Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81182 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81182 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
One thing I didn’t think about when Walker and I decided to move to Florida was the heat. I mean, of course I knew it was hot. I’ve been traveling here since I was little with my parents for vacations, and on trips to visit my grandparents in recent years. I just never thought about the fact that it’s hot and humid all the time. And after living in London for so long, it seems to be taking me forever to acclimate to the change in weather.
“Hey, baby.” My too-gorgeous-for-his-own-good husband smiles up at me, and I pass him the test still in my hand, then reach down for Axton, who starts to kick his tiny feet in the water when he sees me. “What’s this?” He flips the test over, and his body stills. He doesn’t even seem to take a breath as he stares at it.
“That’s a positive pregnancy test. So, congratulations, you’re going to be a dad... again.”
“We’re having another baby?” He looks up at me, and the amount of love I see in his gaze causes my nose to sting.
“Yes,” I whisper as Axton rests his head on my shoulder, and I pat his wet bottom.
Walker places his hands on the edge of the pool and pushes up out of the water. In one smooth motion, he’s standing on the pool deck in front of me. “Did you just take this?”
“Yes, I picked it up this afternoon when I was at the grocery store. But I already knew what the answer would be.”
“How?”
“How am I pregnant, or how did I know? Because if the question is ‘how am I pregnant, when we’ve been using protection,’ the answer is ‘you have super-sperm.’”
“How did you know?”
“I’ve been feeling nauseous in the mornings, and today, I noticed my nipples have gotten darker and are more sensitive than usual.”
“You never mentioned you were feeling sick.” He frowns at me.
“It wasn’t a big deal.” I almost roll my eyes. Of course this man couldn’t care less that we’re pregnant already, when Axton is barely five months old, and is more concerned with me not feeling good. “You do realize this means we could have a newborn in nine months, and Axton will only be a little over a year old, right?”
“And…?”
“And you’re okay with that?”
“I’m not upset about it.” His gaze suddenly bores into mine. “Are you?”
Looking down at Axton when he lifts his head to look at me, like always, my heart melts. “No, I’m not upset. I just thought we’d have more time settling into things before we tried again.”
“We’ll take extra precautions next time around.” He takes Axton from me, then rests his hand against my lower back and leans down to plant a soft kiss against my lips.
“You know, you never freak out about anything, and it’s a little annoying.”
“The only thing that could shake me is something happening to you or our kids. As long as you’re all good, I’m good.” He kisses me once more, and I melt against him, knowing that as long as I have him, like he said, I’m good, and everything will be okay.
Hanna
Years Later
Walking through the house, I pass the living room, where shelves are covered with photos taken over the years from Walker and my wedding, where I was seven months pregnant and standing in my dress under the same Willow tree my parents got married under. Lots of pictures of Axton, Landon, and our newest Isabella, plus photos of our families when they have come to visit and others of trips we’ve taken to London over the years so that we could visit Douglas and Blair plus see the girls and our friends. Grabbing my car keys I carefully maneuver Isabella out the door and go to my car and place her in her car seat then get in behind the wheel. It takes me less than ten minutes to get over to the Dive building Walker, Ham, and Otto work out of. I park and take Isabella out of her seat once more and hold her on my shoulder as I go inside.
The moment I step through the glass doors at the front, I can hear the sound of Axton and Landon laughing so loud that the sound ricochets off the inside of the steel building, causing the metal to shake. Both my boys, who are now five and six, are just as wild and free-spirited as their father, and as stubborn as Walker claims I am. But even with all of that, I wouldn’t change a thing. They are mama’s boys through and through and already have a protective streak a mile wide for the girls they love. Their baby sister, Isabella, being at the top of that list.
With Isabella’s tiny head resting on my shoulder, I pat her bottom and walk past Holly at the front desk, giving her a smile that she returns in earnest. The cute blonde Otto hired when both Ham and Walker were out of town was a surprise to everyone. Even more of a surprise is how amazing she is at her job, on top of the fact that she still hasn’t given in to the temptation Otto has presented, not even after working here for the past six months.