Page 191 of Always You

“Yeah, notthatpart.” She chuckles, handing our new puppy over to Julie with a knowing look. I raise my brows at Julie in question, who just keeps grinning. “The part after that, when I decided a few more shots would be a great idea?”

“Oh, you mean the part where you were heaving your lungs out?Such a rookie mistake.” I laugh, mockingly rolling my eyes.

“Yeah,” she admits, pinching the bridge of her nose in embarrassment before looking back up at me. I bring my hand up, resting it on her neck, feeding the need to touch her as she continues her story.

“Well, did you know that birth control is no longer effective if you throw up a few hours after taking the pill?”

“No?” I look at her with confusion, having no clue where this is going.

“It isn’t. It’s anotherrookiemistake.”

“Okay,” I drawl. “What’s your point?”

“My point is… You gave me something else that night.”

I shake my head, completely missing the point while she keeps staring at me in anticipation, waiting for it to click inside my head. Whateveritmay be.

We keep staring at each other while I try to connect the dots in my head.

“Jesus Christ, Hansen,” Julie mutters when it finally hits me.

I gasp for air, my heart jumping out of my chest.

“Are you… Are you… Are we? Fucking hell, are you pregnant?”

She nods, biting her lip, resting her hands on my chest.

“But that’s a mojito?” I point at her drink on the table, incredulous.

“It’s a virgin mojito.”

My eyes move back and forth over her blushing face, wondering if this is really happening.

“We’re having a baby?”

“Is that okay?” she asks quietly.

I tilt my head back, closing my eyes for a few seconds, holding Charls tight against my body.

My eyes well up, overwhelmed by the amount of luck that seems to run through my veins, before I dip my chin again, looking at the love of my life.

“It’s the icing on the cake, babe.”

75

5 YEARS LATER

The brisk air fills my lungs while the scratchy sound of my skates sliding over the ice echoes through the rink. Skating over the course, I pick up all the pawns, with my eyes focused on the four-year-old practicing his turns with his gear on. His long blond hair is sticking out from under his helmet, and the heavy protection pads are making him wobbly, even though he has been skating since he was two.

He looks cute as fuck.

When he finally turns and manages to skate a few yards backward, I clap my hands together with a proud look on my face.

“Good job, Logan!”

“Did you see that, Daddy?” He beams.

“Sure did! You’re doing great! Keep practicing.”

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