“Much. How was the game?”
He grinned. “We won.”
“Did you throw?”
“Not until tomorrow, you know that.” He narrowed his eyes, looking at me closely before saying, “You’re acting weird.”
Jack couldn’t possibly know anything. I wasn’t acting weird; I was acting just like I always act.
Forcing an innocent look on my face, I asked, “How am I acting weird?”
“You have this look on your face. And your eyes …”
“What about them?”
He ran his thumb down the side of my face. “They’re hiding something, but they want to share,” he said as he lifted his eyebrows at me.
That’s it. He is magic. I knew it.
About to burst with excitement, I couldn’t stall any longer. “I don’t know how you knew that, but I do have something to tell you. It has to do with why I wasn’t feeling well earlier.” I pulled him toward the closet. “The reason’s in there.”
“Is there a guy in the closet?” He stepped back, his hands balling into fists. “There better not be a f**king guy in this closet.”
“What? No? I just hid something in here.” I rolled the door open and pulled one of the tests down from the shelf. Unfolding the washcloth from around it, I presented it to Jack like a crown jewel on a display pillow.
He peeked down at the test stick, his brow furrowing. “What is tha—” He stopped midsentence, his eyes huge. “Is this? Are you?” He looked at me, his face full of wonder, and I nodded.
Jack fell to his knees and pressed his head against my belly. He wrapped his arms around me and held on to me without saying a word, his breath hot through the fabric of my shirt. I’m not sure how long we stood like that, but it felt like hours. When he finally pulled his head from me, tears were falling down his cheeks.
“We’re having a baby?” He covered my stomach with both of his hands.
“Three tests said yes, so I think so.” I smiled down at him as he moved to sit on the floor.
He reached for me and when I linked my hands with his, he pulled me down across from him. “We’re having a baby.”
“Are you happy?”
“Are you kidding, Kitten? I’ve wanted to knock you up since the day I met you!”
“Liar!” I laughed out loud.
“Okay, maybe not the day I met you. But pretty soon after.” He reached for my face, palming it with both his hands. “I can’t believe you have our baby in your belly right now. He’s just in there chilling.”
I rolled my eyes. “Only you would call it a he already. And say that it’s chilling.”
“I love you.” He scooted closer to me, his lips frantic as he kissed all over my face. “I love you so much. Thank you. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for marrying me. Thank you for becoming a part of my family. And thank you for growing our love child in your belly.”
“Our love child?” I snickered. “Jack Carter, you never cease to amaze me.”
“You’re the amazing one. I f**king love you. More than anything else in this world.” He lowered his head back to my stomach and planted a kiss over my top. “And I promise I’ll be a good dad.”
I reached for his hand and caressed it. “I know you will.”
He looked up at me and smirked. “I wasn’t talking to you.”
Smiling, I swatted his shoulder and said, “Well then, it knows.”
“Stop calling our son an it!”
“You stop calling it a him! What if it’s a girl, Jack?” My eyes widened at the thought. “Holy shit, Jack. What if it’s a girl?”
His head tipped back as he laughed full and hard. “Then I’ll kill any guy who comes near her until she moves out of our house.” He took a breath before continuing, “Which will be, never.”
“Uh-huh,” I said, knowing damn well that if we had a girl, Jack probably would go nuts every time she left the house. He reached for my hand and pressed it against his lips.
“And if we do have a girl, Kitten, I hope she looks just like her mom.”
My eyes filled with tears. “Stupid pregnancy hormones. I’m going to spend nine months crying.”
“Then I’ll spend nine months wiping your tears.”
I sniffed, wondering how in the world I’d gotten so lucky. I knew we’d been through hell and back, but all of those times felt so far rooted in the past in this present moment. We were going to have a baby, and I couldn’t think of anything more amazing or wonderful.
“Kitten?” Jack’s hands burrowed into his hair as he tugged at it. “You think I’ll be a good dad?”
I pressed my hand against his cheek. “I know you will.”
“No doubts?”
“Never,” I said softly, longing with all my heart to reassure his worried mind.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Jack, I get to live every day surrounded by your love. It’s deep, it’s passionate, and it’s intense. But it’s honest and true. I know you’ll love our baby the same way. No matter what sex it is.”
“Damn straight!” he proclaimed, rubbing my belly as if it were a Buddha. “There’s a little Carter in there. And I’ll do anything to keep you both safe, protected, and provided for. That’s my job.”
“See? Right there. What you just said. That’s how I know.” I placed my hand over his and squeezed lightly.