right, and even though we had the world against us, it still worked out. Being able to call you my wife is all I want. I just hope you feel like I’m worthy enough to be your husband. If you’ll have me, that is.”
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I climbed onto his lap. His lips were warm as I pressed mine against his. “You’re more than worthy, Luke. I would love to be your wife.” I took his face in my hands. “So my answer is yes. You’re never going to lose me again. You’re stuck with me.”
He smiled and held me tight. “You won’t regret it, cupcake. I promise.”
For the first time in my life, I had no doubt.
The October weather in San Francisco was all cool and breezy. It was nice to get away from the heat and humidity of North Carolina. The house Shelby Reynolds put us in was a beautiful Victorian, with a great view of the bay. I could almost consider moving to California, if it wasn’t for my family being on the east coast. Summer would kill me if I left her alone with the restaurant, which was busier than ever. I’d found a balance between my duties as restaurant owner and Luke’s PR manager. I’d never been so happy in my life.
“Do you want any more pancakes?” Luke asked, joining me outside on the deck.
Every morning, I’d gotten up early to do a little bit of reading and eat breakfast on the deck. Now that Luke’s interview for Physique magazine was done, we got to spend the rest of our time in a mini-vacation. “No, I’m good. Thank you.”
He sat down beside me and frowned at my plate. There was still a whole pancake left. “Are you okay? You haven’t been eating much lately.”
Grinning from ear to ear, I bit my lip. “Actually, I haven’t been feeling all that well. I was waiting on the right time to tell you, because I wanted to wait to be sure.”
He looked confused. “What are you talking about?”
I pulled the bookmark from my book, which happened to be an ultrasound picture, and handed it to him.
Brows furrowed, he stared down at it, and then to me, before doing it all over again. “Is that two?” he asked incredulously.
I glanced down at the picture of our unborn twins. “Yes. We’re going to have twins.”
He sucked in a breath and ran a hand through his hair, his eyes growing misty with tears. “But how? I thought you’re protected.”
“I was,” I sighed. “Do you remember a few weeks ago, when I went to the doctor for my annual check-up after we got back from the mountains?” He nodded. “Well, they found out I was pregnant. It’s not very common with an IUD in place, but it happened. Apparently, you have some strong swimmers.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Tears clouded my vision and my lips trembled.
Luke got down on his knees and held my hands. “Hey, I’m not mad, cupcake. I just wish you would’ve told me. I would’ve made sure you were better rested, instead of keeping you up all hours of the night.”
I shook my head. “Just because I’m pregnant doesn’t mean you have to treat me like I’m made of glass.” I winked. “Besides, I enjoy those long nights.” We both laughed, but then I knew he needed an explanation. Taking a deep breath, I squeezed his hands. “I didn’t tell you about the twins at first because I was afraid I was going to lose them. Getting pregnant with an IUD is very high risk. Most women will miscarry if the IUD can’t be removed. Luckily, the doctor was able to take mine out, without any complications. It wasn’t until this past week I was pretty certain the babies were here to stay.”
Letting my hands go, he placed his on my belly. “I can’t believe you went through that all by yourself. Promise me you won’t do that ever again.” A tear slid down his cheek and I wiped it away.
“I won’t. I just wanted to protect you from the pain. I didn’t want to see the look on your face if we lost them.”
He kissed my stomach and rested his head against me. “I can’t believe I’m going to be a father. I’m going to be there for them every step of the way. I want them to know how much I love them.”
I lifted his head and looked into his green gaze. “They will