Always You: A Sweet Romantic Comedy (ABCs of Love Collection Books 5-8)
Page 67
“Yep. They’re perfect. Here, Ollie. Let’s get you into your shorts.” She glanced at her watch. Location sharing on Google Maps told her Harry would be home in less than ten minutes. She suddenly wished for a surge of traffic to slow him down, just to give her a few extra minutes of prep time.
After an October wedding, she’d moved into Harry’s house and taken on the official role of stepmom, though the kids had long since started calling her Mom. Hannah still called her Zoey occasionally, but Oliver had called her mommy right from the start. It hadn’t always been smooth sailing; building a marriage while also adjusting to family life had its own unique set of challenges, but Zoey had the world’s greatest partner.
And it’s a good thing, because their life was about to get a lot more complicated.
Zoey pulled the shirts she’d ordered for just this occasion out of her bag. “Okay, guys. I’ve got to tell you something really big, okay? And you should feel really special because you’re the first two people in the whole world that I’ve told.”
Hannah’s eyes went wide. “You haven’t even told Daddy?”
Zoey shook her head. “Nope. But you’re going to help me tell him today. Can you help me do that?”
They both nodded. Zoey held up Hannah’s shirt, turned to face her so Hannah could read what it said.
“Big Sister,” Hannah said. Her eyebrows scrunched up and her nose wrinkled. Underneath the “Big Sister,” the word Again was written in parenthesis.
“This one’s for you, Oliver,” Zoey said. “It says Big Brother.”
“But I’m not a big brother, silly,” Oliver said.
“Not yet,” Zoey said. “But you’re going to be. Next year, we’re going to have another baby in the house.”
Hannah gasped. “A baby? Really?”
Oliver smiled. “Can it be a boy?”
“No!” Hannah said, her hands on her hips. “It’s going to be a girl like Auntie Charlotte’s new baby.”
Zoey laughed. “We don’t get to pick, guys. It might be a girl or a boy. We just have to wait and see.”
“So Daddy’s going to come in and see our shirts?” Hannah said. “That’s how we’re telling him?”
“Yep,” Zoey said. “Cute idea, right? I thought you could be standing together in the living room when he walks in.”
“Or!” Hannah said, her finger sticking up like she had a great idea. It was one of Zoey’s favorite Hannah-isms. “What if we put on the shirts, but then we don’t say anything? We just do normal stuff like watching TV and making dinner like it’s no big deal? We could see how long it takes him to notice.”
Zoey actually liked the idea. “Okay, but if he hasn’t noticed by the end of dinner, we’re going to have to get a little obvious. Good plan?”
They nodded. “Good plan,” Oliver said.
Zoey forced her hands into her back pockets when Harry kissed her hello. He narrowed his eyes at her, as if he could sense the energy buzzing around her, but he didn’t say anything. He reached down and swung Oliver into his arms, blowing raspberries on his neck before putting him back onto the floor. Zoey tensed, waiting for him to notice, and Hannah giggled, but Harry still didn’t say anything.
“It’s a gorgeous day out,” he said, walking toward the back door. “You guys want to take Marigold for a walk?”
“Um, what if we just hang out in the backyard for a little bit?” she said. She loved being outside, but she wasn’t exactly ready to advertise their news to anyone who happened upon them on the street. Talk about a way to grab headlines.
Harry gave her a funny look and she shrugged. “I’m just tired. Tough yoga class this morning.”
“Okay. That’s cool too. How was your day, Hannah?” he asked, rustling his hand over his daughter’s hair.
“So good, Daddy,” she said. “I’d love to play outside with you.”
Zoey almost rolled her eyes. Hannah deserved an A plus for her acting, but she seemed anything but normal, her words over enunciated, her gestures too intentional.
Harry looked from Hannah, to Oliver, then back to Zoey. “What’s going on with you guys? Am I missing something?”
Zoey only shrugged. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Hannah mimicked her. “Me neither, Daddy. Everything is totally normal.”
It was Oliver who finally cracked, collapsing into a fit of giggles. “It’s our shirts, Daddy. Read our shirts!”
Hannah scoffed, her indignation real. “Oliver! You weren’t supposed to tell him!”
Zoey reached a hand out for Hannah, shushing her, even as she watched Harry bend down and study Oliver’s shirt. Without looking up, he motioned for Hannah to come closer, reading her shirt just as he had Ollie’s. Zoey’s heart pinged with happiness. Even while processing her very big news, Harry had made sure each of his kids got to be a part of the moment.
He pulled both kids to his chest without saying a word, then stood up, finally turning to face Zoey. He sniffed, wiping what looked suspiciously like tears from his eyes and crossed the kitchen to where she stood. “For real?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist.
She grinned. “For real.”
He hugged her tightly. “And you’re happy?”
She laughed. “So happy.”
“Three kids?” he asked. “Can we handle three kids?”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure we’re going to have much of a choice. But yes,” Zoey said, leaning up to kiss her husband. “Together, I think we can handle anything.”
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I hope you enjoy Zoey and Harry’s story! Stay tuned for a fun new series coming this summer. More information coming soon!
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Released titles include:
Falling for her Foe: A is for Author
Besting the Undercover Boss: B is for Billionaire
Catching her Cowboy Crush: C is for Cowboy
Dreaming of the Next Door Doc: D is for Doctor
Embracing her Ever After: E is for Engineer
Falling for a Former Flame: F is for Firefighter
Gambling on a Gentleman: G is for Gentleman
Hooking a Handyman: H is for Handyman