out and bought a test. He’s been thinking about this possibility, planning for it, maybe even hoping for it.
“You’ve been waiting for me to realize?” I ask.
“I didn’t want to say anything until you were ready to consider it. But Sami, the thought of you carrying my child...” His voice roughens with emotion. “There’s nothing I want more.”
Tears spring to my eyes. This man, who crashed into my life just days ago, has been thinking about our future in ways I hadn’t even dared to consider. While I was still adjusting to the idea of living together, he was already imagining a family.
“You want this?” I ask him.
His thumb brushes over my knuckles. “More than anything.”
The nausea fades into the background as I look at him, this beautiful, intense man who’s turned my world upside down in the most incredible way.
A week ago, the idea of pregnancy would have terrified me. Now, looking into Axel’s eyes, seeing the love and certainty there, I feel something shift inside me. A door opening to a future I never imagined for myself.
“I’m scared,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. “Everything is happening so fast.”
“I know, Kitten.” He lifts my hands to his lips and presses a kiss to my fingers. “But some things are meant to be. If you’re carrying our child, it’s just one more sign that we’re exactly where we’re supposed to be.”
His certainty washes over me like a warm wave, soothing my fears.
This is crazy. All of it is crazy. Meeting him, moving in with him, potentially having his baby after knowing him for days rather than years. But nothing about our relationship has followed the normal rules.
“Okay.” I take a deep breath and reach for the box he’s holding. “Let’s find out.”
I close the bathroom door behind me with a soft click, shutting out Axel’s anxious pacing. The pregnancy test sits on the counter like a ticking bomb, waiting for me to find the courage to use it. My hands tremble as I pick up the small plastic stick that could change everything.
I take a deep breath and follow the instructions, my heart hammering against my ribs. Two minutes to wait. Two minutes that stretch into eternity as I perch on the edge of the bathtub while my stomach churns.
The timer on my phone chimes softly.
Time to face the truth.
I stand on wobbly legs and approach the counter with my heart in my throat. One line means no. Two lines means yes. I peer down at the small window and the world stops spinning.
Two lines. Clear as day.
I’m pregnant.
A strangled sound escapes me – half laugh, half sob. My fingers grip the counter as a surge of dizziness washes over me.
This is real. There’s a tiny life inside me. A perfect blend of me and Axel, created during nights of passion that felt more like destiny than chance.
I open the bathroom door and step back into the bedroom. Axel stands by the window, his tall frame silhouetted against the morning light. He turns immediately, his dark eyes finding mine with laser focus.
“Sami?” His voice is rough with tension.
Words fail me. Instead, I hold out the test, those two pink lines facing him. His eyes drop to the plastic stick in my hand, widening as he processes what he’s seeing. For a breathless moment, neither of us moves.
Then his face transforms. The anxiety melts away, replaced by a joy so pure and unfiltered it takes my breath away. His smile breaks across his face like sunrise over the mountains – gradual, then all at once blindingly beautiful.
“We’re having a baby?” He says it like he can’t quite believe it, though he’s the one who bought the test.
I nod, still unable to speak past the lump in my throat.
Axel crosses the room and sweeps me into his arms with enough force that my feet leave the ground. Then he spins me in a circle, and his laughter mingles with mine as the room blurs around us.
“I love you so much, Sami,” he whispers, his voice raw with emotion. “So fucking much.”
A fresh wave of tears spills over as his words sink in.
“I love you, too.” The truth of it resonates through my entire body. “I didn’t think it was possible to feel this much this quickly, but I do.”
He kisses me then, soft and sweet and full of promise. When he pulls back, his eyes are suspiciously bright.
“We’re going to be a family.” He places another gentle kiss on my forehead. “You, me, and our baby. And I’m going to take care of both of you for the rest of my life.”
We stand there holding each other, his heartbeat steady against my cheek.
In this quiet moment, I feel something settle inside me – a certainty I’ve never experienced before.
This whirlwind romance, this impossible connection that defied all logic and caution, has transformed into something permanent. Something real.
“What are you thinking?” Axel’s voice rumbles through his chest.
“That maybe some things don’t need time.” I place my hand over his, where it rests on my stomach. “Maybe some things just need to be right.”
He smiles against my hair. “Like the Fit Mountain curse.”
“Like the curse,” I agree, thinking of how Ruby described it – one look and a mountain man knows. “I think I finally understand what she meant.”
Outside the window, the mountains rise against the clear morning sky, solid and unchanging.
Fifteen days ago, they were just scenery to me.
Now they’re home. Just like this man holding me, just like the tiny life growing inside me.
Home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling. And despite the speed of everything, I’ve never felt more at home than I do right now, in Axel’s arms, carrying his child, with a future full of love stretching out before us.
And somehow, that feels exactly right.
The End