Page 93 of Whatever It Takes

“What are you doing?” I asked, surprised I could even locate my voice.

His lips pinched tight and his eyes darted frantically across the room. He came over, placed his hands on my shoulders and stared into my eyes. His face grew soft as he spoke. “I’m going to the closest fucking store I can find. You are taking a test today. Within the next hour we will know for sure if we are having a baby.”

His words made my insides go liquid. Having a child with him was something I never thought would happen. Tears slipped from my eyes as I buried my face in the crook of his neck.

“I love you so damn much,” I said, pressing myself against his chest.

“I love you too. No matter what the outcome of that test.”

The conviction in his voice was strong, and I knew he meant every word. I also knew he wanted a baby with me more than anything.

I followed him downstairs and we rounded the kitchen where Emery was getting a coffee mug out of the microwave.

She dunked the tea bag in the cup and added a little sugar before handing it to me. “I made the lemon flavor that you like.”

I bent down, took the tea out of her hand and planted a kiss on her cheek. “That was very thoughtful. Thank you, sweetie.”

“Hey, Peanut. I’m running to the store really quick.” He looked to me and back to Emery. “To get your mom some medicine for her tummy ache. I’ll bring back a can of that root beer soda that you like.”

She giggled, the sound was sweet and infectious. “You’re not supposed to say that in front of her. Remember, I’m only allowed to have soda on special occasions.”

A sly smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. “Whoops.”

They didn’t think I knew that he snuck her things that she wasn’t supposed to eat and drink when I wasn’t around. Considering she was being helped by a cop, neither one of them did a very good job at hiding the evidence. I was always finding chocolate wrappers, empty bags of candy, and bottles of soda laying in the garbage bin. You would think Quinn would have taught her to push the garbage down farther into the bag, but I knew he was doing those things to make her happy, so I never said anything. I wasn’t a food Nazi, it just wasn’t a whole lot of fun dealing with a strung-out child coming down from a sugar high.

“Come on.” I tickled her side and pretended I didn’t hear Quinn. “Let’s get those pancakes started.”

Her sweet sounds filled the air as Quinn closed the door and walked out.

Somehow, I managed to make it through breakfast while Quinn ran to the store. Emery was downstairs watching cartoons and Quinn was now pacing my small bathroom. My knees bounced, waiting for the timer to go off on my phone. Our three minutes were up, and I couldn’t take it anymore. Quinn’s eyes were wide as he stared down at the three sticks that we had placed on the bathroom counter. He insisted that one wasn’t enough. We needed three for one hundred percent accuracy.

I peered up at him as he held the three tests in the palm of his hand. Each one had two pink lines. I was definitely pregnant.

Tears filled his eyes. “We’re having a baby!”

I nodded.

He tossed the tests on the counter and lifted me up by the waist and twirled me around. “I’m going to be a father!”

I held his face in my hands with an abundance of joy blooming inside of me. “I love you, Quinn.”

His eyes were filled with emotion as he carried me across the room. “I’m going to be the best father to this baby,” he promised as I wrapped my legs around his waist. “And I swear to you that Emery will know no different. I promise that both kids will get equal amounts of love. She will never feel like second place.”

I captured his mouth with mine, feeling at a loss for words. The kiss centered me in a way that I didn’t even know I needed. Fear and happiness ran equally through my brain. While the timing might not have been perfect, I wouldn’t trade this moment for anything.

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