Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87990 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87990 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
He lifted a rib, careful not to touch the sloppy bone with more than two fingers. When he took a bite, he strategically used his teeth in a way that ensured no sauce touched his skin. I, on the other hand, had already dirtied several napkins.
“Good God, Hale, you’ll be here for years at that pace. Don’t you like pork?” Sauce smeared over my lips and cheeks, but it would take the jaws of life to pry this sucker from my hands. Goddamn, I made a good rib! Who knew?
“They’re very tasty. They’re just…messy.”
“So, get messy. Life is messy.”
He took another calculated bite. The tension in his body was clear on his face as he battled severe tactile revulsion. After every neat, little bite, he compulsively cleaned up his hands and lips. From what, I have no clue. There wasn’t a speck of sauce on him.
Okay, maybe the ribs were a bad choice for Neatnik Hale. I started to doubt my plan. The stress of eating messy food was sort of overshadowing the ambiance.
“What exactly are we listening to?”
I paused and cleared my throat, thinking I also could have considered my song choices more carefully. “This is, uh, Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-A-Lot.”
“Okay, Rayne.” He dropped the rib and wiped off his hands. “What’s going on? Did I miss something? The candles, the 90’s rap, the weird food…”
“It’s not weird food.”
“It’s weird that you’re cooking. Since when do you do that?”
“I was in the mood for baby-back ribs and baby carrots and baby spinach.”
“You have to admit, that’s a weird combination of cravings—”
I watched the moment his words registered. His head lifted as the blood bleached from his face.
“Wait.” He looked up at the speaker in the wall. “Baby Got… Oh, my God…” He jumped to his feet. “Are you pregnant?”
I laughed, and he gave me no time to answer. Scooping me out of my chair, he kissed my messy mouth. I still had a sloppy rib in my hand, which got sauce all over his collar and ear. “Sorry.”
“Fuck the rib. Are you really pregnant? We’re going to have a baby?”
I nodded, and he howled with the joy of a thousand touchdowns. His hands flew into his hair as he grinned widely. He was speechless and beyond happy, which made me the happiest woman alive.
“This is amazing! When did you find out? How?”
“Well, you see, Hale, when a boy puts his penis in the girl’s vagina—”
“I mean, how could this be? You took a test—”
“The test was wrong.”
“You took another one?”
“I had to. Marta totally freaked me out.”
“Marta?”
I told him the whole story about the chili and what his father’s housekeeper said. “She’s always had eerie intuition. Does anyone else know?”
“Just you, Tyler, Willow, and Marta. Oh, and the doctor. I wanted to make sure it was official before I told you.”
“Wait, how long have you known?”
“A little over sixty hours. But you can’t get mad at me for keeping it a secret from you. I wanted to tell you in person.”
“I can’t believe you could keep it to yourself for that long.”
“It nearly killed me. We have to tell everyone else soon because I hate keeping secrets. I bought Elara the cutest big sister shirt to wear at your dad’s tomorrow.”
His hand went to his chest. His hair was a mess, and he had crap all over his face. It was rare to see Hale so shaken, but I loved it. He looked like a true father.
“I can’t believe this.” He covered his mouth then wiped his eyes. “We’re having a baby!” When our gazes locked, he crossed the room and hugged me tight, his face wedging into the curve of my neck as he sniffled. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too.”
He drew back and wiped his eyes. “We should celebrate. Champagne?”
I smiled at the irony of his question.
“Oh, wait.” He laughed. “You can’t drink. Right. I forgot.”
“You can, though. Don’t let me stop you.”
“No, it’s fine. I just feel like we should do something special.” His gaze dropped to my stomach, and then he pressed his palm over my belly. “I can’t believe this. My baby’s in there.”
“Well, I think I play a small part in the procreation, so technically it’s our baby.”
He smiled at me with such awe. “Our baby. How amazing is that?”
Turned out, we didn’t need champagne or a fancy meal to celebrate. We only needed each other. Hale carried me upstairs, where we made love late into the night.
As he kissed my stomach, he whispered secret promises to the little bean growing inside. Considering my track record, I always assumed I’d be terrified once I reached this point, but I was so overwhelmed with relief and gratitude that I was oddly calm. It was as if I was truly ready for this next chapter of our lives.