Page 122 of It's Always Us

“You knew this would take time. Keep strengthening your shoulder. That needs to be your focus.” He pauses, knowing I have a hell of a lot more important things to worry about, but no team will want me if I can’t throw. “Let’s meet with Houston and get the rumor mill working for us. It might help get organizations moving.”

I inhale, needing the tightness in my chest to ease and my brain to slow down. “I have to get settled somewhere sooner rather than later.”

“I know. Just hold tight.”

Hold tight. Yeah, right.There’s nothing about me that’s good at sitting around waiting for things to happen. Consistency is what I need. Something to grip onto that I know won’t slip or change.

I hang up, rubbing my temples, hoping he’s right.

This up-in-the-air stuff is wearing my excessively strained patience thin. Houston feels like desperation, but I may not have a choice. Rob’s right. Talking doesn’t hurt anything. I need the Kingsnakes’ rumored interest to be solid, but interest isn’t a signed contract.

My stomach pinches tighter as my nerves gnaw away at my gut lining. All I want is a home with Lex and our babies in a place where she doesn’t end up regretting the choice she’s making . . . for me.

I grab my bag to get home before I miss the delivery guy. With traffic, it takes me twenty minutes, and I walk into the kitchen to find Lex sitting at the island with my laptop and sheets of paper littering the countertop. Just seeing her lessens the weight of all the uncertainty piling on my shoulders.

“Hey, baby. What are you doing?” I lean down, and she tips her chin up to receive my kiss. Having her here and being able to kiss her any time I want melts all my previous agitation.

Her head falls to the keyboard. “This is all too much.”

I grab a water from the refrigerator and a banana. “What is?”

She rolls her head to the side, peeking at me. “Maggie and Andie sent me these lists of all of the baby things they recommend. I’ve taken pictures with the app, but even it doesn’t recognize what half of this stuff is.”

I move to stand behind her, picking up the lists. Maggie and Andie would have no idea how this would take Lex hours to piece through and decipher.

“Did you know they make these sleeping bag things you wrap them up in like a tiny straitjacket?” She leans back.

I pull her off the stool, wrapping my arms around her. Her overwhelmed and frustrated tone awakens my protective instincts.

Her round stomach presses into me, and I feel a decent kick at the pressure. I palm the side of her growing belly, waiting for the little kicker to do it again.

“See, they already think we suck at this.”

I press my lips to her forehead. “We will probably screw this up way more than not having the right tiny restraint bags.” She groans into my chest. “We’ll add it all to the registry. Whatever you don’t get at the shower, we’ll hit the order button, and it’ll be here in two days.”

She lifts her head. “How can you be so calm? Look at me. I’m huge. The doctor said I’d most likely deliver around thirty-six weeks. That’s only fourteen weeks from now, if not sooner.”

If only she’d seen my nerves ready to stick their white flags in the air, thrusting me into an epic meltdown.

“These babies need love. They’ve already got that. All these overly-priced marketing gimmicks might make things a little easier, but they won’t give them the only thing they really need, which is us.”

She hangs her head back to look at me. “You are way too insightful about this.”

“You are havingmybabies.Thatis all I care about. We’ll buy them some of those footie jammies and some diapers . . . you’ll breastfeed. It’ll be fine.”

“This no-playing football thing has made you lose your mind, but you’re right. They don’t need all this fancy shit.”

I lean down and capture her mouth. Her arms link around my neck as she tilts her head, and I’m down. My tongue swipes hers, provoking a soft moan to escape her.

She sucks in a breath as my lips move down her neck.

I pause as my brain snags on something. “Maybe we should look at those sleeping bags if they’ll help them sleep. Shane said that’s the hardest part.”

She pushes me away. “See! I knew you couldn’t be this calm.” I snatch her back, and she rests her head against my chest.

“Maybe that tell-all book has a list of necessities. It has everything else.”

“Stop.” She holds her hand up.

---