Page 18 of Dating the Grump

Too bad for her because she’s stuck with me now.

I take another step toward her and she tries to dart away. Like I told her though, she isn’t going anywhere. I reach out, wrapping my arms around her waist. I lift her off her feet, making her squeal.

My hand closes around her phone. I want to know what the hell the damn gossip had to say this time.

“I’m pregnant!” she shouts.

I go rigid with shock, dropping the phone.

“I’m pregnant,” she says again.

I spin her around in my arms, my eyes locking on her face. She wraps her legs around my waist, her arms around my neck.

“I had a whole plan for how I was going to tell you,” she says, an adorable pout on her face. “But someone saw me buying a test and now it’s on the Silver Spoon Single Serve.” She huffs at me. “I swear, Hunt. Nothing in this town stays secret!”

“They put it in the column?”

“No.” Her brows furrow as she grumbles, “Someone reported it in the comments section. It’s all they’re talking about.”

Well, at least the damn column has some integrity and didn’t publish that she was buying a pregnancy test.

Jesus. She’s pregnant.

“You’re pregnant?” I ask, awe coursing through me as my gaze flits across her face. My hand slides down to her stomach. “You’re carrying my baby right now?”

She nods, tears welling in her eyes. “Yeah, Hunt,” she whispers. “I’m carrying your baby right now.”

“Fuck.” My eyes drift closed, gratitude, love, and pride crashing together in the center of my chest. My goddess is pregnant with my baby. I don’t deserve this kind of perfection. And yet… it’s mine. She’s mine. “I love you so goddamn much, Molly.”

“I love you too, Hunt.” She presses her forehead to mine, sobbing quietly. “Moving here was the best decision I ever made.”

“No, sweetheart,” I disagree, spinning to lay her down on the island. I need to be inside her right now. “Signing up for that fucking dating service was the best decision we ever made.”

“Yeah,” she whispers, lifting her hips as I drag her pants and panties down her legs, prepared to spend the rest of the day making her scream my name. No. Not the rest of the day. The rest of my fucking life. “Definitely.”

I lean down, claiming her lips as I go to work.

EPILOGUE 2

MOLLY

TEN YEARS LATER

The late afternoon sunlight spills into the kitchen with the scent of my homemade lasagna filling the air as I move about, preparing dinner. It's a peaceful moment, the calm before the inevitable storm coming when my nine-year-old twins get home from school.

But that tranquility is soon shattered by what sounds like a herd of elephants racing in the front door. I turn just in time to see Charles and Chelsea burst into the kitchen, their faces alight with excitement.

“Mom! Mom! Guess what?” Charles’s voice is brimming with enthusiasm, his dark hair a tousled halo around his head. Although he’s three minutes older than his sister, she is the one who takes control and runs the show.

“We both made the little league football team!” Chelsea cuts in before her brother can get the words out. Her green eyes sparkling with excitement mirror her brother’s.

“Both of you?” I hardly have time to feel surprised before they’re both hugging me with infectious delight. I wrap an arm around each of them and hug them close.

“Yes, Mom, both of us! Can you believe it?” Charles's excited voice echoes around the large kitchen.

Before I can respond, Hunt steps into the kitchen, looking every bit the proud father. His olive skin and dark hair, thick with a slight tousle, mirror our children’s, making it clear whose genes won out.

“I think your mom can definitely believe it,” he says, his green eyes twinkling with warmth. He places a kiss on my forehead before turning to the kids. “Especially since I’ll be coaching the team this season.”

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