Page 64 of The Bartender's Baby

I found a much more affordable stroller, one without all the bells and whistles but that could easily fold up with one hand, according to the description, and all the reviews were great. I sent Gen the link for that one instead, and she replied with a thumbs-up and another message.

Gen

FYI, Summer will most likely try to win you over with hugs and other little gifts. You don’t have anything to worry about with her. The tension comes from how awkward our dad is and how very clearly our childhood differed from how our half-siblings’ childhoods are currently. Don’t overthink it. Ask for whatever you want. Summer is more than happy to provide it for you.

Feeling better about the situation, I set my phone aside and worked for another fifteen minutes before I heard Nate’s footsteps plodding back down the stairs.

“Hey,” he said. “You wanna come check it out?”

“Sure.” I let him help pull me up from the couch, given that my stomach muscles were on their way to becoming completely nonexistent since all the pregnancy workouts I followed were about strengthening the pelvic floor. He held my hand to usher me upstairs to the nursery.

I gasped when I saw it, the walls painted a pale green with the cutest little woodland creature decals scattered around. The molding was bright white and apparently still wet since he made sure I didn’t touch it as I slid my fingers along the wall.

“It’s beautiful,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. “You did an amazing job.”

He smiled, clearly proud of his work. “Yeah, I thought it would make a nice little room for Frogger. And you were right, this color is perfect. Better than the darker one I wanted.” He pulled my back to his front, banding one arm across my shoulders as he gestured to different places around the room. “I figure the crib will go along this wall, and we can put the glider over there. I’m not sure where the changing table should go, though, and I was thinking maybe we should get two since Frog’ll be sleeping in the bassinet. Do we really want to be carrying them down here at three a.m.? So, maybe we should just get two.”

I shook my head in amusement. When in doubt, Nate’s first instinct was to overestimate.

Spinning to face him, I placed my hands over his chest. “I think we’ll be okay with one.”

“Are you sure? ’Cause?—”

“One, Nate.” I pressed my finger to his lips when he tried to argue again. “We’ll be okay with one.”

He sighed, pulling me closer so I would rest my head against his heart, and I’d grown accustomed to the tickle of his chest hair. “Sometimes I lie awake at night imagining you in here, rocking the baby to sleep, singing with that pretty voice of yours.” He cradled my head with one hand, the other sneaking under my T-shirt to slide his fingers up and down my back. “You’re going to be an incredible mom.”

My heart swelled at his words. I never imagined I’d be embarking on motherhood with a man like Nate by my side. Someone who loved and supported me so completely.

“I can’t wait to see it for real,” he said softly. “Our little family.”

I didn’t do a very good job of surreptitiously wiping at my tears—never-ending with these hormones!—and he kissed the top of my head, dragging his knuckles over my cheek.

Family.

Nate was my family now.

And in a few more weeks, we would become three.

I couldn’t wait.

NINETEEN

NATE

Ipulled open the heavy wooden door, letting the fresh spring air rush inside. Though the restaurant space was still very much a work in progress, I wanted to bring Tabby here this evening for a private celebration dinner. She had finished her final exams and completed her spring semester today. She was in the homestretch of school and the pregnancy. After the baby was born, she’d return for one single class and her capstone project before graduation. Growing a human and acing her classes, my woman was a superstar.

While the menu wouldn’t be finalized for a while, I’d asked Collin to see what he could whip up for us, especially since I wanted to make sure the menu had items that Tabby loved, and I figured this would be an easy way to make that happen. Collin agreed and said he’d create a few tasting dishes for us.

Tabby stepped through the doorway, glancing around to take in the bare-bones interior. The drywall was all up and waiting to be painted “dark sienna,” a deep red, almost brown color that Collin and I finally agreed on yesterday. The floors would get done after that, and then we’d install all the seating. Although, the kitchen was the first thing completed on the list because they needed to rework some wiring. I’d also asked them to take a lookat the HVAC system at Walt’s and was told I’d need to invest in another one sooner rather than later, which kept me up for a few nights until Tabby was scheduled for her third ultrasound. Then I let it go.

She was my priority, with this new venture coming in second. I could worry about the heating and cooling of Walt’s later, once I had the first two babies settled.

Collin poked his head out from the kitchen, offering me a nod before he made his way to us in a white chef’s jacket, his hair pulled back in a little ponytail and a dish towel thrown over his shoulder. “Tabby, how are you?”

“Good.” She absently cupped her hand around the bottom of her belly, something she’d started doing recently, and every single time, it made me smile. “Something smells delicious.”

He gestured to the small table I’d set up with padded folding chairs. “Have a seat. I’ll bring out the first dish in a few minutes.”

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