Page 138 of Beautiful Storm

“I get a fine.” He shrugs.

“What?”

Luke grins as he bops my nose. “No stress, remember? You worry about you and Jelly Bean and I’ll worry about me, you, and Jelly Bean.”

“You, Luke Bennett, are lucky I love you.” I laugh at my joke until my heart flutters and a rush of emotion takes over me.Do I love him?I can’t. Can I? It took me years to feel it with Preston, but we were young and I didn’t really know what love was. But now, I can recognize it and it’s impossible to deny that it’s there. “I—”

“Yeah, yeah.” Luke laughs. “You’re not exactly easy to live with either,” he jokes back, pulling me out of my daze, though the feeling still lingers. “Let’s go, so I don’t get that fine.” He starts the engine while I silently nod, my gaze locked on the side of his face. And a thought hits me. I may have tried hard to deny it, but I’ve felt this way for a while.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

Luke

I’m anxious every time I’m away from Amelia, but when I’m with her, I’m the picture of calm. I’ve done my research, so I know how serious preeclampsia can be, but I’m trying to stay positive. We caught it early. And Amelia’s been working hard to lower her blood pressure. She’s even had Adrian, her First AD, stepping up, just like she promised, putting me slightly at ease.

A couple of weeks pass and suddenly we’re a few days from Christmas and it’s been the last thing on my mind. But I have to buy presents or I’m going to have a lot of pissed-off people in my family. We may not spend much time together anymore, Lainey and me aside, but that’s always been our thing…presents. Only this year, I have no idea what to buy. My head’s been elsewhere.

So I enlist some help.

“Thank you, Lainey. It’s been a crazy few months, and I’ve only had enough head space to focus on Jelly Bean, Amelia, and football.”

“Jelly Bean, eh?” She bites back a smile as she bumps her shoulder into mine.

“Yes, Jelly Bean. Since we don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl, it was easier to give it a name.”

“Oh, so it has nothing to do with the fact that you give the people you love nicknames.”

“I told you, I don’t do that. You and Amelia have them because you’re annoying.”

“Amelia has a nickname? Since when?” I sense her eyes burning a hole in the side of my head but I choose to ignore her, answering with a shrug.

“When, Luke? If you don’t answer me, I’ll ask her, which will make it a big deal and—”

“Alright, Jesus. Do sisters ever stop being annoying?”

“Nope. Why would we? It’s why you have siblings.”

I huff out a laugh as we enter a jewelry store, momentarily distracting Lainey as she gasps. “Are you buying Amelia a ring? Please tell me you are. Please, please.”

“No.” I roll my eyes. “I’m not giving her a ring for Christmas. Plus, we’re already married.”

“But you don’t have rings.”

“I’m not getting her a ring. We are here for that necklace Mom is always talking about.”

“The diamond one? The one she says is too expensive?”

“Yes.”

“I thought you said you didn’t have any ideas.”

“Well, I wasn’t going to get this, but it will take longer to come up with another idea, and there’s only so much Lainey time I can handle.”

Lainey bursts out laughing, seeing right through my bullshit. “It’s guilt, isn’t it? For not telling her about Amelia and the baby.”

“Fine, yes. I’m full of guilt. Happy now?”

“Immensely. So when did you give Amelia the nickname?”

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