Page 150 of The Bachelor

“Guys,” James said, “I have news.”

“News?” Jo said to her.

“It’d better be a wedding date,” Jenner said to Brett. “This has been the longest engagement ever.”

“Hold on, hold on,” Sydney said as she walked in our circle with Ford. “Don’t leave us out. We want to hear the news.”

James looked at Brett like he was the only person at this goddamn party. “We don’t exactly have a wedding date to announce, but we have something just as good.”

Oaklyn gasped, and my hands tightened on her stomach. “Is it what I think it is?”

James nodded and rubbed her belly. “We just hit our second trimester.”

Brett looked at his soon-to-be wife, his hand on top of hers, cradling her stomach. “And we’re having a girl.”

“A girl!” all the ladies in our group screamed, and they reached for James, hugging her, coddling her, stroking her stomach.

“And we’re having a boy,” Ford told us once everyone quieted.

“Wait,” I said across the circle. “You and Sydney are also pregnant?”

Sydney touched her belly, which was hidden behind a baggy dress. “We’re just in our second trimester too. I’m at fourteen weeks.”

“Oh my God,” James said to her. “Our babies are going to be future husband and wife.” She wrapped her arms around Sydney, and they hugged.

“There’s way too much marriage and baby shit going on here,” Macon said.

His brothers, Brady and Cooper, were standing behind him, the playboys that I once had been.

Before her.

Before my entire life changed.

Before all I could think about was making Oaklyn my wife.

“Trust me, you bastard, you’re going to get tied down one day, and when that happens, we’re going to throw one hell of a fucking bachelor party,” I told Macon.

“Bullshit,” Macon replied. “I don’t believe I’ll ever be tied down.”

“No?” Jenner said to him. “You think you’ll be single forever?”

Macon nodded.

“Let me tell you something,” Jenner said to him while the entire group listened. “Declan Shaw believed the same thing. He told me endless times that he would never wed. That no woman would ever be enough for him.” Jenner nodded toward the patio, where Declan and Hannah were now standing. The two of them had escaped our circle and were having a moment alone to themselves. “Yet look at him. Engaged as fuck.”

“And very much in love,” Oaklyn added, but she was gazing at me.

Oaklyn hadn’t known that Declan was planning to propose to Hannah during their trip to Maui, but I had. I’d kept it to myself just in case my girl got too excited and somehow hinted at it when she was speaking to Hannah.

I knew because Declan had talked to me about it several weeks back during one of our double dates at the bar, where he’d asked for my permission to marry my sister. Hell, that was a question he needed to ask my father, and that was what I told him. But Declan said that he’d already cleared it with Pops and he wanted my approval as well.

I’d sure as shit given it to him.

Declan was meant to wed my twin. She’d never loved anyone more in her life. The two of them were perfect for each other.

And as they stood all by themselves on our patio, surrounded by a view of the Hills, I couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but I could see their expressions.

Their happiness.

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