Page 57 of Spoiled by Daddy's 4 Dirty Friends

“Breathe.” Roman rubs my shoulder.

“Do you need a bag or something, Holden?” Tristan offers. “I’m sure I can find one.”

“It’s just a lot. I mean we just got married. It can’t be time already, right? And it’s a whole little life, not just a baby, but a whole person. What are we going to do with a teenager?”

Roman helps me to the couch and puts an ice pack on the back of my neck. I jump at first, but it does cool me down and gets me to calm down slowly.

“We don’t even know if she is yet. And teenagers are a long way off even if it’s positive.” Roman says as a matter of fact.

“I don’t know what to do with babies. They’re so breakable. They’re so easy to fuck up and they cry. What if I lose my temper?”

“Hold.” Roman takes my hand and motions for me to breathe. I nod and take a few deep breaths. “There you go. There are five of us. We can handle this.”

I force myself to nod again. “PTSD isn’t genetic is it?”

“Nope,” Tristan says simply. “Just wait to hear the results. We can kill some time with video games if you want to.”

We start a game, but I turn when Sophie comes back in with Valerie. They hurry to a bathroom together and then I’m shit because I can’t focus. Roman calls Gunner and Nick, telling them to get home as soon as they’re able to – that it’s not an emergency, but we’d appreciate them here.

Of course, it only takes Sophie three minutes to make a sound that’s immediately hushed. I wait for the door to open, wait for there to be a thud of her passing out like I want to, of something, but after another five minutes, she comes out, holding the test in her hands.

Valerie stands behind her, looking more like backup ready to throw a punch than a friend. Sophie’s hands shake and she swallows. “So …”

“Positive or negative,” I ask, unable to hold back.

“Look who put the pieces together. I’m proud, Holden.” Valerie chuckles.

I lick across my bottom lip and keep my eyes on Sophie. I can’t be distracted by a side conversation right now. She takes a deep breath. “We’re going to have a baby.”

Fuck.

But … but after the full minute of panic, I find myself walking toward her and wrapping her up in my arms. Roman joins in after a moment. I don’t know if I’m supposed to be excited and she’s not exactly giving me any hints.

I kiss her temple as I picture one of our kids running around. Tan skin, wide eyes, determined to conquer everything. A baby reaching to me, wanting to be held, carving pumpkins at Halloween. Getting to be Santa.

“Hold?” Sophie asks.

I wipe at my eyes. “I’m happy.”

She sniffs and looks at Roman. He kisses her reverently. “I told you I wanted to be a dad.”

“But we don’t know who’s it is,” Holden says.

“Does it matter?” She wipes at her nose. “I can take that kind of test if it does, I don’t know if I can have four babies, that’s a lot.”

She looks at her still flat stomach. “One is a lot to think about right now.”

“We’re here!” Gunner exclaims.

Gunner pants as he and Nick break-in. They look at us wrapped around Sophie and her with her shirt up. Nick beams. “You’re pregnant!?”

“Yeah.” She says, her voice a little less shaky.

Even Gunner grins from ear to ear. “Mom is going to fucking love Christmas.”

“You are going to have to work on your language,” Valerie says, pointing at Gunner.

“Like you can do any better,” He says.

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