Page 87 of Who's Your Daddy?

I love watching all of them together. At Dylan’s wedding, I felt like an outsider. I watched them with envy because I wanted what they had. I was craving a sense of belonging. And here I am, just a few months later, feeling like this is exactly where I belong.

I take pictures of all of them with the fairy lights contrasting with the blackness of the ocean in the background. I want to capture the magic of this moment in photographs so I can hold on to this perfect night forever.

Isabella asks to see a few of my pictures and gushes about how amazing they are. Tori chimes in and tells her about the pictures I took at her and Dylan’s wedding, so I end up spending about twenty minutes showing her all the pictures I have on my phone.

“These are stunning,” she says, scrolling through my phone. She holds it up to show Dylan. “De Lorenzo, look at these. They’re better than the ones the wedding photographer took.”

“Wow, those are amazing,” Dylan agrees.

“Send them to me,” she orders. “I want all of them.”

Unlike Cat, Isabella has an abrupt way of speaking, but I’m getting used to her. The way she interacts with me, I think she’s getting used to me too. It’s these little things that give me the warm-and-fuzzies and make me feel like I truly am part of the group now.

We end up leaving the party early because I can barely keep my eyes open. Cat and Scott arestilldancing while the rest of them play blackjack. But my feet need rest and I just want some quiet time. Peter guides me down a corridor to the cabins on the lower deck. The yacht’s interior, with its rich, polished wood and ambient lighting, leads to a cozy retreat on the far end.

At the bow of the yacht is the main cabin with a secluded outdoor Jacuzzi. The crystal-clear waters mirror the changing hues of the sky. And he’s made it more romantic by adorning it with floating rose petals and delicate, flickering candles.

“You did this for me?” I ask.

“Nah, it comes standard with the yacht.”

I giggle at that. He has such a hard time admitting how he feels, which makes moments like this even cuter.

We wind down the evening by drinking orange juice in the Jacuzzi with the stars twinkling overhead. I couldn’t ask for a more perfect night, and as we get ready for bed, he ends it the way he always does.

Propping himself up on his elbow, he lifts the T-shirt I’m wearing to reveal my bump. “And how are you doing in there, little man?” He looks from my stomach to me, then back again. “You had quite an eventful day.”

“What if Dr. Cheng got it wrong? What if it was just the umbilical cord that she saw on the scan? Or what if she accidentally told Cat the gender of someone else’s baby? There’s a chance it could still be a girl.”

He rolls his eyes and goes back to talking to my belly, gently stroking his fingers over my navel. “Tell your mom to stop talking crazy. I’m already making plans to take you camping and fishing...you know, male bonding time.”

I thread my fingers through his hair and listen as he talks about all the things he wants them to do together. The sound of his voice is deep and soothing. I could listen to him for hours.

“When you’re old enough, I’ll teach you how to surf and play football. I can’t do that with a girl.”

“Of course, you can.”

Again, he rolls his eyes. “She doesn’t get it, Ambrose.”

“We arenotnaming him Ambrose.”

He ignores me. “Tell her if she wants a girl, she’s gonna have to wait until number two.”

My hand freezes in his hair. “Number two?”

“And now she’s pretending to be surprised when she knows she told me she wants four kids.”

“Uh...” I try to act as if those words have no impact on me, as if my face isn’t heating up, as if I’m not melting on the inside. “You mean that?”

His attention moves from my stomach to my face again. “Yeah, I mean that.”

“So, you would do this all over again?”

“Maybe not the same way, but yeah, I’m loving every second of this. I could do it a few more times.”

I’m on the verge of bursting with excitement. “Really? What specifically are you...loving?”

I don’t even know if that sentence makes sense, but he understands it.

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