Page 102 of The Valentine's Bet

My wife.

A few moments later, the pastor gives me the cue to say my vows, and I take a deep breath.

“I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about all the things I wanted to say, but it always takes me back to the first time we met. I rememberobserving the way you lit up the room, and I had so many questions—and the truth is, I still don’t understand how you can be so positive and carefree all the time. You’re always willing to take a risk, and I love that about you.

“I can’t imagine not having you by my side, and the only regret I have is that it took me so long to realize loving you was worth the risk. We’ve had some really great times in the last year, and some that weren’t so great. But no matter what, Amy, I’ll never stop fighting for our love, for you, and for our future kids. I’ll always choose you over anything and everything. I vow to always say sorry, forgive you when you mess up, and take care of you in times that you need it. I vow to always be willing to change and compromise, because true love is worth putting in the work for. I vow to never give up on us.”

Amy nods, tears streaming down her face. “I love you,” she mouths.

“I love you forever,” I say. “Always.”

Extended Epilogue

Amy

One Year Later

Oh my gosh.

I stare down at the test on the counter, trying to take deep, even breaths. It’s been eight months since we started trying, and I was almost about to give up...

“Are you okay in there?” Parker calls from the other side of the door. “You’re stressing me out. Is your stomach still bothering you? Did you catch something at work? Do I need to get you some Pedialyte or something?”

I burst into laughter. “No, no, I don’t think so.”

“Why’re you laughing? You said that Nellie has been sick for a week now. I don’t want you sick that long ... you know what throwing up does to me. It’s not fun cleaning up afterbothof us...”

“Parker, stop,” I say, whipping the bathroom door open. “I’m not going to be throwing up—well, actually, I don’t know. I might.”

He gives me an incredulous look, standing there looking as hot as ever shirtless and in a pair of black sweatpants. “Okay, now you’re really confusing me. What happened? Do you have a fever? The last time you had the flu you did act a little weird...”

“Babe,” I say calmly, and then hold out the test.

His eyes drop to my outstretched hand, his entire body freezing. “What...”

“Just look at it.”

“Holy...” He stares down at it. “I can’t... You’re... We’re...”

“Yeah,” I say, already knowing what he’s trying to get out. “I’m pregnant.Finally.We did it.”

“We did it.” He looks up at me. “Wedidit!” Parker throws a fist up into the air and sweeps me up into his arms, planting a kiss on my lips as he spins me around. “Man, we’re gonna have a baby.” He beams as he sets me down on the floor. “What should we do? Which room should be the nursery? Should we move out of the city?”

I laugh, shaking my head. “I think you should start by taking a deep breath. We’ll figure that all out later.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” he says, letting out a sharp breath. “It’s just so ... incredible. I was starting to think... That we mighthave a problem.”

I grin. “We don’t have a problem.”

“We’re great babymakers,” he says, pulling me into another hug. “I have to call my dad and Susie. They’re going to be thrilled.”

“Yeah, I think your dad is going to win the bet.”

He tilts his head back to gaze down at me. “What bet?”

“You didn’t know?” I say, feigning my surprise. “They’ve had a bet going. Your dad thought we would have a baby first, but Susie thought Brittany would. And I’m pretty sure they’re leveraging an Alaskan cruise versus a Caribbean one.”

“They’re so weird.” He crinkles his nose. “Ever since Dad bought in on the mechanic shop, he’s been taking a lot of vacations.”

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