Page 101 of Love You Like That (Excess All Areas 4)

Matt shrugged. “What can I tell you? I want a kid with Iz more than I want a wedding. Plus, it would be kind of cool for our kids to be close in age.”

“Did you hear that, Cerys?” Jase asked. “Babies close in age are a good idea.”

Cerys rolled her eyes. “So, when Alex gets around to having his kids, you can have yours.” She glanced in Alex’s way with a mischievous glint in her eye.

Jase looked up at Alex. “Help a brother out, yeah?”

Alex shook his head. “Not happening.”

Yet.

“Dick.”

“Alex?” Ben asked

“I’m with Matt. It’s too good to miss out on. But why don’t we ask the label what they can do? There has to be a way to see if we can switch dates around so that we’re closer to home near the birth date. Or have a helicopter on hand. Like, what do we lose if we ask? We aren’t being prima donnas, asking for fancy candles and individual limos. It’s a huge deal in our lives that Luke’s about to become a dad.”

Voices became raised as people threw out suggestions, but a loud whistle silenced them all.

“Thanks, Ed,” Willow said calmly, easing herself out of the sofa and going to Luke’s side. “Are any of you interested in what I want?”

“Fuck. Sorry, Flower. I just…I want to be there with you,” Luke said.

“I know. But I think you should do what Alex suggests. If it all still comes back as a no, then you do it anyway. I’ll speak to the doctor about the risks of getting induced, to start labour, so we can pick the day. And if that isn’t a great option, Iz and Chaya can be my backup birthing partners. I’ll tell you as soon as we’re certain I’m in labour. I won’t wait or try to stay at home as long as I can. I’ll go straight to the hospital and get checked. Hell, if it makes you feel better, I’ll hire a full-time midwife from the start of November when I’m home. As soon as there’s a centimetre of dilation, I’ll let you know.”

“A centimetre of dilation?” Jase asked.

Cerys subtly pointed between her legs, then using her fingers and thumbs demonstrated an opening circle. Alex almost laughed at the grimace on Jase’s face.

“Still want a baby, Jase?” Alex asked.

“Let me get rid of that visual first,” he replied.

Luke sighed and his shoulders relaxed. He placed his hands on Willow’s stomach and bent to mutter something to the baby. And for reasons Alex couldn’t explain, the manoeuvre squeezed his heart. It was hard to believe that six months ago, they thought they were going to lose Luke to addiction.

Luke then stood and kissed Willow softly, a move that made Alex confusingly jealous. Not of Willow. But of the tenderness the two of them shared.

“Fine,” Luke said. “Ask for all those things first, but I agree if they won’t change a thing.”

Alex left the room and found a quiet spot to contact Zoe. It was a dressing room, very similar to the one they had first gotten intimate in. He video called her, smiling when she answered. She was in the kitchen, which looked much improved since he’d last seen it.

“Hey, beautiful,” he signed. “How was your day?”

Zoe grinned. “Good. I miss you.”

“I miss you, too.” He was getting better at sign language. “I have news.”

She repeated the sign as a question.

He nodded. “Big news,” he said, switching to speaking. “The tour officially got extended. Europe and North America. Through to July next year.”

Zoe gasped. “That’s amazing.”

“And I figured when it was done, you and I could go somewhere on vacation, because uni finishes about the same time, right?”

“Unless by then you’re so fed up with being away. In which case we could just hunker down at home.”

Home.

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