She’s even paler, if that’s possible. Her dark hair is haloed around her head. Her fingers are fiddling with the blanket in her lap. Finally, her blue eyes meet mine and she smiles softly.
“So, I have something to tell you.”
Chapter Nineteen
~Mia~
“I’m all ears,” Camden says, and leans back against the closed door, his arms crossed over his chest. He’s not frowning. He doesn’t look mad. But he doesn’t look happy either, and that’s what scares the fuck out of me.
“Well, you know that I wasn’t feeling like myself for a while, and I went to the doctor today.”
He nods.
“I figured I just had a bug or maybe I’d eaten something that didn’t agree with me. My doctor drew some blood and took a urine sample, and then surprised the shit out of me when she said I’m going to—” I swallow hard—“have a baby.”
He bites his lip and I keep talking because I can’t read his expression, and I feel like I need to fill the heavy silence in the room, even though I haven’t done anything wrong.
“This isn’t how I wanted you to find out,” I continue. “At first I was nervous, but then I was looking forward to seeing you. I really need you to tell me how you’re feeling about this.”
“How do you feel about it?” he asks, finally speaking. He uncrosses his arms and tucks his hands in his pockets, but he doesn’t come to me, and for the first time in my life, I want someone to touch me so fucking badly that it hurts.
“I don’t know,” I admit, and hate that I feel on the verge of tears. “They gave me some pretty good pain meds that they said wouldn’t hurt the baby, so I’m a little jumbled. I feel like I haven’t had the chance to fully process it all. I just wanted to make sure that I did it right this time.”
“Did what right?”
“Everything. That I told you before I told anyone else. It helped that I actually had it confirmed by a doctor this time, and not just a stick to pee on.”
He nods, and if I’m not mistaken, the corner of his mouth tips up in what could be the beginning of a smile, and it gives me hope that he’s not completely pissed off at me.
“So, I was excited to get home to see you and give you the news. I don’t see this as a bad thing. But then the next thing I knew, I was in an ambulance with a killer headache. And now I’m here, in this really uncomfortable bed. Your sister accused me of lying to you again, and you’re standing way over there. You might as well be in Florida right now, you’re so distant and that just scares me.”
“I’m right here,” he says and finally walks to me. He sits at the side of my bed and takes my hand in his, brushing his thumb over my knuckles. He looks over at the baby’s heartbeat. “That’s the baby?”
“That’s what they tell me.”
He nods and watches it for a moment, then lets out a long sigh.
“Can you scoot over just a smidge?”
I oblige him, and he threads his way around the cords attached to me, and pulls me into his arms. I can’t hold the tears back, and I don’t want to. I cry against his chest while he drags his fingers up and down my arm.
“You’re okay, baby,” he says and plants his lips on my head. “How do you feel?”
“My head hurts,” I reply with a sniff. “I’m sore everywhere. I’m afraid that you think I was trying to keep this from you and you’re angry with me.”
“I’m not angry,” he says and tips my chin up to look at him. “I’m not angry at you.”
“You haven’t been exactly warm and fuzzy.”
“I know, I’m sorry. Everything’s jumbled in my head. Of course I was worried and scared. So fucking scared, Mia. I just finally have you back in my life. I can’t lose you again. If anything were to happen to you, I just don’t know what I would do.
“And I admit that today was way too similar to the day we lost Mom and Dad. I’d just got off the phone with you, and then suddenly you’re calling me again and you’re on the way to the hospital. I didn’t know how badly you were hurt, and once I got here, we couldn’t get back to you. Steph came down from Olympia where she was working today to be with me.”
“Was anyone unkind to you?” I ask, ready to kick some ass.
“No. Your friends and your parents were fine. They were scared, too. And then the doctor came out to let your family know that you’d be fine, and that the baby would be fine.”
“Fuck,” I whisper and brush a tear off my cheek. Crying only made my head hurt worse, but it was a cleansing cry. “I’m sorry you found out like that.”
