Page 100 of When Love And Destiny Collide

"Stop distracting me," I laugh. "It's important."

"Okay," he grins, holding up his hands in surrender. "What is it?"

"Can I show you something?" I ask, standing and pulling the two ultrasound photos from my bag. When I sit beside him again, he steals a quick kiss before I hand them over.

He studies them, turning them sideways, then tilting his head to the left while angling the frames to the right. "Am I supposed to know what Loren’s babies are by looking at these? They don’t help me, Sweetheart. I’m still clueless. Two boys, two girls, one of each?"

"You really want to know what they're having?" I ask softly. When he nods, curiosity gleaming in his eyes, I lean in and whisper the answer in his ear.

"Really?!" he grins, the joy lighting up his face. "Well, I'll be. Good for them."

I take a breath, my heart racing as I begin, "But actually... this is only one baby. Two ultrasounds of the same baby. Four weeks apart."

His brow furrows in confusion as he studies the pictures again. "Oh, okay. So, whose kid is this? Laila and Sam's?"

"They're expecting too," I say, my smile widening as I remember. "I found out the night they came over for dinner. You remember that night?"

"Yeah, of course I remember," he says, still processing. "Wow, another baby. Davey's going to have plenty of kids to play with."

"He will," I reply. "That was the night I wasn't feeling well..."

He pauses, his eyes narrowing slightly as he thinks. "Yeah, you had an upset stomach."

"Noah... it wasn’t an upset stomach," I whisper.

Chapter 29

Noah

"Then what was it?" I ask, my heart pounding.

The glow of happiness on her face is all the answer I need.

"It was morning sickness," I murmur, the words barely audible, as if I'm trying to grasp their meaning, unsure but full of hope.

She nods, her eyes never leaving mine, watching me, waiting for it to all to sink in.

And then it does. Slowly, I glance back at the ultrasounds in my hands, and this time, I see it—Cruz Babywritten along the edge of each photo.

"These are your ultrasounds," I breathe.

"Yes," she smiles, her dimple deepening with every second. "Our ultrasounds. We're having a baby."

"We're having a baby," I echo, my voice low and full of what? Wonder? I can hardly believe it.

She nods again, tears welling up as she watches me take it all in.

I stare at the pictures for a moment longer, then gently set them aside and pull her into my arms. "I love you, Lily," I whisper into her hair, holding her close. "I love you."

***

I'm getting ready to take Lily out to breakfast this morning. The court hearing is scheduled for tomorrow morning, so when my phone rings and I see Marian’s Solicitor flash across the screen, my stomach tightens. Why is he calling me directly? Not my attorney?

“Hello?” I answer cautiously.

“Mr. Linder. Hi, this is Bill Denton, Marian Linder’s Solicitor. How are you this morning?” His voice is calm, professional—but it still puts me on edge.

“I’m fine,” I reply, my mind already racing. Why now? “What can I do for you?”

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