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The photo showed Lucas and me standing in the center of the group near the cake table, with all our guests surrounding us. I fitted a puzzle piece near the center, and Grammy’s smiling face became clear. Tears welled in my eyes, and I couldn’t help it when they spilled over the corners of my lids. I started to sob—full, body-shaking sobs.
“I was only joking,” Onyx said softly.
“It’s not that,” I said between hiccups. “I just love this picture so much.”
Lucas placed a hand on my back. “Hey, it’s okay.”
“I know, and that’s why it’s so perfect.” I sniffled and wiped my eyes. With a chuckle, I added, “Pregnancy hormones are really weird, you guys.”
Everyone laughed, and it sounded so magical. It nearly brought me to tears all over again.
Once I knew what picture I was creating, it was easy to place the corners in the right places, then follow the colors to put the edges together. I fitted all the pieces into place, until I realized I was missing one. I looked around my chair to see if it’d fallen on the ground, but I didn’t see it anywhere.
“What are you looking for?” Mandy asked.
I furrowed my brow as I looked around. “I’m missing a piece. It must’ve fallen somewhere.”
Lucas snickered under his breath, and I shot him a narrowed glance. A blush rose to his cheeks, which was so damn cute and irritating at the same time.
I nudged him playfully. “You cheater! Where’s my piece?”
Lucas placed his fist behind his back. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he feigned.
“Not fair!” I reached for his hand, but he stretched it far away from me where I couldn’t reach. I crawled into his lap to get closer, but his arms were longer than mine. I tickled him in the armpit.
He laughed loudly. “What puzzle piece could you mean?”
He tickled me back, and I giggled so hard I nearly peed myself. The next moment, a sharp pain entered my ribs, and I gasped.
A horrified look crossed Lucas’s features. “What’s wrong?”
I sat back down in my chair and placed my hand over my stomach. My belly tickled, and I felt one of the babies’ feet run along one side, then I felt movement on the other side.
I smiled as my eyes landed on Lucas. “Nothing. The babies are kicking. Feel.”
I grabbed Lucas’s hand and splayed his palm over my belly. The babies kicked really hard, and Lucas’s eyes lit up.
“They’ve never been this active before,” he remarked.
“Maybe they’re trying to start a fight with you,” Grant joked. “Dad’s being mean to Mom, and they’re just standing up for her.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “The babies get it.”
Lucas sighed and leaned down to speak to my belly. “All right, boys. I’ll give Mama her puzzle piece, but only because you said please.”
Lucas kissed my belly, and my heart swooned. He placed my piece back on the table. It was the center piece—the one that completed both of our smiling faces. I placed it in its rightful spot, then smoothed my hands over the puzzle.
“All done!” I announced proudly.
Talia stood. “I’m sure it comes as a surprise to no one that Nadine completed her puzzle first, which means she gets the first prize. Which present do you want to open first?”
“Mm…” I eyed the present table, and my eyes fell upon a large, slim gift leaning against the wall. It was too big to fit on the table. “That one.”
Lucas went to get it and carried it over. “To Nadine and Lucas, from Clarice,” he read.
We tore off the wrapping paper together to find an image of a double bassinet on the front of the box.
My jaw dropped. “Oh, my Goddess. Thank you so much!”