“Everyone turned to stare at me, but I didn’t know either, so I didn’t know what to say.”
“There was nothing to say,” I insist. “Jesus, Camden, I’d just found out not even thirty minutes before I called you to let you know that I was on my way home. It’s not like I’ve carried this secret around with me for weeks, waiting for the perfect moment to tell you or something.”
“I’m glad,” he admits and kisses my head again. “And I’m so fucking relieved that you’re okay. That you’re both okay.”
I relax against him, enjoying the way his arms feel around me, relieved to be here with him. I can’t help but let out a soft chuckle.
“What’s so funny?”
“I can only imagine the looks my parents and Landon must have sent you when the doctor said the baby would be okay.”
I look up to find him smiling down at me.
“It was awkward, that’s for sure.”
“I’m sorry,” I reply and kiss his chest. “I’ll fill them in on the specifics. It’s crazy because three of us are pregnant at the same time.”
“Who else?” he asks.
“Cami and Riley are both expecting.” I smile up at him. “It’s fun that we’ll be doing this at the same time.”
“Are you happy about it?” he asks.
“Yeah. I know it’s not ideal, but we love each other.” I shrug and feel my eyelids getting heavy. “We will figure it all out.”
“We’ll get married right away, of course,” he says, and I sit up, immediately wide awake again.
“No.”
“Bullshit. You and this baby will have my name. I was going to propose anyway, Mia.”
Something softens inside me. “You were?”
“I swear, I was.”
“That’s sweet. But I’m still not marrying you until after this baby is born.” He narrows his eyes menacingly, and I keep talking. “Glare at me all day long, Camden, but I will not bend on this. I’m not going to have people saying that I’m trapping you into marriage.”
“Your past actions aren’t exactly indicative of someone trying to trap me.”
“I don’t care. When we get married, it’ll be because we want to, not because of a baby.”
“For the record, I don’t like it and I don’t agree.”
I life my chin stubbornly and he kisses it.
“Fine. We’ll wait until after the baby’s born.”
“What’s that?” Camden asks three months later. We’re in my doctor’s office for an ultrasound, and he’s been harassing the ultrasound tech for the past ten minutes.
“That’s the placenta,” she says. She’s measuring and marking things, and once in a while when she sweeps past the baby I can see the fluttering of the heart. “It’s the appropriate size for how far along you are.”
I grin at Camden, but he’s enthralled with the ultrasound screen.
“What’s this?”
“That’s your baby’s foot,” she replies. “Five little toes.”
“Aww, it has toes,” I say to Camden.
“Of course it does.” He points to the screen. “What’s that?”
“Stop asking the poor woman what everything is,” I say, squeezing his hand.
“It’s okay,” she says with a grin. “He’s excited, and that’s a good thing. That’s the baby’s knee. And in a minute here, I can tell you the sex if you want.”
“No.”
; “Yes.”
Camden scowls at me. “Of course we want to know.”
“Not today. We have to keep it a secret until the gender reveal party on Saturday.”
“This is ridiculous,” Camden says, shaking his head. “Just tell us.”
“No,” I repeat. “Cami’s excited because we get to find out the sex of our baby and Riley’s baby on the same day. Just let her have this, babe.”
“Fine.” He glances at the tech. “Just whisper it to me.”
“No,” I say, laughing my ass off. “And stop making me laugh. I have to pee like crazy and I’d rather not do it here.”
Twenty minutes later, we’re in the car with a sealed envelope with the gender of the baby inside.
“You didn’t ask her when I was peeing, did you?”
“I wouldn’t do that,” he replies as he starts the car and drives toward home. “How do you feel?”
“Like you already know the sex of the baby and I don’t.”
“You don’t know that that’s true.”
“Damn it, Camden.”
He grins over at me and kisses my knuckles. “I love you, Mia. You’re the most beautiful woman in the world.”
