Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 77827 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77827 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
“Yeah,” I say, tears burning in my eyes. “You want to see?” I offer her the strip. She takes it quickly, swiping it out of my hands, and Dad pulls her into his chest as they take their first look.
“Wait.” Her eyes snap to mine. “Am I reading this right? I know it’s been several years, but, Mac, this says Baby A and Baby B.”
“Yeah.” I swallow hard. “Twins. My wife is having twins.” They’re the first people I’ve said it out loud to other than Baylor since our ultrasound yesterday. We agreed that I would tell my parents first, and she’d tell her grandparents. She said she wanted her sisters to find out with everyone else. She wants me to be there to see the shock on their faces.
“Twins?” Dad asks.
I nod. “Yeah, two babies. Two healthy babies. At Baylor’s first appointment yesterday, they said she was measuring larger than what we told them was the conception date, so they wanted to do a scan. Turns out, we were right. There are just two.” I grin.
“Bring it in, son,” Dad says, holding out the arm that’s not holding Mom, inviting me into their hug. I stand and go to them, wrapping my arms around them both.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m—elated. She’s all I’ve ever wanted, and these two babies are a product of that. I’m stoked, a little scared about keeping two tiny humans alive, but I’ll have Baylor and you all and her sisters and our friends. We’re going to be just fine.”
“I had so much trouble getting pregnant with you. I always said I wanted twins, when it did happen. Two for one.” She smiles, wiping tears from her eyes.
“Baylor’s always wanted to be a mom.” My voice cracks.
“The three of them are lucky to have you,” Mom says.
“Nah, I’m the lucky one,” I say, taking the strip of images she hands me.
“You ready for this?” Dad asks.
I can’t help it. I toss my head back in laughter. “I’m ready, old man,” I tell him once the laughter subsides. “No cold feet. No second-guessing. In fact, you can go out there and tell them I’m ready now, and we can get this show on the road.”
“We saw her before we came to see you,” Dad tells me.
“Asshole,” I mutter good-naturedly, and they both laugh.
“She’s glowing.”
“My wife is a stunner,” I say, nodding. I can’t wait to see her in her dress. She kept it at her place, well, her old place, because she moved in with me after my proposal at the Hideaway. She was already pretty much living there. We just made it official by cleaning out her old room. So now, everything she owns is at our place, where it belongs. More than just her clothes and her toothbrush. All of her, mixed in with all of me, and soon, our two babies will be here. Okay, not soon, but I can imagine these next few months are going to fly by.
“Well, let’s go. You don’t want to be late,” Dad teases.
I stare down at the strip of images and smile. I’ve already cut one off, and it’s in my shirt pocket. I needed them with us today as I prepare to make their momma mine in every way. Grabbing my cowboy hat off the table, I place it on my head and stand. “Let’s do this,” I say, and my parents smile. Mom wipes more tears from her eyes, gives me one last hug, and we make our way to the flower garden, where Baylor and I are getting married.
The flower garden has been transformed with even more flowers for today’s ceremony. Baylor and I decided not to have anyone stand up with us because we didn’t want to have to choose, and if we picked all of them, well, we wouldn’t have any guests.
“Welcome to the family, son. You take care of my girl,” Grandpa Dean says as he stands next to me, waiting for Baylor to come down the aisle. Baylor is thrilled that her grandfather is marrying us, just as he did with Ellison and Copeland.
“I love her, sir. I promise I’ll take good care of her.”
Of all three of them, I think to myself, but I don’t know if she’s told them yet or not.
Dean nods, and a smile breaks over his face. I whip my head around, and my breath stalls in my lungs.
There she is. My wife.
Music plays, but I can’t hear it. I can’t hear anything but the rush of blood in my ears. Baylor’s smile is wide, and when she reaches me, there are tears in her eyes. I lean in close, kissing her cheek. “You’re beautiful, wife,” I murmur.
She mouths, “Thank you,” and her grandpa Dean begins.
The ceremony is a blur. All I can see is her, and all that I hear is her “I do,” and then, I’m kissing her. I’m kissing my wife, my Baylor, the woman whom I’ve loved from afar for years but never thought I’d get the chance to love freely, openly, as my own, yet here we are.