by Heather Lyn
Along with the Canon I got him, I also picked out a really nice leather bag for him to carry it in and an extra storage card. Grabbing the wrapping supplies out of the hallway closet, I carry them back into the bedroom, quickly going about the task at hand.
I’m placing everything back in the closet when I hear the sound of Jace’s truck pulling into the driveway, and I hurry back into the bedroom, slipping his gift underneath our bed.
I realize this was a dumb idea when I can’t get back up so easily, laughing at myself when I grab onto the blankets to try and pull myself up.
“I’m home!” Jace’s voice shouts from the living room, and I groan.
“Jace, I need your help!” I yell back, and his heavy footsteps bound toward the room in seconds.
“Are you okay?” he asks, rushing forward to help me stand up. By the time I’m securely on my feet, I’m doubled over laughing, the entire situation ridiculous.
“I got down to put something under the bed, and I couldn’t get back up.”
Jace starts cracking up as he sits on the bed, pulling me between his legs.
“I have a surprise for you,” he tells me, both of his hands spread across my stomach. The babies kick his hands, and we both smile.
“Oh yeah? And how long do I have to wait for it, Miller?”
“Three seconds. I just need you to kiss me first.”
“Done.”
Wrapping my arms tightly around his neck, I press my lips to his, his wicked tongue tracing the seam of my lips before plunging inside, tangling with mine. Thanks to my damn hormones, I’m three seconds away from ripping his clothes off and having my evil way with him, but he pulls back, running his thumb over my kiss-swollen lips.
“Come with me,” he whispers, standing from the bed.
I follow him down the hallway, and he stops in front of the spare bedroom still housing his workout equipment. Kissing my forehead, he opens the door and steps aside, allowing me to peer inside.
Holy shit.
My eyes blur with tears when I see what he’s done. Gone is all of his workout gear and equipment, the room now fully redecorated and painted a soft pink with creamy white trim. Two matching cream-colored cribs sit side by side on the longest wall, with soft white bedding in them. Walking around the room, I see a brand-new rocking chair in the corner and a small bookcase next to it, empty but for our framed ultrasound photos. On the top is a photo of Jace and me at the party where we announced the pregnancy.
On the opposite wall of the cribs stands a matching changing table, already filled with diapers and various other items. The windows are covered with pink-and-white gingham curtains, and the carpet has been replaced.
“Jace,” I whisper, tears falling down my cheeks.
He comes into the room and immediately cups my face, his eyes shining bright.
“This is an early Christmas present. If there’s anything you don’t like, we can change it.”
“No, it’s perfect,” I gush, my arms around his solid frame in a second. My hormones get the best of me and I sob into his sweatshirt, overwhelmed with love. He gently cups the back of my head, holding me securely to him. After a moment, I calm down and pull way, going up on my toes to kiss him.
“I love you so much.”
“You have no idea how happy I am that you love this.”
“When did you do it? And how the heck didn’t I notice?”
Jace goes over to the cribs and runs his hand over the railing. “Dad and Drew helped me out. Remember last weekend when you and my mom had your girls’ day?” he asks, and I nod. “We ripped up the flooring and got all the painting done. The next day, when we went to see Garret and Sadie, I left the door unlocked, and Drew was here while the floor guys installed the new carpet.”
“You sneaky, wonderful, amazing man,” I murmur, and he scoops me into his arms again.
“I love you, Stella. You and these babies have completely changed my life. In a matter of six months, you gave me everything I didn’t even know I was missing, so no matter what, I’m happy to do anything for you. Okay?” He kisses the tip of my nose and I pull back.
“What time does the tree farm close?” I ask, and I know he got the message when he lifts me bridal style and hurries me back to our bedroom, depositing me on the bed.
“Fuck the tree farm. I’ll cut down one from the backyard if I have to.”
As I crack up laughing, he yanks his shirt off and begins toeing off his shoes. In minutes all thoughts of Christmas trees are gone when he slides inside me, our mingled groans the only thing filling the room.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
JACE
Stepping out of the precinct, I’m unlocking my truck when my cell vibrates in my pocket. Pulling it out, I find a text.
