She"d said something to that effect every day that week, ever since her stomach had gone from slightly rounding to looking like she was about to give birth to twins at any moment. Her feet may have disappeared from her view suddenly, but in that time? G.o.d . . .
My wife was always beautiful, but that glow they talk about with pregnant women? Yeah, that had shown up over the last week, along with her huge stomach, making it nearly impossible to stop looking at her.
Declan sucked in air through his teeth. "I wasn"t gonna say anything."
I smacked his shoulder, but he was already laughing.
"You look gorgeous, Ror. I promise."
"I hate you," she said flatly.
He held a hand to his chest, then held it out toward her. "You don"t have to lie just because Jentry"s standing here."
Her tone didn"t change. "No, I kind of hate you right now."
"Wait until someone feeds you, then decide if you hate me or not."
At that moment, Mom came rushing in with a plate for Aurora. "Everyone will be in here in a minute. Don"t bother waiting." She snapped at us as she went walking away. "Boys, you are grown; come get your plates."
Aurora took a big bite of food and kept her eyes on Declan as she chewed. With a shrug, she said, "Still hate you."
Declan made a face, then turned to look at me. "She doesn"t hate me."
"I know, Dec."
Their exchange didn"t bother me. They hadn"t since the day Declan had gotten out of the hospital. I knew who Aurora had chosen, and why, and I knew she would never waver in that choice.
It had taken a while for the three of us to be near each other, and have things be normal-much longer than if just Declan and I were together, or if he was with Aurora-but eventually, we had figured it out. Aurora and I had never thrown our relationship in Declan"s face, and we were mindful of the things we said or how close we were whenever he was around.
That being said, the announcement that we were getting married had been hard for Declan. When we told the family the week before the wedding that Aurora was pregnant, he"d quietly left dinner, and we didn"t hear from him until the rehearsal. Setbacks in the progress we had all made, but Aurora and I had expected them. And I knew with one hundred percent certainty that Declan was happy for us now.
He was still my best man in the wedding, and he even danced with Aurora during the reception.
"Hey," Declan said quietly, and held a hand out to stop me when I began walking toward the kitchen. "So I wanted to talk to you without Mom trying to overhear."
I glanced at the entrance into the kitchen, then back to Dec. "You say that as though Mom likes gossip."
Declan lifted an eyebrow, and I held back a laugh.
"What"s up?"
"I met Rorie, and I thought it was forever. . . ."
My head tilted to the side when he didn"t continue. "Where are you going with this, Dec?"
"I see it between you two, but I didn"t understand what could be different between the two of you, and what she and I had." A smile lit up Declan"s face even though he tried to hide it. "I get it, man."
It took a second before I got what he was saying, then I asked, "You met someone?"
"Never thought I would have this, Jent. Not after what happened, and just-just because I didn"t know it could happen."
My smile matched his, and I nodded, because I knew what he meant. Meeting Aurora had been like a dream that I constantly struggled to stay in even after she"d been gone. "Well, that"s awesome, Dec. I"m happy for you; Aurora"s going to be, too. When do we get to meet her?"
"I don"t know." He paused, as if he was actually considering that, then his smile turned wry. "She likes contractors in ties, so I"ll probably have to keep her away from you."
I barked out a short laugh and nodded in Aurora"s direction. "You"re safe, Dec. I have everything I want."
"Soon," he a.s.sured me, then turned and headed for the kitchen, and I moved toward my wife.
Her eyes darted in the direction Declan had just left before meeting mine again. "Everything okay?" she asked softly.
I had a family, and there was a possibility that Jessica was ready to turn her life around.
I had a wife who could bring me to my knees with a smile, and she was pregnant with our son.
Okay was an understatement.
I placed my hand on Aurora"s chest, and watched her eyes warm and dance with wonder and adoration.
My good. My light. My bliss.
"Perfect."
Acknowledgments.
As always, thank you to my amazing husband, Cory. I wouldn"t be able to do any of the work I do if it weren"t for you.
Kevan, thank you for always being there and having my best interests at heart.
Tessa, I know, I know . . . you totally wanted a triangle! One of these days I"ll get you one, I promise. But you have to admit that it was fun going from what this started off as . . . to what it is now.
Amy, thank you for being there through every step of this process, even when I was too confused to know what was happening in my own story. Ha!.
About the Author.
Molly McAdams grew up in California but now lives in the oh-so-amazing state of Texas with her husband, daughter, and fur babies. Her hobbies include hiking, s...o...b..arding, traveling, and long walks on the beach . . . which roughly translates to being a homebody with her hubby and dishing out movie quotes.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
Also by Molly McAdams.
To the Stars.
Trusting Liam.
Changing Everything (novella) Letting Go.
Sharing You Capturing Peace (novella).
Deceiving Lies Needing Her (novella).
Forgiving Lies Stealing Harper (novella) From Ashes.
Taking Chances.
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