“I love you too.” I stare at the envelope in my lap. “I hate surprises.”
He tips his head back and laughs. “You asked for this one, sweetheart.”
“Saturday better hurry up and get here.”
“It’ll be here quickly. What do you want for dinner?”
“McDonald’s.”
He scrunches up his face. “Ugh. Why?”
“I don’t know, I’ve been craving McDonald’s fries for a week now.”
“Your boyfriend is a celebrity gourmet chef who could make you anything, and you want McDonald’s fries?”
“And some sweet tea,” I confirm with a nod. “And maybe some chicken nuggets.”
“I draw a line on the nuggets. I can’t have our child consuming that stuff.” He shakes his head and looks over at me in horror. “Are you shitting me right now?”
“Totally. I want chicken alfredo for dinner.”
“Thank God.”
“This is a lot of pregnant women in the same room,” I say to Addie on Saturday afternoon. We decided that the only place that was big enough for everyone was at Addie and Jake’s house, since we couldn’t shut the restaurant down on a Saturday afternoon. The whole house is decorated in pink and blue with touches of grey. “The decorations are really pretty.”
“Thanks,” Addie says with a grin. “I hired it out, of course, but they did a great job. In addition to cake, we have sugar cookies decorated to look like baby stuff. They’re little works of art.”
“I think Camden’s already eaten three.” I smile at the man in question who’s standing across the room talking with Landon, my dad, and Mac.
“Are you nervous to find out the sex?” Riley asks as she joins us, sipping on sparkling water in a champagne flute.
“No, I’m excited. How about you?”
“I’m excited too. Trevor thought this was dumb, so I had to hide the envelope from him.” She smiles and rubs her hand over her barely protruding belly. “It’s cute that he’s excited.”
“Both Trevor and Camden look antsy,” Jake says as he joins us. “And I don’t blame them. This is dumb. Why couldn’t they find out at their appointments?”
“Because this is fun,” Addie says, rolling her eyes. “If I’d been thinking, we would have done the same thing when I was pregnant with Ella.”
“You can do it with the next one,” Jake says and kisses his wife, then exchanges an intimate, happy smile with her.
“Addie.”
She looks over at me and shrugs. “Yeah, I’m knocked up again. But today isn’t about me.”
“Oh my God, this is so amazing. And it’s about all of us today, so yes, you will announce it.”
“Announce what?” Cami asks from across the room.
I level my gaze on Addie and Jake, and finally Addie shrugs and announces to the now quiet room, “We’re going to have another baby.”
The whooping, and hollering, and congratulations are loud and enthusiastic.
“We’re all just a fertile group of people,” Landon says with a happy shrug. “Atta girl, blondie.”
Finally, after more hugs and laughter, Cami calls everyone to attention.
“Thanks for letting us do this,” she says. “I know it’s hard to wait to find out the sex of your baby. I couldn’t do it.”
“Yeah, you didn’t let us do this for you when you and Landon found out you’re having a girl.”
Cami just shrugs. “Like I said, it’s hard. So thanks for letting Addie and me throw this party, and thank you to everyone for coming.
“Since Riley is due first, we’re going to let her and Trevor cut their cake first. If the filling is pink, it’s a girl. And, of course, if it’s blue, it’s a boy.”
“We’ve had all girls in this family so far,” Kat says. “Do us a solid and let me buy some cute boy things.”
Riley and Trevor both hold the cake cutter, as if they’re cutting a wedding cake. Suddenly, Riley tears up and just leans against Trevor, who kisses her head.
“What is it?”
“Pink,” he says and holds up his slice of cake. “We’re having a girl.”
Camden joins me at our cake, as we all applaud and yell out congratulations to Riley and Trevor.
“Tell me,” I whisper to Camden, who just grins. “You know, don’t you?”
“We’re both about to know in ten seconds.”
“Just tell me. You know I hate secrets.”
“Stop whispering and cut the damn cake,” Landon calls out.
