on my tiptoes and kiss him, lingering there next to him. “But enough to say I’ll live with you and have babies with you. But we should renovate that apartment. Because we need a nursery more than we need all those bathrooms.”
His grin widens and he turns and starts walking again, linking my arm in his. “Okay, but since you’re bringing it up, I want to suggest we sell the apartment. There’s no yard, kids need a yard. And being so high in the air, I mean what if one of them gets outside and climbs on the—” He shudders. “I can’t even say it. Look, my hands are sweating thinking about it.”
The sentence and the sheen of sweat covering his trembling hands makes me giggle.
“Why is that funny?”
“It’s funny that this is already stressing you out.” I nudge him and feel like maybe, just maybe everything will be okay.
“Aren’t you stressing out about that? Doesn’t it scare you the apartment being so high up?”
“No.” I shake my head and laugh harder. “I haven’t even given it a moment’s thought. But I’m sure I will now. Can we screen it in?”
“I’ll have some people meet with us and discuss options.” He wraps an arm over my shoulder and kisses the side of my face. “I’m so glad you’re going to stay with me in our apartment.” And then he does it again. He says the thing I need, “Because I don’t think any house would feel like home without you in it. You’re my home and I want to be wherever you are.” He runs a hand over my stomach. “Where all three of you are.”
And then he carries on about sushi and renovating or moving and where would I want to live. As if he hasn’t just dropped the ultimate sentence all pregnant girls want to hear. To hell with it, all girls want to hear. Even this girl. Even if I didn’t know it until I heard it.
I smile and nod and watch him as he convinces me we need to move to the Hamptons near Sami and Brady when the kids are born so they have someone to play with who isn’t their sibling because studies show it’s important to develop friendships early on.
And I realize a truth I haven’t noticed before. This guy, this puck, this rich kid, is everything I needed. And that maybe things had to fall apart so they could be put back together with him as an integral part of my life. He’s rambling on as my eyes lift to the sky and I smirk. God doesn’t hate me and isn’t against me. God knew the only way this would work was if I was a big enough mess that I would let someone like Lori in. I never would have given him the chance he deserved if all the nonsense of the last three months hadn’t happened.
And maybe things aren’t perfect—his brother is in rehab and my dad is hardly talking to me—but this, this right here, this is perfect. Perfectly imperfect.
Yes, he’s rich.
He’s a puck.
He’s controlling.
But I wouldn’t have him any other way.
“Are you even listening to me?” he asks as he opens the door to the restaurant he swears will become my new favorite sushi spot.
I don’t answer, I stand on my tiptoes and kiss him gently and hope my mom is looking down and sees that I have found someone who makes me happy. Crazy, but happy.
32
Twins it is
Saturday, September 2
Lori
“Simon!” Brady rushes past me into the apartment and lifts the cat into the air like he’s reunited with his long lost lover.
Nat, looking thinner and paler, sort of the opposite of what I expected when she came home from her honeymoon, walks to the sofa where Jenny is sitting and flops down. “Why is it still so hot out?”
“I don’t know. But I’m hot all the time,” Jenny moans. “Especially at night.”
“Me too. I have a sweat shadow when I wake up in the morning.”
“Yeah, I’m washing sheets every second day right now.” Jenny glances at her. “It’s sexy.”
Sami rushes me, similar to the way Brady and Simon met. She wraps her arms around me and squeals, “Lori, I missed you so much!”
“Lori,” Matt says as he comes in, sporting a serious tan.
“Lori!” Carson runs at me too, joining the snuggle. Rich waves but walks to Simon and Brady to get in on that struggle snuggle.
“Jenny, how are you feeling?” Matt asks as he sits.
“Fairly awful. The