Page 514 of The Sinner: James

“I’m listening, Preston... Yeah, yeah. Of course, you caught me at a bad time,” he says with a good disposition. “Shoot.”

A few scrambled words come from the other end of the line.

“Uh-huh... Okay. No. Seriously?”

His expression changes, a grin flooding his eyes.

“Are you serious, man?”

The explosion of joy coming from the other end of the phone line makes me pull up and prop myself on my elbow.

I look at him, curious.

“What happened?” I murmur, smiling.

“Congrats, man. Well done, motherfucker,” he says, laughing. “Here, tell Rain. She wants to know.”

“What...?” I ask, taking his phone from his hand.

He crashes into the pillow, his gaze on my face, gauging my expression as I talk to his friend.

“Hey, Ed. What’s going on?” I ask, my eyes on James.

“We’re expecting twins. A boy and a girl.”

My mouth falls open.

“Are you kidding me?? When did you find out?”

“A few hours ago.”

“How is she?”

“She’s great. She feels much better now.”

“Congratulations. I’m so happy for both of you. I can’t wait to get back home and go shopping with her. I guess your house is no longer that big, after all. Now that your family is growing.”

“Yes. Probably not,” he says quietly, his emotion noticeable in his tone. “She’s fine. She got used to the house. I’m so happy that it won’t be empty from now on,” he adds, and the emotion lining his voice kills my smile.

A lump forms in my throat and tears build up between my lashes.

James notices it, and his expression changes.

I slide back into the pillow and roll to my side, hiding my eyes from James.

“Well... I’m happy things worked out in the end,” I say mellowly. “Tell her not to be nervous. I’ll be there for her.”

“She’s not. She gets better every day. Learning, adjusting. She’s good. She really is.”

“Okay, then. I’ll let you talk to James. Congratulations again, and send my best to her. Bye.”

I hand the phone to James, who takes it, his gaze searing my face. I try to evade his eyes.

They talk for a few more minutes before he ends the call and sets his phone on the nightstand.

By then, I lie on my side with my back turned to him, my eyes hovering over the view plastered across the windows.

He moves closer, presses his chest against my back, and snakes his arm around me, sealing me against his body.

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