We hold the knife and cut into the cake and plate our slice, and I frown, confused.
“I don’t get it.” I look up at Camden, who just has tears in his eyes. “What’s happening?”
“What’s wrong?”
“We have both,” I reply and hold up the cake. Every face in the room drops in surprise.
Camden’s sister exclaims, “Does that mean it’s twins?”
“Holy shit.” I stare up at Camden in horror, but he’s still just grinning with that goofy look, and the next thing I know, I’m swept up in his arms and he’s whispering in my ear.
“One was hiding behind the other before,” he says and kisses my cheek. “We’re having a boy and a girl.”
“No way.”
“Way, sweetheart. We got a twofer.”
I’ve never been hugged so much in my life. Over the next thirty minutes, we’re shuffled from person to person, and finally when we’ve talked to everyone, Camden holds his hand up to get our attention.
“Let me tell you what happened,” he begins. “We went for the ultrasound the other day, and I didn’t want to wait to know the sex. So while Mia was in the bathroom, I persuaded the tech to tell me, promising to keep it a secret.
“But what she told me instead was that it was twins. She refused to tell me what the sexes were of the babies. She said I had to find out with Mia. But she wanted me to be able to explain to you all today that when we had previously gone in for ultrasounds to make sure that everything was still okay after the accident, one of the babies must have been hiding behind the other. I guess it happens sometimes.” He looks down at me and rests his hand on my belly. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, I just knew it was going to be one hell of a surprise.”
“You’re not kidding.” I rest my hand over his and try to process it all. “Two babies?”
“Two babies.”
Chapter Twenty
~Camden~
“These babies are trying to kill me,” Mia says from the passenger seat of my car. We’ve had a mild winter, and she’s starting to go stir-crazy now that she’s in the final month of her pregnancy. Since there hasn’t been any snow, I decided it was safe to take a quick trip over to the beach for the weekend. I have a surprise for her.
“I don’t think the babies are homicid
al,” I remind her, and lay my hand on her round belly. She’s seemed to get bigger overnight these past few days, not that I’d dare say that to her. She’s also glowing and the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. “How do you feel? Maybe we shouldn’t have come.”
“I needed to get out of that house,” she says with a sigh. “Someone won’t let me work anymore.”
“You’re carrying twins, my love. You can’t be on your feet for ten hours like you used to. You’re lucky that the doctor hasn’t put you on bed rest.”
“I’m healthy. The babies are healthy, and my blood pressure is normal. I’m fine. How is it going at Seduction?” she asks and tucks her hair behind her ear. “Is what’s-her-face still always late?”
“No,” I reply. “Are you sure you’re okay with me taking over your kitchen?”
“Better you than some yayhoo I don’t know.”
“You love the chef you hired,” I remind her with a smile. “He would have been capable.”
“Are you saying you don’t want to do it?” Her eyes are wide when they find mine, and I feel like an ass.
“No. I enjoy being there. And if it means that you’re able to relax at home, I’ll be there every minute of every day.”
“Well let’s not get crazy,” she says, her voice dry. “I mean, I still want to see you on a regular basis. But it makes me feel better knowing that you’re there. You know how I’d want things to be done, and you’ll make sure it happens.”
“You came in three times last week. It’s not like you’ll never be there again.”
“I’m dramatic,” she says with a shrug. “This whole pregnancy thing has my hormones out of control. And there are two of them, which means I’m outnumbered.”
“I love that you consider our children your enemy.”
“Only where my body is concerned,” she says with a sigh. “I’ve lost more weight than I’ve gained. I mean, I know that I needed to lose some weight, but I don’t think you’re supposed to do that when you’re pregnant.”
“Who told you that you needed to lose weight?”
She laughs and takes my hand, kissing it. “Oh, you’re so sweet. Only just about everyone, Camden. All my life. And now that I’m allowed to gain a pound or two, I’m losing it because I can’t keep food down to save my life.”