Page 115 of Recon Rendezvous

Dark brows furrow in confusion before he asks, “What? When else was I supposed to do it?”

“Tonight was my turn to surprise you.”

“Well, if the surprise is you’re saying no, consider me gobsmacked,” he says, stealing a favorite word of mine, so I know he’s not too upset.

Pulling him to his feet, I cradle his face in my hands, his dark stubble prickly against my palm.

“Slugger, how could you ever think I would say no? You always have such beautiful words for me. Always with sweet gestures, but this time I want to do that for you. But of course…” I gesture to all the splendor around us. “You beat me to it again.”

Taking his hands in mine, I kiss both his knuckles before pulling him to the stairs.

“Where are we going?” he grumbles but follows along as I lead him to the lower level.

“Close your eyes,” I say outside the door to a small cabin.

He complies with a huff as I pull him inside, the low lighting flipping on as I position him in front of the projection screen I set up.

Dutifully, he allows me to maneuver him around and I can’t resist pulling him down for a soft kiss before whispering, “Open your eyes.”

Those dark eyes flash open, meeting mine before he brings our lips together again deepening the kiss and stealing my breath before pulling back with a soft smile.

“I’m ready to be wowed, future wife.”

Every bit of air is sucked out of my lungs and my eyes shoot wide as I wheeze. But Xander’s soft laughter in my ear as he wraps me in my arms, calms my racing heart. Burying my face in Xan’s neck, I inhale deeply, basking in his words and the perfection of this moment.

Pulling away with a soft nip to his neck, I dim the lights before hitting play.

“Mr. Grant.” Me from just days ago says in the video taken with my phone’s camera. “I apologize for how I look.”

Nuzzling my neck, Xan sighs. “You’re always perfect.” I shush him as video me continues.

“I know this isn't what you expected to see today, I didn’t intend to be here. But I woke up with this feeling and I just felt complete.” I sigh dreamily, a dopey smile on my face. “Whole and so wonderfully happy. You're already off to work, handsome and debonair as ever. You always look so good in your charcoal suits. Have I ever mentioned that?”

Warm lips brush the sensitive shell of my ear and shivers wrack through me.

“And something about today told me to do this. Something in my heart, the rhythm just felt different, told me that today was the day. I am the freak who is recording themselves. Even though I’m sure I’m right beside you, in this moment, I wanted you here with me, so you didn’t miss a thing. So, I'm gonna take care of something and I'll be right back. Have some champagne while you wait.”

I hand him a glass as he watches me, his brows furrowed but he happily accepts, and I grab my flute.

“Babycakes, what's going on?”

“Patience, handsome. Try it out.”

“The pretty lady’s got jokes. Okay, anything for you, my love.”

We sip from our flutes giving each other flirty eyes, but after another minute, I'm back on camera. My eyes are riveted to Xander as he watches me on the screen. Even now when I look a mess in the video, no makeup on, and in one of his oversized T-shirts, the love in his eyes is so evident I don't know how I ever missed it. Whoever thought he was a careless fuckboy didn’t know the real him, especially when he's been nothing but careful and deliberate about everything with me.

Video me’s smile beams as I speak into the camera again, as my face heats and I force myself to swallow around the lump forming rapidly in my throat.

“Stud, it looks like you live up to your name,” I whisper, the awe in my voice clear as I watch myself hold up a pregnancy test. The positive pregnancy test.

Xander’s gone stock still beside me.

“I’m pregnant,” I murmur the line with myself on the video in perfect unison. “Xander, you're going to be a daddy. We’re going to love you so much,” I say, rubbing my stomach. “We’re going to have the absolute best life with so much love surrounding us because of you. Because of who you are. You love so deeply, so completely, I know we'll never know a moment of not knowing how much you love us. I love you, Xan.”

The video stops there, and I turn to face my oddly quiet man.

Xander’s face is frozen as he stares at the image of me, teary-eyed and holding my belly on the screen. The emotions surge within me once more as I relive that moment all over again. My face scrunches up as I exhale a shaky breath, trying to keep it together for just one more minute. Slowly, he sets down his champagne, before doing the same with my flute of sparkling juice.

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