Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 98321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
For a moment, I felt slightly dizzy. Two?
But then a wave of pride crashed over me—TWO!
I stood up taller, puffing out my chest. “Well, damn,” I said. “Talk about overachieving.”
Bianca laughed. “Pretty sure it was the Clomid.”
“Even with Clomid, the chances of twins aren’t that high when conceived naturally,” the tech said. “I think it’s something like five to ten percent.”
“See?” I bent over and kissed her forehead. She’d been through so much over the last six months. In fact, we’d agreed that this cycle would be the last one trying to conceive without additional intervention. “You’re a rock star.”
She smiled up at me, making my heart pound even harder. I love you, she mouthed. To the tech, she said, “Does everything look okay?”
“Everything looks great,” she said.
Bianca’s eyes closed, and she breathed deeply, in and out. Tears leaked from both eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered.
My eyes were blurry too.
Later on that night, we lay in our big bed in our new bedroom at the Center Avenue house. Rolling onto my side, I put a hand on her smooth, soft belly. “I still can’t believe it. How on earth are two humans going to grow in there? It doesn’t seem like there’s enough room.”
She laughed. “Um, I’m going to get really big.”
“Like how big?” I propped my head on my hand.
“Massive. Like I could be wider than I am tall.”
I gasped in mock horror. “No.”
“Yes. Will you still love me?”
“Even more.” I flipped around and rested my head on her stomach.
She smiled at me, playing with my hair. “What are you doing?”
“I’m listening to them. It’s never too early to start eavesdropping on our kids.”
She laughed. “Hear anything good?”
“Shh.” I pretended to concentrate.
“Girls or boys?” she prodded.
“One of each.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“And what are their names?”
“Ricky and Lucy, of course.”
“Of course.” She grinned. “What are they up to?”
“They’re arguing. Ricky is taking up too much space. Lucy drew a line and told him not to cross it, but Ricky likes to provoke her.”
“Sounds about right.”
“Are you happy?” I asked her, my heart about to burst.
She nodded with shining eyes. “Are you?”
“More than I ever thought possible. And I know it’s just going to keep getting better.”
“I’m scared too.”
Immediately I sat up. “Why?”
She shrugged. “All of this . . . You, the house, the babies. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted. I’m scared of losing it.”
“Hey. Come here.” I lay down again and gathered her in close. “Nothing can take away what we’ve got.”
“But what if—”
“You talk too much. Have I ever told you that?”
“Probably.”
“And you’re always leaving your books in piles around the house, you constantly rearrange shit in the kitchen so I can’t find anything, you’re a big know-it-all, and you turn the thermostat up so high it’s like a sauna in here.”
She giggled. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be.” I kissed her head. “Because you’re also my favorite person in the world. You brought light into the egotistical and immature darkness that was my soul.”
“That’s right, I did,” she said, laughing again.
“Plus you’re the best wife ever. And you’re going to be an amazing mom.”
“You think so?”
“I know it.” I paused. “And I’m always right. In addition to being so good-looking and awesome at baseball, that’s your favorite thing about me.”
“It’s really not.”
“What?” I pretended disgust. “Come on. What could you love more than those things?”
“Hmmm. I love how generous you are. How hard you work. How you treat everyone you meet with kindness. I love the way you can make me laugh so easily. I love that you have the same three best friends now that you had when you were twelve—that says you’re loyal and trustworthy. I love the way you smell. I love how protective you are. I love walking into a room with you and seeing everyone stare because you’re so gorgeous, and feeling your hand on my back that tells me you’re mine.”
“Always,” I said, rubbing her spine.
“And,” she added reluctantly, like it pained her to say it, “I suppose I have grown to love the smolder.”
I laughed. “It was only a matter of time, babe.”
She tilted her head back and looked up at me with those blue eyes that melted all my defenses. “For once, I don’t even want to argue with you.”
“Good.” I kissed her softly and held her close, marveling that there were three heartbeats in my arms. My own heart thrummed hard inside my chest.
With love, with gratitude, with protectiveness . . . with the certainty of knowing that we’d taken a crazy leap of faith and landed exactly where we were supposed to be.
For real, and for always.
THE END
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Twenty-Two
Pappardelle and sausage with kale and spicy tomato sauce
Ingredients
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil