Page 63 of A Second Chance Christmas Kiss

“You’re in perfect health. I’ll hire help. I’llbethe help.” He laughed and then crushed me to his chest again. “Wait. Are you okay? Should you be walking? That’s okay. I’ll just carry you everywhere. You’re a tiny thing.” He picked me up and began trudging back toward the parking lot.

I laughed. “Put me down. I’m fine.”

“Well, I’m not fine.” He set me on my feet, then took my hand as we continued walking. “I have a pregnant wife to take care of. I don’t need to work. We’re going to raise this child and do everything with him. We’ll homeschool. I’ll tutor him. We’ll take him all over the world. He can sit in all my meetings. And we can have another one.”

I was shocked. All of it was hitting me at once.

Charles stopped walking and took both of my hands. “I’ll quit talking now. It’s just … I’m excited. I always wanted a family with you.” His voice broke. “But I want you to be okay. Your health comes first.”

I sniffed, and another round of tears washed down my cheeks. “You’re happy?”

“I’m happy if you’re happy. I don’t want to compromise you.”

“I’m happy and fine.” I waved a hand, laughing. “You can just carry me if I need you to.”

He laughed along with me. “Right.” He put a gentle hand to my forehead. “Are you really happy?”

I sniffed. “So happy. I was scared, and we had sort of talked about it, but not really.”

Charles put his forehead against mine. “Melody Ray King, you are my happiness.” He pulled back, tears of his own washing down his face. “Our family is my happiness.”

“Okay.”

He paused and pulled out his phone. “Have you told Will yet? We should tell him.”

“Wait.” My heart raced. “There’s more.”

Charles’s eyebrows furrowed in concern. “What do you mean?”

I didn’t know why I was so nervous, but I was. I blurted it out. “It’s twins.”

Charles blinked once. “What?”

“You're mad, aren’t you?” All of my PTSD with Peter had surfaced since I’d found out yesterday. I rushed on. “Since I wasn’t feeling well, I went to the doctor and now they have a scan where they can tell you … if there’s two babies.”

Charles froze for a long second. Then he laughed and reached for me. “Wow. Why would you hesitate to tell me?”

I shrugged. “Because one baby is a lot, but two, at my age? Of course there’s a higher chance of twins at my age and I didn’t want to scare you and I…” More tears fell. “I was scared you’d be mad or overwhelmed or …”

He bent and picked me up in his arms. “Now I do have to carry you everywhere.” A huge smile filled his face, and he slowly kissed me. “I love you.”

I sniffed and then leaned into his chest, feeling so much better than I’d felt since finding out. “I love you, too.”

“But let’s call Will.”

“Yes, let’s.”

Charles and Will had gotten close over the past three months. He’d given Will all the attention and connection that he’d missed with his own father.

“On it.” He pressed the number, then leaned in and kissed my cheek. “I love you. I love you. I love you.”

“Me, too.”

“Hello?” Will answered.

“Hey,” I said, my voice breaking.

Charles gave me a soft smile and spoke into the phone. “Hey, Will, we have news.”

---