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“Wait. I want to take a selfie of us first.” Arien held up her phone. Lining up the shot, they scrunched in even closer. “I’m pregnant.”
And she tapped the shutter button.
Kellan smirked. “We know.”
“But I didn’t even know until five minutes ago.” Not for certain anyway.
“That box of tampons under the sink’s been sittin’ there unopened since October.” Tanner proudly grinned. “We’ve just been waitin’ for you to tell us, pretty mama.” And he kissed her. “I’m so happy. Love you.”
“Me too, baby cakes,” Kellan softly murmured in her ear, kissing along her neck on the other side. “You happy?”
“Course, I am.” Worrying her lip, Arien’s gaze flicked from one brother to the other. “Just don’t want either of you to go all Cassie on me.”
“What do you mean?” Sitting back against the sofa, Kellan’s head cocked.
“Shiloh told me she’s not handling it well at all—her being pregnant.” Lowering her head, Arien shrugged. “And only one of you can be the father—”
“Stop right there.” Flecks of green in melted chocolate seemed to vanish.
Tanner turned her face toward his. “Any child that comes from you ain’t his or mine. It’s ours. And that’s all there is to that.”
“He’s a Brooks.” Squeezing her knee, Kellan nodded.
His brother socked him in the arm. “She’s a Brooks.”
“Oh, boy,” she muttered, glancing up at the ceiling.
“Girl.”
Shaking her head, Arien laughed. Because if the gender of their baby was the only thing those two were going to compete over, then God, how lucky was she? Pretty darn lucky. There’d been a few bumps in the road at first, and surely more would come, but all in all, forging ahead with her cowboys, life was damn near close to perfect.
With her husbands’ hands rubbing her tummy, Arien reached for the remote and smiled.
Say hello to your daddies, lovebug. You don’t know it yet, but you’re the luckiest one of all.
Matthew tucked the baby in beside her and kissed her on the cheek. Without the glow of moonlight coming in through the windows, the bedroom was cloaked in darkness. Cradling Benjamin’s head in his large hand, he looked down at his son and whispered, “Daddy’ll be home ’fore you know it. Be a good boy for your sister, ’kay?”
Carefully removing his hand from beneath his son’s head, he kissed him, then swept his fingers through Arien’s hair. “You feelin’ okay, sweetheart?”
“Yeah, I’m good.” She reached up and palmed her stepfather’s cheek.
Except for needing a little nap now and then, she was fine. Morning sickness didn’t plague her like it had her mom. She hadn’t tossed her cookies once, or even felt the least bit queasy.
“Thanks for bein’ here for me. And him.” Squeezing her shoulder, he kissed her again. “I’ll be back in time for supper tomorrow. Anything you want me to bring back for you?”
He was flying out to Denver. Brookside business.
“No, thanks.” Arien smiled. “Got everything I want right here.”
“The boys got an early start. Should be comin’ in ’fore too long. Go back to sleep now. Love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Then he was gone.
With the baby nestled beside her in the middle of the big bed, Arien closed her eyes. She couldn’t have been asleep that long. It seemed as though only five minutes passed, when they opened again.
Breaking the silent stillness in the cavernous house, she could hear the echo of footsteps creeping downstairs. Her body prickling, Arien froze for the briefest moment, before she was able to take a breath.