Gen: Hey. I know it’s been a while, but I need to talk to you. Are you free?
Jace: Geez, where the hell have you been?
Gen: Long story. Can we meet up?
Jace: As long as you don’t mind that Stella is there. We’re grabbing lunch.
Gen: Can’t wait to meet her. I’ve missed you, Jace.
Jace: See you soon.
Climbing behind the wheel, I fire up the engine, and once the Bluetooth activates, I call my girl, letting her know about the change of plans. Luckily she’s good with it, and when I pull up in front of our house a few minutes later, she comes strolling out. Leaving the engine running, I climb out so I can help her inside, pressing a kiss to her cheek.
“You sure you’re okay with my cousin joining us?” I ask, slowly backing out of the driveway.
Stella nods. “Yeah, I’m excited to meet her.”
“You’re the best, babe.”
“I know,” she quips, laughing when I shake my head at her.
Soon enough we’re turning into the restaurant where I had Gen meet us. When we step inside, a hostess comes over to help us, and I look around the seating area.
“We’re meeting someone here, but I’m not sure—” I break off, seeing Gen waving to me from the other side of the restaurant. “There she is now.”
The server motions us toward her, and I help Stella over, her hand clasped tightly in mine. When we arrive at the table, Gen stands and I give her the tightest hug imaginable. Her honey brown eyes look tired, and her long dark blonde hair is pulled back off her face.
“I missed you so much,” she says, her words muffled against my shoulder.
“I missed you too, Gen.” Cupping her face, I smile before releasing her, stepping aside so Stella can come forward. “This is my girlfriend, Stella. Baby, this is my cousin Genevieve.”
“Gen, please. Genevieve is so formal.” She reaches out to hug Stella, and I watch her eyes mist with tears when she notices Stella’s belly.
“It’s so nice to meet you finally, I’ve heard so much about you from Jace.”
Gen doesn’t say anything, just takes a seat, Stella and I following suit. A waitress comes over and takes our drink orders, giving us a minute to browse the menu. We’re quiet while we make our choices, and after we get them ordered, we’re left in awkward silence. Stella breaks it a moment later.
“So, Jace told me you’re a teacher? That must be so fun. What grade do you teach?”
“Fourth. Yeah, it’s a lot of fun. They keep me busy, that’s for sure.”
Taking a sip of my lemonade, I train my eyes on my cousin. “Are you guys on winter break?” I ask, and she nods.
“Yeah, we won’t go back till after the first of the year. Yesterday was the first day of break. How’s work, Jace? You still saving the streets of Nashville every day.”
With a chuckle, I shake my head. “Doing my best.”
We lapse into comfortable silence, and her sudden visit has me concerned. I bite my tongue though, not wanting to upset her when it’s been months since I last saw her. Luckily, she must sense my tension, because she clears her throat and leans her forearms on the table.
“I left Brett.”
My eyes widen, an
d she laughs at my face. “You did?” I question, shocked.
“Yeah, only took a year of Mom telling me what an asshole he was to finally change my thinking. He slept with his ex a couple months back.”
“So where have you been? We’ve all been so worried. It’s not like you to go all radio silent on us.”
“Needed the time to lick my wounds in private, I guess. The whole time I was with him, I kept waiting for him to turn into Prince Charming, hoping he was the one. All my friends at work were getting engaged and having babies, and here I was, this almost thirty-year-old woman who couldn’t even date the right guy. I was heartbroken, Jace.”
“I’m sorry, Gen. He didn’t deserve you.”
“Thanks. I’m okay now. It’s been long enough that my brain knows the guy for me is still out there waiting. We all know I have a tendency to pick the wrong ones though.”
Our food arrives, so I wait until we’ve all dug in to speak. “No, you just see the good in everybody, even when they don’t deserve it.”
“Not everybody is as wonderful as you, cousin,” she jokes, giving me a wink.
