Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 83355 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83355 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Lachlan’s eyes widen, then soften. He takes my hand, his thumb pressing into the little hollow between my thumb and forefinger. “Ready for what?” he asks, though I think he knows.
Hunter’s jaw tics. He looks at me, really looks, and then says, “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
I nod. My heart is beating so loud I can hear it in my ears. “I want to try. For real. I think it would be amazing to have a baby. Your baby, Hunter. Or Lachlan’s child. Either would be incredible.”
The words sit in the air for a second, as if no one is brave enough to pick them up. The ocean is loud all of a sudden, and the wind shakes the palm leaves in a rush that almost drowns out the next words.
Lachlan lifts my hand to his mouth, kisses the knuckle, and says, “I’d love that, too, baby girl. Nothing could be more sacred and special.”
Hunter’s face goes slack with surprise, then he lets out a short, soft laugh, like he’s just lost a bet with himself. “You want to have our baby, Stella? Are you sure?” His voice is so low I feel it in my stomach.
I nod again, slower this time. “Yes. I’ve been thinking about it, and I’m ready.”
He shakes his head, still half-smiling, and then: “You know, it’s possible to have twins with two different fathers. Superfecundation, I think it’s called.”
I stare at him. “Wait, that’s real?”
He nods. “You ovulate two eggs. Both get fertilized by different sperm. Result is twins, same mom, two dads. Happens more often than you’d think, though you need to be having a lot of sex in a very short window.”
Lachlan snorts, and there’s a sharpness to it, like a spike of tequila. “Well, that won’t be a problem.”
I laugh, high and bright, and I realize I’m a little drunk, a little dizzy from the champagne and the sun and the thought of what I just said out loud. My rings catch the light and for a second I can’t see anything else.
There’s a silence, and then Hunter takes my chin between his thumb and finger and turns my head to look at him. “Are you sure? Because once you do, you can’t put that genie back in the bottle.”
I roll my eyes. “Hunter, we’re married people now. The real deal. I’m not worried about genies or bottles.”
He laughs, then leans in and kisses me. Not a soft kiss. It’s all salt and need, and I bite his lip just to remind him that I can.
Lachlan watches, his own eyes darker than usual, and says, “I would die for you, Stella. You know that, right?”
I smile, suddenly soft. “You don’t have to die. Just help me make a baby.”
He leans over, and now both men are close enough that I can smell them, a mix of sweat and sunscreen and something that’s only us.
For a while, none of us talk. We just breathe, the way you do when something huge is about to happen.
I finally break the silence. “So, we’re agreed? We’ll give it a try, starting next month?”
Hunter grins, his hand now traveling higher, his fingers slipping under the edge of my bikini. “Why wait?” He says it low, meant just for me, but I know Lachlan hears.
And then we’re laughing, all three, because what else do you do when paradise is even better than expected?
Later, the sun has burned low enough that the shadows are longer than the cabana itself, and we’re stretched in a lazy triangle across the cushions, sticky with sweat and just a little bit of spilled champagne. The air tastes like candied fruit, and I feel so happy I could eat the sky.
I twist onto my side, propping myself up on one elbow, and watch as Lachlan dozes, head tipped back, mouth just slightly open. He sleeps like the dead, or the very innocent. Hunter watches me watch him, blue eyes half-lidded, and for a moment there’s nothing else in the world.
I decide to break the spell with a story. “I heard from Chloe last night,” I say.
Hunter groans. “Which one of your friends is Chloe? The one who posts too many cat photos, or the one who’s hooking up with some totally inappropriate dude?”
“Both,” I say, grinning. “But to be specific, I’m talking about Chloe whom I used to work with at Nicolette. She’s in a bit of a pickle.”
Hunter raises a brow. “Of course she is.”
Lachlan cracks an eye open, instantly alert. “What happened?”
I settle back, savoring the gossip. “So, Chloe’s mom went on a girls’ trip with her old sorority sisters, leaving her at home with the stepdad. Classic move. One night, stepdad gets wasted, goes to the wrong room, and, um…sleeps with Chloe. Only, he realizes in the morning that it wasn’t his wife. They both kind of freak out, but apparently, it’s become a regular thing. He’s obsessed with her now. And she’s definitely not complaining.”