“We don’t even know for sure if I’m pregnant,” Nicole argues, but her expression has lightened, and a smile is playing at her pink lips. I knew she’d be happy about it once she got over the shock. My wife loves being a mom.
I stalk quickly to the door and flip the lock before coming back and snatching her purse from her hand. I open an inside zipper compartment and draw out a long, pink package. She stares at it in shock then looks up at me with suspiciously narrowed eyes.
“I told you, little starlet. I stocked up so we have them no matter where we are.” I can’t help grinning and laugh when she huffs as she takes the pregnancy test.
“I’m starting to wonder if you planned this all along.”
“Four bedrooms, baby,” I remind her with a wink and a smirk.
Epilogue
Nicole
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but apparently four bedrooms weren’t enough.” When Austin doesn’t react to my statement, I nudge him with my elbow and wait for him to turn and look at me before I continue, “I guess we’re going to need a bigger house.”
He shakes his head, not in reaction to what I said, but to clear the daze from his brain. “That’s your response to the bombshell the doctor just lobbed at us?”
I point at my belly and shrug. “Hey, you’re the one who likes to brag about how good of a job your swimmers do since you’re always getting me pregnant. It’s not my fault you put two babies in me this time, especially since they seem to run in your family.”
“Two babies,” he echoes.
“That’s generally what it means when you’re having twins,” our doctor jokes. She’s been with us for my other pregnancies and is used to dealing with my Neanderthal of a husband. “But just think; this will put you ahead of your brother by a baby.”
Theo and Austin have had a friendly competition about who has the stronger sperm going on ever since Shelby and I were in our first pregnancies. They had twins the second time around, and Theo was sure he’d won that contest. But then I’d caught up by getting pregnant with our third. When Shelby, who is two months further along than me this time around, recently told me this was the last baby for her and Theo, I’d laughingly told her it served them right because their competition was going to end in a tie. But it looks like fate has different plans in store for us, and it’s just the thing to put a smile on Austin’s face.
“You’re right!” He yanks his phone from his pocket and snaps a picture of the ultrasound screen. “I can’t wait to let him know.”
“More like rub it in his face,” I mutter and the doctor chuckles as she wipes the jelly off my belly.
“Did he forget that I’m going to give you a printout and video of the ultrasound?” the doctor whispers to me while Austin taps away on his phone.
“I’m sure he’s too busy bragging to Theo to be able to think straight.”
“My thinking is perfectly straight,” Austin corrects me before pocketing his phone and moving back to my side. Then he presses a kiss to my forehead. “I just didn’t want to wait to share the good news until we could show them the printout in person.”
I grin up at him as he helps me sit back up. “Share the good news or gloat?”
“Maybe a little bit of both.” He winks at me, making the doctor laugh.
I take Austin’s hand so he can help me off the exam table. “You’re impossible.”
Austin rubs his hand down my rounded belly. “And that’s exactly how you like me.”
The doctor shakes her head and moves towards the door. “I swear, the sparks between you two just get stronger every time I see you.”
I think back to some of the compromising positions we’ve been found in while in the exam rooms and blush. There’s been a time or two when Austin and I have gotten a little carried away and forgotten where we were. But who can really blame us when we’re always getting such good news when we’re here?
Austin brushes his knuckles across my cheek. “That makes sense because I only grow to love my little starlet more and more as the years go by.”
“Make that your not-so little starlet.” I pat my belly and give the doctor a questioning look. “I’m assuming I’ll gain a whole lot more weight than usual with this pregnancy since there are two of them?”
I groan when the doctor nods in confirmation and listen while she lists some of the other things we’ll need to look out for with a twin pregnancy. Then I whimper when I see Austin pull out his phone to take notes. Five minutes, and what feels like a million of Austin’s questions later, the doctor finally leaves us alone so I can get dressed. He’s so distracted by thoughts of twins while he helps me put my clothes back on that he doesn’t even try to cop a feel. It’s my first warning sign that his usual over-protective routine when I’m pregnant is about to get an upgrade to crazy-town.