Page 28 of His Treasured Mate
“Have you told anyone else yet?”
“Yes. Though I couldn’t believe you hadn’t beaten me to it by the time I worked up the nerve. Mom is absolutely beside herself with excitement.”
“She’s only wanted this since forever, E. Of course she’s excited. We’re all excited. Are you feeling better about things now?”
“I am. We have a strong heartbeat. Patrick actually bought a home Doppler thing to keep a constant check on this kid. It lets us hear the heartbeat anytime we start to freak out or worry, which means he might as well just strap the thing to me permanently.”
“Everything’s going to be okay. It’s normal to be nervous and I know it won’t fully be real until you’re holding that baby in your arms, wondering where the hell it came from and just how you got to this point in your life.”
She snorted. “I think you may be right about that.”
“I am. Trust me.”
“So, how’s everything there?”
“Good. Most of the storm cleanup is complete and things are starting to get back to normal.”
I usually talked to at least one person from my family nearly every day, but this last week had been so busy that I hadn’t had time to make my usual calls. I knew they understood, though.
“Are you still going to be able to make it to the reunion?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t miss it. The big struggle right now is whether Sam is coming with us or not.”
“I thought Thomas was insisting on it.”
“Austin and Angel had their baby today, and he realized that if it hadn’t been for the storm, we would be out of territory right now. And then he started to snowball right off the what-if cliff. What if there had been a complication and Sam wasn’t around? What if this and what if that? It’s enough to drive a person crazy.”
“He can’t live in the what-if moments.”
“That’s what I told him. And now with Paige due just a week after me, he’s starting to second guess taking Sam with us. I keep assuring him Micah will take care of things just fine.”
“Of course he will. Besides, you aren’t at much risk to go into labor while you’re here, are you?”
“No. I’ll still have weeks with this parasite after we get back home.”
“You know, I always hated that you called my nieces parasites while you were pregnant with them.”
“But you get it now, right?”
“A thousand percent yes.”
We both laughed.
“Are Cole and Lizzy going to make it back here for the picnic?”
“Yes. All the Colliers will be accounted for.”
“Yay! Westins too.”
“I know. I’m so excited. I can’t wait to see everyone.”
We chatted for a bit longer before I regrettably informed her I needed to go. I was just putting the final touches on dinner when Thomas walked in.
He stopped in his tracks when he saw me standing at the stove completely naked. His jaw locked, and he swallowed hard. There was a dark look in his eyes, giving just a bit of an edge to my normally jovial mate.
“Where are the girls?”
“With your parents.”