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prepare. Considering how much party junk had been poured into her kids the last few hours, she
figured she was lucky they downed most of the soup she gave them before Axl fell asleep with his
head on the table and Angus cried over noodles slipping off his spoon.
Twenty minutes later, with the boys tucked in bed and the house grew as quiet as it ever got,
Becks settled back against the pillows and flexed her aching feet. Oy. She really had to try and
remember how pregnancy took it out on her poor tootsies on long days like these. This holiday season
she was determined to keep her butt planted in a chair and not drive herself completely crazy by
trying to make everything perfect.
Then she grinned to herself. Pregnancy or not, she was pretty sure she had that thought every
year, and every year she always went all-out, much to Payne s bemusement.
Though she had a feeling he might actually try to rein in her usual holiday mania once she told
him her news.
The minions are officially out, Payne announced as he strolled into the room, closing the
door behind him. No matter how many times she saw him, he still had the capacity to take her breath
away, even in low-riding black sweats and a T-shirt. She only hoped it was that way when they were
ninety. How ya doin , baby?
Other than my feet bitching at me, I m great. Her heart flipped over when he made a sound
of sympathy and dropped on the edge of the bed to pull her feet onto his lap. Another party
successfully crossed off the list. Next up Thanksgiving, then I plunge into Black Friday madness. I
hope you re prepared this year.
My woman is so insane. Cupping a heel in one hand, he squeezed the ball of her foot with
the other until she moaned in pained pleasure. Remember you ve got a bun in the oven, yeah? I don t
want you getting trampled at four in the morning just to get some toy the boys won t even remember
six months from now.
Her eyes closed on a hissing intake of breath as he pushed his thumbs into her arch. Ooooh.
There had to be a special place in heaven for a man who gave killer foot massages. As much as I
know it ll disappoint Claire, I ve decided I m going to do a lot of cyber-shopping this year.
Holy shit, you re going to be sensible about Black Friday this year? With a grin, he lifted
her foot to his mouth to run a lingering kiss over her instep. Are you sure you re my wife?
I m sure I m your pregnant wife. Your very, very pregnant wife who needs to make sure she
takes care of herself.
Sudden concern filtered into Payne s eyes, and he went statue-still as he searched her face.
Your doctor s appointment yesterday, he said, resting her foot back on his lap while a hand came to
rest protectively on her thigh. Is everything okay, Becks?
Absolutely. Though there was a little something that appeared that was unusual. Something
good, she added when his brows lanced together and his grip tightened on her leg. But I didn t want
to tell you about it since my doctor wanted to have another doc look at the sonogram to confirm what
she was seeing. I got a call right before the party to let me know the good news.
He still hadn t moved. And?
And& I get to choose the names this time. She grinned as at last her secret popped its cork.
We agreed from the beginning you get to choose the name if it s a boy, and I get to choose the name
if it s a girl. So instead of Bruce or Ozzy or any other rock idol name you might be thinking about, this
time around I get to choose the names.
The change in his expression was immediate. Along with the relief there was a dazzling,
blinding joy, and if she d had one lingering worry about Payne not wanting a daughter, that look alone
would have killed it. She knew her man was nothing like her father. From the very beginning of their
life together, Payne had been highly vocal about wanting a little girl to spoil rotten.
Oh, God. Finally. He shifted closer, then pulled her onto his lap to crush her with careful
ferocity to his chest, rocking her for almost a minute before he fell to his side and her back hit the
mattress. Still grinning from ear to ear and looking like he d just won the lottery, he slid down until he
was level with her teeny baby bump. Daddy loves you, baby girl. He rained kisses over the small
swell, nuzzling his face against her tummy between each kiss. This is from me to you, so listen up,
okay? I m going to tell you that I love you every single day of your life, morning noon and night, and
you ll know without a shadow of a doubt that you are my precious treasure that I d do anything and
everything to protect. I promise you this with all my heart, my sweet little one.
Everything inside her melted, and her eyes brimmed over at how wonderful he was. She d
never imagined that a man could be all things a mind-blowing lover, a hopeless romantic, a loving
and attentive husband, and a devoted father. Either her imagination wasn t very good, or she d been
blessed with a man she hadn t even dared to dream existed.
That was so sweet, Payne, she whispered, levering herself up on an elbow and stroking his
hair with her free hand. But which little one were you talking to? Baby girl number one, or baby girl
number two? I told you, she added as he looked up with eyes that rounded alarmingly. I get to
choose the names. Plural. As in& two.
Two. Two? Like& wait. His open-mouthed shock was downright snort-worthy. He again
looked down to her stomach, and his hands slid over it as if his palms had somehow magically
transformed into mini-ultrasound probes and he was trying to verify just how many babies were on
board. Do you mean two babies?
Oh wow, she should have thought to video this. I certainly don t mean two of anything else,
like guppies or zebras.
Twins. Are we really having twins?
Yes, Payne. The event of having two babies at once usually means twins.
Twins. He said the word like he still didn t know what it meant. Twin girls?
That s what they think.
Oh, my God. He looked up with a jubilant laugh, apparently unable to stop himself from
caressing her stomach. Twins. We re having fucking twins, Becks!
She laughed. Yeah, I know. Isn t that awesome?
It s better than awesome, it s perfect. If possible, his eyes suddenly got brighter, and he
laughed again. I can t wait to tattoo them.
She blinked. That was one reaction she hadn t been expecting. Wait. What?
I mean, obviously, I ll have to tattoo them. He began kissing her belly again.
Why is this obvious, exactly?
We have to make sure we never get them mixed up, baby. That would suck, not knowing
which one is Courtney and which one s Jett. What kind of asshole parents would that make us if we
mixed up our own kids?
Full stop. A deal s a deal, and I m the one who gets to name the girls, remember? I was
thinking Agnes, or maybe Griselda. She wasn t, but she couldn t resist.
He lifted his head and looked at her for a long moment. Becks&
She couldn t hold back a laugh at his pained expression. I m definitely saying no to Courtney,
because I m not a fan. But Jett s not bad, so that s still on the table.
What about the name Benatar? I know it s unusual, but we could call her Benni for short.
And then they d be Benni and The Jett. That s cute, right? Or Alanis? I like Alanis, and it s in line
with the A names we have for the boys. What do you think?
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