Page 128 of Finding Hayes
“You think it’s too much for me?” I shook my head in disbelief.
“I don’t fucking know. Everything was good when you left, or at least I thought it was. And then you came here, and everything seemed fine, and then you went silent on me. Stopped calling. Your texts are short. You’re treating me like a fucking acquaintance. So, if this is done, you’re going to need to tell me right here. Right now. And then you’re going to have to convince me that there’s a reason we don’t belong together, because I don’t see it. I love you so fucking much, and it’s killing me that you’re pulling away.”
This was the most vulnerable he’d ever been in all the years that I’d known him. My chest squeezed, and I took his hands in mine.
“I’m not pulling away.”
“Don’t lie to me. There’s something going on, and I can feel it in my gut. So, we’re not leaving here until you talk to me. I’m not losing another decade with you. Because I’m back home making plans for our future. A future that I want with you.”
“I’ve been gone for two weeks. What kind of plans could youhave made?” I laughed and blinked several times as I tried to see through my falling tears.
“Nope. I’m not giving you any more until you talk to me.” He shrugged, his hands wrapped around mine, and his sage-green gaze was intense and unwavering as he looked down at me. “Tell me what’s going on now.”
“They wanted to run some tests on me—you know, check my blood work to make sure I wasn’t showing any early signs of the disease.”
“You’re sick?” His eyes softened, and I didn’t miss the concern. “You thought I wouldn’t be there for you if you were sick? I’ll move fucking mountains for you, Sav. We’re in this together.”
“Hayes, I’m not sick.”
“Okay. So, what is it?” He threw his hands in the air in frustration.
Do it. Just say it. He’s here. He has to know.
“I’m—” I looked away because the thought of seeing him disappointed would be the end of us. “I’m pregnant.”
“You’re pregnant?” he asked, and there was no fear in those words. He sounded… relieved.Happy.
I turned to look at him. “Yes. I’m having a baby. Our baby.”
“That’s why you haven’t talked to me?”
“Well, you don’t want kids, right? So I was stunned to find out I was pregnant, and then I panicked because I don’t want to lose you.”
“Baby, you would never lose me. And I’m sorry if I made you think that I would ever walk away from you or our child.”
“But that doesn’t change the fact that you don’t want children, Hayes. And now I’m pregnant,” I said. “So, where does that leave us?”
“It leaves us right fucking here. Exactly where we were when you left.” He tugged me close, one hand moving to the side ofmy face. “Sav, I never thought I’d want to be married, and now I can’t imagine a life where you aren’t my wife. People change. You changed me. You made me want things I never thought possible. You carrying my baby doesn’t make me feel anything other than happy. Excited about the future—with you. Growing our family together.”
“You’re serious?” I asked, my eyes searching his.
“I’ve actually been having some thoughts of my own. Thinking about a future with you that I hadn’t imagined possible. And it doesn’t fucking scare me, baby. The only thing that scares me is a future that doesn’t have you in it.”
I took his other hand and moved it to my stomach. “Well, I’m glad you feel that way, because apparently, there are two babies in here.”
“Twins?” His smile widened, and he shook his head as loud laughter bellowed out. “That’s so you, baby. You’re such a rock star. And my sperm must be fan-fucking-tastic if I put two babies in you at the same time.”
My head fell back on a chuckle. “Definitely not the reaction that I expected.”
“I’m not always going to say the right thing or do the right thing, but I promise you, I’ll always be there for you. For our children. And I may not have known that I wanted kids the way that you did, but now that we’re having two, it feels right. We never do anything by the book anyway. We got married on false pretenses, and then we fell in love. We agreed we wouldn’t have a family, and now we’re having two babies. And guess what?” he said, using the pads of his thumbs to swipe the falling tears from my face.
“What?” The word sounded wobbly.
“We’re going to be amazing parents. Because we live in a home filled with love. And that’s all you need.”
“Who are you, and what have you done with my grumpy husband?” I asked, as I smiled up at him.
“Nash and I had this talk, and he reminded me of something.”
