Page 65 of When Love And Destiny Collide

I laugh, and the image of Aaron doting on her immediately comes to mind. "That man is head over heels for you."

I remember when Aaron hired me to watch his daughter, Holly. He was so in love with Loren, even back then. When I joined him, Holly, and his parents on their holiday trip to California, I sometimes overheard him and Holly talking about Loren. The love they both had for her was deep and sweet. It never faltered. I knew even back then that they'd end up together.

“Don't twins usually come early?" I ask.

“My sister, the doctor,” she says—I can practically hear her playful eye roll as she refers to Laila, the pediatrician. “She has me on this strict diet—protein, folic acid, omega-3s, you name it. Her master plan is to keep me pregnant until at least thirty-six weeks.”

I smile. “Sounds like Laila has everything under control, as usual.”

“And she insists on knowing the babies' genders so they can get the nursery ready. Aaron and I don’t want to know, so we’ll have to keep the nursery door shut and locked the entire time. Onlyshe and Katherine will know. Do you want in on it? Everyone else has already said they don't want to know. They say they don't want to spoil the surprise. I say they can't keep a secret. If you want to help set up the nursery—”

“I want to know!” I exclaim, excitement bubbling up. “Yes, I want in, I want in!”

She laughs, the sound warm and teasing. “Okay then. Laila and Sam will be here next week. I’ve got the envelope with the results from our last ultrasound. The three of you can put your heads together and come up with a plan.”

"I can't wait!" I reply, my excitement bubbling over.

"By the way," she adds, "Aaron ran into your dad this morning during his run and invited him to dinner tomorrow night. We’d love it if you could join us, too."

"Yes, absolutely!" I say, smiling at the thought. "I wouldn’t miss it."

***

When I walk in, Noah is sitting on the edge of the couch, his hands clasped tightly together and his face troubled.

“Where are they?” he asks, his voice panicked. “She’s an hour late. I’ve called her three times, and nothing.”

I walk over and sit next to him. As I place my hand on his knee, he takes it without hesitation, lifting it to his lips and gently kissing my knuckles. Even in the midst of this stressful situation, he's kind and gentle. His actions remind me that, no matter the storm, he’s always a gentleman.

We exchange glances when the sound of tires crunching on gravel reaches us. He stands and peers out the window.

“It’s them!” he exclaims, relief flooding his features.

"I should probably go wait in the other room," I say, not wanting to witness another confrontation.

"Please wait," he says. "When they come in, could you take Davey upstairs so I can speak with Marian?"

"Yes, of course," I manage, forcing a smile.

He steps outside, and within minutes, the door slams behind a whirlwind of energy. Davey bursts into the room, his voice breathless with excitement. "Lily, guess what?!"

"What?!" I ask, my gaze sweeping over him. He's dripping water from his swim trunks, barefoot and shirtless, his backpack bulging like it's ready to burst—and then I see it—a gap where his front tooth used to be.

"Mommy took me shopping! We went swimming! We went to the park! We had ice cream! And..." He takes a deep breath before blurting, "She's taking me to London!"

My heart lurches, but I plaster on a smile, desperate to match his joy. "Wow! That sounds amazing, Davey. Did you have fun?"

"Aha!" he exclaims, dropping his heavy backpack with a thud before eagerly unzipping it. "Look, I got new shirts, pants, and toys!"

I smile at his excitement. "Davey," I ask gently, crouching down to his level, "what happened to your tooth? I don’t remember you saying it was loose."

His grin widens, the gap more prominent now. "I tripped and knocked it out."

"You tripped where?" I ask, my eyes catching the faint bruise blooming on his chin and the scrape on his knee.

"At the pool," he says nonchalantly as if it’s no big deal.

"Are you okay?" I ask, unable to mask my concern. "Does anything hurt?"

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