I stand and start pacing. “We’ve had a lot of sex, Curran. There’s a reason the Pill is considered only ninety-nine percent effective.” Not to mention, my periods were always irregular. When I missed one, I didn’t think much of it. But when I missed it again…
I glance back at him. “Okay…okay,” he answers. I think he’s going to say more, but once again, the silence stretches between us.
The seconds turn to minutes before he speaks again. “I think I can switch to full-time nights when I’m back on the force and make more money. I say you snag a job right away. We’ll bank everything you make, along with the extra I’ll pull in. But when the kid comes, I want you home. A year, maybe longer if we plan it right.”
He rubs his jaw, appearing to think aloud. “I can probably get enough from the sale of this place to buy us a house outright—it’ll be small, but leave us enough to invest in that parking deck me and my brothers plan to buy. Between the revenue it’ll bring in, and my job, we’ll eventually get a bigger place and still have a good sum to retire on.”
He glances out the window. “I want something with a big yard so he can run around, and I can teach him to play catch—or her. Wren has a great throwing arm—why not a girl, too, right?”
This time, it’s my turn to simply stare. I can barely find my words. “Ah, right.”
Curran closes the short expanse separating us, laughing a little. “Ma’s going to lose her mind—seeing how this here’ll be the first grandkid. Thing is, we’ll need to find something pretty quick so I can get the nursery ready. Paint it. That sort of thing.” He stops talking when he gets his first good look at me. “Why you crying?”
I shake my hands out. “I’m that girl.”
He places his hands on my hips and draws me to him. “What girl?”
“The one who gets knocked up.”
He grins. “And I’m the hot stud boyfriend who did the knocking up.”
“Curran, I’m serious.”
“So am I,” he says, holding on to his smile. “Babe, what’s the big deal? Okay, scratch that, since it kind of is.”
“Kind of?” My voice is positively shrill, but that doesn’t stop Curran from laughing again.
He holds me closer, leaving enough space so I can see him. “I want this,” he says. “You and me and this baby, forever, you feel me? Okay, so this was quicker than I had in mind, but so what? It’ll give us a jump start and a good excuse to tie the knot.”
“You want to marry me?” I say. He nods. “And keep the baby?”
His smile softens. “Yeah. I do. So let’s get a place, have a baby, and be forever. What do you say?”
Curran wraps his arms around me when I fall against his chest. “You’re happy,” I say, not really believing it.
“Hell, yeah. I always wanted a hot wife and a houseful of kids. Now, I get both. Hey, can you dress in an apron and nothing else—you know, just to kick-start our married life?”
I clutch his shirt, smiling through my tears. Curran wants our baby and he wants me, forever.
But as happy as I am, I’m not prepared. Not for what happens next.
Chapter 27
Tess
My hips slide against Curran as my speed increases. I grip the headboard, my body tightening in that way that releases my screams. Curran’s chest reddens to match his face, the cords in his neck and his arm muscles straining. “Fuck,” he grunts, his release hard enough to make him jolt and clench my hips. “Oh, fuck.”
A few more swear words follow as I fall forward. I slow my motions, allowing him time to finish. When his breaths seem to ease, I push up enough to meet his lips, moaning as I taste him and maybe a little of me. He grins and tugs on my top lip. “Happy graduation,” he murmurs.
I laugh, coughing due to my momentary lack of air. He rolls us on our sides, his fingers skimming the curve of my waist. “You okay?”
“Just a little worn.”
“Because of all our hot gorilla lovin’?”