“This one? Perfect?” Stella asks, mock horror on her face.
“Watch it, baby,” I tease, and both Stella and Gen start laughing at me.
“So, tell me everything. Clearly I’ve missed a lot.” Gen takes a bite of her sandwich, and I look at Stella with a smile.
“Well, it started with a routine call,” I begin, and, in minutes, it’s as if no time has passed. We lose ourselves in conversation, catching up and telling Stella stories.
§
A couple hours later, I’m putting a box of rice in a shopping cart when my cell phone starts ringing. “Hello?”
“Jace, it’s Mason. Can you talk for a minute?”
Watching Stella push the grocery cart ahead of us, I make an excuse about going to find something we forgot and walk away from her.
“Stella and I are grocery shopping. What’s up?”
“I found the photo, man. And it’s in better shape than I remember it being, but it’s still covered in soot.”
Letting out a deep breath, I pinch the bridge of my nose.
“Fuck, that’s perfect. I put in a few calls earlier this week about getting it restored. There was one place downtown that had time, but I’m supposed to call them when I find out the condition of it. The nursery was the biggest present, but I was really hoping I could do this for her. Come up with some excuse to see her and we can come over this afternoon.”
“Sounds good. I’ll talk to you later, man.”
Mason ends the call, and I put my phone back into my front pocket. Before I started work on the girls’ nursery, I had called Mason looking for his help with Stella’s Christmas present. She had mentioned to me once that she had no photos of her parents, and I went to him for confirmation. He then told me there was a single photo, their last family picture taken, but it’d been damaged in the fire. He wasn’t even sure if he still had it.
One of the things I’d learned years ago in college classes was that sometimes a photo can be restored as long as it’s done properly and carefully. Mason told me he’d look for it, and I began work on the nursery plans, so if by chance he couldn’t find it, I’d still have a gift for her. But then it was finished and I couldn’t save it as a surprise any longer.
What I really want is to give her that photo. Now I just hope we can fix it.
Walking a couple aisles over, I find Stella picking out some baking items, and I set my hands on the carriage. “Making something for me?” I ask, hopeful it’s another of her apple pies.
Stella laughs softly and shakes her head. “No, just replenishing my baking supplies, sorry. Who was on the phone?”
I don’t want to lie to her, but I have to this time. If I told her that Mason had called me and I ducked away to talk to him, she’d be suspicious.
“Work. Just following up on paperwork from yesterday.”
“Cool. We only have a few more things we need, and then I want to stop at that little boutique downtown. Do you mind?”
“Do I mind spending time with my favorite person?” I ask, lips lifting into a smirk.
“Not what I meant and you knew it.” She rolls her eyes, and I move around the cart to kiss her cheek.
“Just giving you a hard time. No, I don’t mind. Which store?”
“This cute little baby store. I want to get an ornament for the tree.”
“Yeah, absolutely.”
We’re standing at checkout twenty minutes later when Stella’s phone starts ringing from her pocket. She looks at me and says, “Mason,” so I tell her I got this, and she excuses herself. Turning back to the cashier, I watch her finish up the order and swipe my card, then hand me my receipt.
Stella comes walking back into the grocery store as I’m pushing the cart out, and she lifts her purse from the carriage. “Jules has something she wants to give me, so do you mind if we swing by Mason’s house after the baby shop?”
“Not at all. So, tonight, Stell. I was thinking we could just order in disgusting amounts of Chinese and watch some more Shameless. What do you think?”
“Works for me. I’ve got to know what happens to Frank next.”
“He probably snorts some coke and does something dumb as fuck,” I joke, and we both laugh. Loading the bags into the bed of my truck, I push the carriage into the return next to us, then help Stella get inside before making my way around the back and into the driver seat.
“So, you’ll have to show me where this boutique is, babe,” I tell her. “I’ve never heard of it.”
“It’s in the same plaza as the pizza place we order from.”
