you did it! What a perfect name for the puppy!”
“Agreed,” Owen said, watching Jonathan’s shocked face.
“Yeah? You like it?” he grumbled, trying to act cool.
“We love it,” Chloe reassured him.
“I’m proud of you, honey,” Alyssa said, shooting Chloe and Owen a wink from across the table.
Jonathan puffed up and nodded. “Yeah, it’s definitely a great name.”
They were just making arrangements to open up Evie’s gifts in the living room when Ophelia spoke. “Actually, I wanted to make an announcement tonight. It’s a cause for champagne.”
“Then why aren’t you drinking it, Tink?” Ethan joked.
A flush suffused her face. She glanced at Kyle, and suddenly, Kyle’s father slammed his hand down on the table. “Holy shit, she’s pregnant!”
Everyone whirled around to stare at Patrick, then Ophelia.
Ophelia burst into laughter, blue eyes sparkling. “Well, thank you, Patrick, for helping me out here. Yes, I’m pregnant!”
Owen watched Kyle’s face change from shock, to surprise, then finally, pure delight. “A baby?” he whispered, cupping her cheeks with a trembling hand. “We’re going to have a baby?”
“Yes. We’re going to have a baby,” Ophelia said, pressing a kiss to his lips.
“So am I.”
Owen shook his head, his brain about to explode. He looked at Mia, who’d made the announcement, and Ethan jerked back, staring at his wife. “What did you say?”
Mia jumped up and down in her seat. “I’m pregnant, too! We’re going to have babies together!”
The table exploded and Evie bounced in her highchair, echoing her mother’s moves. Hugs and kisses and congratulations went around. Chloe distributed the rest of the champagne and called for a toast, replacing Mia’s and Ophelia’s with sparkling cider.
Aidan glanced suspiciously at Harper when she didn’t grasp the glass immediately.
Everyone fell silent.
Harper rolled her eyes. “Hell, no, not even close. I’ll take the bottle, please.”
They laughed and toasted while Evie threw the rest of her cake in the air.
And Owen watched Chloe, his heart full, knowing it had been a perfect day.
* * * *
Chloe stared at the floral papered wall that was the only barrier to Owen.
Sighing, she glanced around the familiar room. She’d spent an entire summer here, mandated to community service, stuck with Mia, who’d been a stranger, estranged from her father as she tried desperately to process her mother’s death and all the feelings that came with it.
She’d healed here. It had been the beginning of a second chance for her.
Today, she realized she wanted that with Owen.
Even though she was still scared. Scared to re-open herself to that type of emotion, especially knowing how deeply he had the power to hurt her. He swore he was ready for a full commitment now, but there were never guarantees. Another job opportunity could lure him away. He could get bored with the pressured lifestyle of being in the public scrutiny twenty-four-seven. He could fall out of love with her.
Yet, she’d been taught by all those people at the dinner table love was worth the risk. It had to be her choice this time. She knew Owen would never come to her. Chloe believed it would have taken months to build up to taking a leap, but right now, in this moment, her heart craved only one thing to fulfill the empty, aching need inside.
Him.
She glanced in the mirror. Boxer shorts. A worn V-neck T-shirt. Definitely not an outfit for seduction, but Chloe knew the stakes were bigger than sexy lingerie or carefully crafted words. This needed to be stripped to the bone raw, and hell if she’d try to hide behind surface appearances.
She tiptoed down the hall, paused in front of his door, and turned the knob.
It opened soundlessly. She stepped into the dark room.
“I hoped you’d come.”
He was sitting on the edge of the bed. Bare-chested. A pair of low-slung pants clung to his hips. Blonde hair tousled and wild, falling over his brow. Even within the shadows, the heat in his pale blue gaze was like twin laser beams, drilling deep to the core.
Heart hammering in her chest, she walked toward him. The air sizzled between them. Anticipation rolled through her, and her lungs practically burned as she tried to drag in a breath. He stood up. His gaze traveled over her body slowly, appreciatively, and he reached out a trembling hand to touch her cheek.
“How did you know?” she asked.
“I didn’t. I hoped and I prayed and you came to me.”
The words ripped through her, causing a slow shudder. She pressed her open palm against the back of his hand. “I couldn’t stay away.