Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 133688 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133688 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
“Well, it would continue with the Star Wars theme.” I chuckle, flashing him a wink.
“How so?” Dianna asks.
“Owen was Luke Skywalker’s uncle’s name,” I explain.
“Okay, that I didn’t know.” Katie sighs. “But Luke is cute.”
“Funny enough, Walker is close to Skywalker, which is one of the most famous last names in the films. So it’s almost like we have to continue with it,” I say, teasing her about her maiden name.
Owen grins. “See? I was right!”
“Perhaps a different name than Anakin, though,” Katie muses as the tech hands her the printed ultrasound pictures.
“Okay, I’ll look up names on my tablet when we get home and make a list,” he says eagerly, and honestly, if he picked Darth Vader, I wouldn’t even care because I’m just happy he wants to be involved.
“No peeking,” I whisper in Katie’s ear as my hands cover her eyes. “Keep walking.” I do my best to guide her into the nursery. It’s a room I haven’t let her see in over a month, which hasn’t been too hard since I’ve taken over most of the remodeling.
“I’m not! Can I look now?” she begs.
“Just one minute.” I position her in the doorway and click on the light. “Okay, baby. Go ahead.”
I remove my hands and watch as her eyes flutter open. “Oh my God,” she gasps. “Where did all of this come from?”
“My dad and I built the bassinets. Belinda restored an old rocking chair and dresser.”
“I-I can’t believe y’all did this!” She walks deeper inside, running her fingers across the wood pieces. “It’s so perfect.”
Katie wraps her arms around me, and I pull her into a hug.
“The flooring and paint are beautiful. I can’t wait to decorate.”
“I have direct orders to tell you it needs to be a Star Wars theme.”
Katie chuckles. “I’m never getting away from that, am I?”
“I don’t think so. Though he said if we don’t like Anakin, he’d accept Finn or Ben.”
“Duly noted.” She groans, placing a hand over her belly.
After giving her the nursery tour, she talks about what we still need.
“My sister said she and Everleigh want to throw you a shower since it’s been so long since you’ve had a baby. We could register for anything else we need.”
“They do?”
I nod. “Of course. Any opportunity for Everleigh to drink.”
She chuckles. “Well, my mom mentioned wanting to throw us one too, so I guess the three of them could plan it together. I just feel bad because I had one with Owen.”
“Over ten years ago,” I remind her. “If your family and friends want to do this for you, I think you should let them.”
“Alright,” she agrees. “But can we please not have a Star Wars theme?”
I laugh, bringing her lips to mine. “I don’t think either of us has an option anymore.”
After I show Katie everything else I’ve worked on and what still needs to be finished, we go back home, and I can tell she’s getting tired.
“Sweetheart, go take a nap. I’ll pick up Owen and hang out with him for a bit. Actually, I’ll take him and Anthony to the park. We’ll play baseball and burn off their energy.” Since he’s at Loretta’s, it’d be easy to take them with me for the afternoon.
“You’re the sweetest man on the planet, Noah Reid.”
“Hold that thought…there’s something I wanted to discuss with you.”
Katie leans against the headboard and rests her arms over her belly. “Okay…”
I bring up my idea about telling Owen the truth about Anthony and sharing just enough so he understands they’re siblings. Since Anthony’s not going anywhere anytime soon, it’d only be a matter of time before he finds out. I don’t want him to be disappointed he didn’t hear it from his own mother.
“I agree with that, but I want to be the one to tell him,” she says.
“Of course.” I smile, grabbing her hand and pressing my lips to her knuckles.
“I just hope Anthony doesn’t tell Owen anything he doesn’t need to know. I have no clue what Brittany shared or what he could’ve overheard,” she states.
Nodding, I sit beside her on the bed. “Let’s just take it one day at a time, okay? You need to rest and take it easy.”
She groans. “Yeah, yeah.”
Chuckling, I give her one last kiss before leaving to pick up Owen.
“Hey, Noah.” Loretta greets me with a smile. “Congrats on boys! I heard the news.”
“Yes, thank you. Gonna be a rowdy house.” I shove my hands in my pockets. “I wanted to take Owen to play some ball at the park. Any chance I could take Anthony with us?”
She gives me a suspicious look before her face breaks out into a grin. “I’m sure he’d love that. He and Owen play so well together.”
I can tell Loretta’s still adjusting to all of this too. She could’ve let Anthony go to a foster home for the next eight years, but she took responsibility and accepted him into their lives.