Epigraph #6
Wolf eyed Dorian. “January. Why?”
All Dorian did was smile, and Wolf’s mouth dropped open.
“Bro, you’re kidding,” Wolf said, and Dorian shook his head.
“Sloane’s due in February, and we were also keeping it a secret,” Dorian said, his grin wide, and what the fucks flew from the rest of us. It was enough to draw attention, so we all literally had to silence ourselves.
“Holy shit, I’m going to be an uncle again. Congrats, D.” There were hugs all around again. What were the odds these two fuckers were having kids at the same time?
“Same, man. Same.” Dorian came away from the hug holding Wolf’s hand.
“Lots of happiness going on over here. What’s going on?
” Snowflake asked. She’d come along with the other girls.
Bow had Bailee, and Lady was beside them.
Lady very much looked like LJ but was half black.
Her normally vibrant curls were straightened today.
Fawn and Sloane were with them too, of course, and were drinking something other than alcohol when we all knew those two could throw down.
Shit, this was really real.
I was so happy for my friends and had to contain my excitement when I put my arm around Snowflake. “Nothing. Just guy talk.”
“Right,” she said, holding me tightly. She smelled like cinnamon today, and I loved fucking cinnamon. Her head cocked. “There’s a lot of boy joy going on over here. What’s happening?”
It wasn’t my place to say, and, when I caught sight of Dorian, then Wolf, they wore knowing smiles. They both looked at each other before nodding at me.
I arched my brow. “You sure I can say?”
“Why not? The cat’s already out of the bag,” Dorian said, sliding his arm around Sloane’s waist.
Sloane studied him. “Did you tell them?”
“They kind of pulled it out of me, but you’ll see why.” Dorian looked at Wolf.
Wolf grinned. “We are too.”
“Seriously?” Bouncing, Sloane launched herself at her twin. “Oh my God I’m so happy for you, Big.”
“Thanks, Little.” When he pulled away, he crouched down a bit. “And hey, little niece or nephew. You’ve got a cousin coming, too.”
“This is so exciting.” Fawn hugged Sloane, and Sloane squeezed her. The next thing I knew, everyone was hugging everyone.
“Oh my God. I can’t believe you both are pregnant.” Lady pressed her hands to her mouth. She brought her arms around both Fawn and Sloane. “The family is getting bigger.”
It was, and it started with Lady. I heard LJ say once that Lady was their family’s miracle.
I glanced over at Billie and LJ, to see Faith there too, with her mama. They were with a group comprised of our parents.
And they were staring at us with wide, curious eyes.
That made us all laugh. I was sure they’d all be finding out real soon.
“Well, I technically already knew about Sloane, but congrats again,” Bow said. I wasn’t surprised Sloane told her since the two were so close. Bow squeezed Fawn’s hand. “I’m so happy for you and Ares.”
There was a lot of happiness going on as the group squeezed and hugged each other. There were congratulations and the promise of more parties. There were going to be so many parties.
“Thatcher?” Snowflake took my hand. She smiled. “Thatcher, we are too.”
I was kind of distracted and had to focus on her. I’d nearly lost myself in all the happy and felt bad. Today was about us.
I touched her face. “I’m sorry, baby. What was that?”
“I said, we are too.” Even though everyone was so loud around us, I was focused on her now. She laughed. “We’re pregnant too.”
I had to have heard her wrong.
I shook my head. “Baby, I’m sorry. You said you’re…”
“Pregnant.” She took my hands. “I was going to tell you the night you proposed, but then you proposed and, well, yeah. That’s why I ended the tour. We’re pregnant, Thatcher.”
We’re pregnant.
She grinned. “Thatcher?”
I was having an out-of-body experience. I squeezed her hands. “You’re serious?”
She nodded.
“We’re pregnant,” I said, and people were still so fucking loud around us that they couldn’t hear our conversation. My heart did acrobatics, flips. “We’re having a baby?”
She smiled. “We’re having a baby.”
I pulled her into my arms. I think I was shaking. I legitimately thought I was going to pass out. “We’re pregnant?”
“Yes.”
“I love you.” I kissed her so hard, and I tasted something: her tears. I pulled back, and there they were.
“I love you, too,” she said, laughing. I took her hand and dragged her out of the center of my loud-ass friends.
“Everyone, I have an announcement!” I called out, looking at Aspen. She had her hand on her mouth and was still laughing. She nodded at me, clearly giving me permission, and, once she did, I grinned at the room. “Aspen and I are pregnant.”
“What the fuck!” Wells shouted, shooting over to us. “You’re fucking what?”
“We’re pregnant!” I basically howled it to the room. Aspen’s smile was so big, and got even bigger when I pressed a huge kiss on her. “We’re pregnant.”
That last declaration was just for her and was easily drowned out by everyone in the room.
Everyone was talking now, my friends and my family.
Aspen and I were surrounded. I received congratulations from my parents and godparents.
We were flooded with even more congratulations than we had already today.
We were getting married, and we were pregnant.
I held Aspen close, being so gentle with her. She was everything. I only heard her in a room exploding with excitement.
“I’m so happy,” she said. I realized I understood what all my friends’ advice meant: this was the only thing that mattered. Her. Us.
Us.
It was going to be the three of us now, another generation. It was like this whole thing was starting all over again. Like Lady said, this family truly was getting bigger. It was getting greater and filled with even more love. It was bursting with so much of that.
It had an abundance of so much of that.