“All right, if you say so.” She stops what she’s doing and cleans her hands on a striped dishtowel. She holds her hands out for the present and I hand it to her. “Something isn’t going to jump out and scare me, is it?” she asks, raising a brow.
I shake my head. “I wouldn’t do that to you, now please open it,” I beg, impatient.
When I was in the city today I drove by a store with all kinds of baby things so I stopped and went inside. When I saw this I knew I had to get it. It was made for our baby—and I selfishly wanted to be the one to buy the baby’s first anything because I know Thea’s going to go crazy once she knows the gender.
She peels the paper back slowly, her lips lifting into a smirk, and I know she’s messing with me—making this take as long as humanly possible.
“Thea,” I practically beg and she laughs.
She rips the paper off then, revealing the small white box beneath.
“A box?” She mock gasps. “What could it possibly be?” She shakes it, and listens.
“Thea,” I warn again, and her smirk grows.
The girl is evil.
She lifts the flap of the box and pushes aside the pale pink and blue tissue paper.
“Oh, my God.” Her jaw drops as she removes the slippers from the box. “Xander,” she barely whispers my name. “They’re perfect.”
I grin, pleased that she’s happy. “I did good?” I confirm.
She nods, clutching the slippers
to her chest. “They’re perfect.”
When I looked over in the store and saw the hand-knitted shark slippers, almost an exact replica of the ones I got Thea years ago, except baby-sized, I knew I had to get them.
Thea’s lower lip begins to tremble and I’m shocked when I see a tear course down her cheek. “Thea?” I probe.
She sniffles. “I’m okay … It’s just … this was really sweet … and I’m pregnant … and hormones.” She shrugs by way of explanation.
I go around to the other side of the counter and bring her into my arms. She wraps her arms around my back, clutching at my shirt. Her tears dampen my shirt.
“I didn’t mean to make you cry,” I murmur, kissing the top of her head.
“S’okay,” she mumbles against my shirt. “It was a good cry.”
I step back and take her cheeks in my hands, rubbing my thumbs over her smooth skin. “I love you, and I already love this baby so much,” I tell her honestly and her eyes lower. “This is going to be amazing,” I whisper, my breath tickling her face.
Her hands move around to my front, pressing into my abs. “I hope you’re right.”
“I know I am, sweetheart.” I kiss her nose. “Can I help you finish with dinner?”
She nods gratefully and wipes her eyes with her hands. “Can you pull the lasagna out of the oven? I’ll finish with these and stick them in there for a few minutes to brown and then everything is ready.”
“Sure thing.” I grab an oven mitt and pull it out. It smells delicious, and I can’t wait to dig in. I’m starving.
I set the lasagna on the cooling rack and Thea pops the bread in the oven, closing the door.
I wind my arms around her hips and pull her against my chest.
“Xander.” She giggles, trying to pull away, but I don’t let her.
Now that I’ve caught that girl I’m never letting her go.
“Dance with me,” I whisper in her ear.