Page 130 of Her Greatest Mistake

“Maybe she does. They seem very close.”

“As close as us, I think. Best friends to the very end.”

I chew on the inside of my cheek as I watch Noah shift his body around Tiny with every slight movement of hers, like he’s connected to her in some molecular way.

“Just best friends?” I ask, eyes darting away when Noah catches me staring and cocks a brow.

“Best friends in her mind, anyway. I think if Tinsley asked him to kneel for her, he would drop to the floor right now,” Dox states, drifting his lips across my ear.

Suddenly, images of Maddox on the floor in front of me flood my thoughts, and before I can stop myself, I ask, “And you? If I asked you to kneel for me, would you?”

The arms he has wrapped around my front tighten ever so slightly. I lean my head back against his chest, and he rests his chin on my shoulder.

“Always, baby girl,” he murmurs.

I lift my drink to my lips and smile into it before taking a slow sip. The nausea that hit me on the way home from the game is gone, but I’m still nervous to drink too fast in case it comes back.

“If I asked you why you chose a non-alcoholic drink tonight, would you tell me the truth?” Maddox asks after a beat.

I force myself not to freeze up. “Maybe I just didn’t want to drink tonight. It should be you that’s celebrating, anyway, you know, Mr. Diet Coke.”

“I found the sticks in the bathroom drawer before the game, sweetheart,” he whispers, fingers drifting over my stomach, moving in soothing circles. “Knowing you might be pregnant is what kept me from throwing that referee down on the ice. All I wanted was to finish the game and come home to you, win or no win. The entire time I held that cup, all I could think about was you.”

My heart thrashes in my chest. I spin in his arms, uncaring about everyone around us, and thread my hands behind his neck. His hands find my waist as he holds me in place, thumbs stroking my hips.

“Tell me it’s real,” he begs softly.

“It’s real.”

Bewilderment floods his face before he stands with me in his arms and spins us around the room, my face falling to his throat and legs wrapping around his waist.

“I’m going to be a fucking dad!” he shouts, and gasps and cries from our family follow his announcement. I hold him tight as he continues to spin, like I’m scared he could disappear into thin air at any moment.

“Are you kidding?” Adalyn squeals, and then Maddox is setting me down on my feet, still keeping me tucked in to his body even as his sister pulls me in and squishes me.

I release a watery laugh as I hug her back. “No joking here.”

“I’m going to be the godfather, right?” Cooper asks, sweeping me into his familiar arms the second Addie releases me.

“We’ll see,” Maddox teases from behind me.

“And obviously, I’m going to be the godmother,” Addie states.

Cooper kisses the top of my head and releases me. He pinches the back of Addie’s bicep and chuckles when she screeches and swats at him.

“You’re a little young to be a godmother, Adalyn.”

She narrows her eyes at him. “And you’re a little old to be a godfather. How’s your hearing? Need a hearing aid yet?”

Cooper grins, eyes twinkling. “What did you say?”

“Funny.”

“Huh?” he asks, pulling at his earlobe.

Addie turns to her brother and me now, exasperated. “This is exactly why I vote for Jamieson to be godfather.”

“Jamieson?” Cooper sputters. “He’s never even held a baby! I have a little sister!”

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