Page 177 of Walking Green Flag
“Because He literally answered your prayers within the same minute you handed over the reins?” I laugh through a sniffle.
“Well, yeah. But also because … after all these years of thinking the answer was no, He was only asking me to wait until He could knock them all out at once.”
My heart skips a beat, and her bottom lip trembles as she lifts her chin for a kiss.
“Never could have guessed a virgin with a peanut allergy would be the answer to all of my prayers, either,” she adds with a laugh, and I kiss her again.
We sit there so long holding one another and drying our tears that our coffee gets cold. By the time we’re able to move, we barely have enough time to shower and dress before Mass.
I promise Claire that we can stop by the clinic on the way home to run a blood test, mentioning that Tenley would be glad to check her charts as well, but she says, “Not yet. It’s just for us right now.” Then she turns to stroke my cheek as she adds, “And not just because I’m afraid it’s too good to be true, but because you’re my soulmate.” I can’t help but agree with that and tack on a few reminders of how much I love her.
I do pull the doctor card on her, though, and require that she at least sneak in to check her progesterone levels tomorrow, just in case. She also insists on taking another at-home test before we go, a digital one this time, but we get the same result. It seems to satisfy her and make her a jittery mess at the same time.
“Guess I should shop for a new truck now,” I think aloud as I open the passenger door for her.
Claire clicks her tongue. “Oh, now he wants to be comfortable.”
“Aren’t you going to?—”
“Touch my Bronco and find out,” she interrupts me to say. “Community property, my ass.”
I snort out a laugh and reach over to hold her hand on the way.
“You know you’ll never be able to keep this a secret, right?” I say as we drive up at church and spot Landry’s Jeep in the parking lot.
“Of course I can.” Her eyelashes flutter wildly, and she glares at me when I point it out. “You’re the one with the silly grin. I’m sure you’re just itching to announce that you’re going to be a daddy in a certain golf-buddies group chat,” she argues, shoving me playfully, but her cheeks flush with the prettiest shade of pink when I bring her hand up to my mouth for a kiss.
“Never been more proud or excited, even if you count that time I needed an epinephrine shot right after everyone sawyoueating a peanut butter cookie,” I drawl, pressing my lips to her knuckles and making her simper.
“You’re amazing, you know, the answer to all of my prayers, andthen some. I couldn’t have asked for anyone more perfect for me,” I remind her after a while.
“Are you saying that because I’m pregnant, or because I did that thing you like this morning … twice?” she muses.
I heave out a sigh, not even caring about the silly look on my face anymore. “Well, that, too. But mostly because you’re my soulmate.”
“I’ve already used that one today,” she replies. “But you haven’t said anything about my butt yet.”
“You didn’t let me finish,” I protest. “You see, I used to have this one really, really spicy fantasy about bumping into my soulmate in the most unlikely circumstances, then marrying her and making her the mother of my children?—”
And that’s when she cuts me off and drags me in for a kiss.