“Oh, I know where that is. Never mind.” Pulling out of the parking lot, I head downtown. There’s a little bit of traffic, but luckily it clears after a few minutes and we’re on our way, soon pulling up to Precious Things, the name of the store lit up in pink and yellow.
Finding a parking spot as close to the store as possible, I kill the engine and go around the hood to help Stella climb down. I hold tight to her hand as we walk into the store, pulling the door open so she can go ahead. We’re greeted by a young woman behind the counter, Stella giving her a warm smile.
“Anything I can help y’all find, you just holler, okay?”
“Thank you,” I say as Stella walks toward the back of the store. Staying close behind her, I watch her wander, her eyes sparkling and a smile glued to her face the entire time. We went into the store to pick out an ornament, but in minutes I’m juggling six outfits and a matching set of pink baby booties, Stella holding a crystal ornament beside me.
She carefully hands it to the cashier, and I set the clothes down on the counter, but then Stella goes rushing to a display on the other side of the store.
“Can you just hold these for a second?” I ask, looking down to read her name tag: Sue.
“No rush, honey. You’re the only ones in here.”
I find Stella looking at a long picture frame with little slots for each month for the baby. I can tell she’s struggling to decide if we should get them, so I reach around her and grab two, taking them over to the counter for her.
“Jace, they’re kind of expensive, and we really didn’t come in for all that. We have two babies coming in five months. Maybe we shouldn’t buy all this.”
“Babe, it’s not like we do this on a daily basis. Plus, it’s been just me for a long time. We have plenty of money in savings, and with both our jobs, we do pretty good. Seriously, we can get them. I saw the look on your face when you spotted them. Besides, they’re cute.”
“Are you even a real person?” she quips, and I shrug.
“Pretty sure I am.”
“I just mean I didn’t think they made men like you. Only in romance novels.”
“Men like me?” My eyebrows rise in question.
“Yeah. Perfect men. You’re more than happy to follow me around and hold my purse, pick out baby clothes, buy me picture frames. Yo
u hold my hair when I puke every morning, you designed the girls’ nursery perfectly, and I’m just….” She breaks off in a huff, and I slowly walk us backward toward the little nook filled with stuffed animals.
“You’re what, Stell?”
“Fat and hormonal and tired. I fall asleep on you every night, we haven’t had sex in a week, and you’ve cooked dinner even when you worked all day. My feet are swollen, and I have cankles, and I—”
“Am carrying my two beautiful children,” I cut her off, framing her face with my hands. “You aren’t fat, you’re fucking exquisite, and I do all of those things, Stell, not because I’m perfect but because we’re in this together. You’re giving me something magical, baby. I’m in awe of you every single day. You aren’t just having one baby, you’re having two, and I love you so much because of it. And I don’t care that we haven’t had sex in a week. I’m not in love with you for your body. Although, I must admit, it doesn’t hurt.”
Her eyes well up with tears and I smile, brushing one away with the pad of my thumb.
“See, told you. Perfect,” she murmurs.
“Not even in the slightest. But do me a favor and tell my mom that, would you?”
We laugh together, and I drop my head to press a chaste kiss to her forehead, glad to see she’s not upset anymore.
“I swear, I’ve never cried so much in my entire life. I ripped a pair of leggings yesterday trying to get into them for work and I almost lost my mind. Thank the Lord I realized they weren’t maternity and that’s why, but still.”
“You could have just stayed home with me. No pants necessary.”
Stella slaps my chest and skirts around me to go over to the counter, both of us pleasantly surprised to see that Sue has already wrapped the ornament in a box, placing our other items in a large white bag with the store’s logo on it.
Stella grabs our stuff while I pay, and with a wave goodbye, we head out to my truck. She holds the bag up front with us, and I make my way back to our place to drop everything off before heading to Mason’s.
I’m carrying the last bag into the house when Stella goes rushing past me, yelling about one of the babies being on her bladder, and I shake my head at her with a laugh. She comes out a few minutes later, and I lock the door shut behind us before getting back into the truck.