Читать книгу Brides, Babies And Billionaires - Мишель Смарт, Rebecca Winters - Страница 43

EPILOGUE

‘ARE YOU READY for that?’

Blake gestured towards the chubby toddler who was steadily making his way over the grass in their backyard to his father, knocking down every toy they’d put out for him. He gave a happy gurgle when Connor picked him up and spun him around, and Callie smiled when she saw the absolute love in her brother’s eyes as he did so.

‘I keep thinking about a little girl with your eyes, or a boy with your hair. And every time I do I fall in love with the little person in my imagination.’ Callie snuggled closer to her husband—she would never tire of the thrill that went through her when she thought that Blake was her husband—and kicked at the ground so that the swing seat they were sitting on would move.

She couldn’t quite believe they were already celebrating her nephew’s first birthday. Tyler was such a little ball of happiness, with his father’s steady presence and his mother’s zest for life, that it made her excited to see what combination her own child would be.

She resisted the urge to rub her stomach and imagined how happy her parents would have been if they’d been there. They would have loved enjoying their grandson in their home—the home that she and Blake now shared and had gladly offered to host Tyler’s birthday at—and feeling the comfort of family. Connor and Elizabeth hadn’t wanted a big party for their son when he wouldn’t remember it, so instead they’d just organised a day when the McKenzies and the Owens—she and her brother had married within a few months of each other—could spend time together.

Callie couldn’t think of a more perfect way to celebrate. Or to share her very exciting news.

‘What if they have your eyes or hair?’ Blake said, distracting her from her thoughts.

He pulled her in and she felt the warmth right down to her toes, before it quickly turned into a sizzle the moment he began to run his fingers up and down her bare arm.

‘I suppose we’ll have to accept them as they are. It won’t be their fault after all.’ She gave a dramatic sigh, and smiled when Blake laughed.

She loved seeing him like this—relaxed, happy, content. He had become a part of their family so smoothly she sometimes felt that he had always been a part of it. And she wondered where the man who had feared family so much had disappeared to.

‘Look how beautiful it is,’ Blake said, and gestured to the mountain and the ocean they could see from the swing seat. She smiled when she saw the peace settle over him, the way it always did when he looked out onto that view.

‘Are you ready for it?’ she asked quietly, not wanting to be overheard by her brother and sister-in-law.

‘What?’ He followed her eyes with his as she looked at her nephew, and then settled them back on her. ‘I was ready the moment I met you. And then again when you told me you’d marry me. I believe I was willing to start right at that moment.’

She laughed. ‘You were. But there were a few things we needed to sort out first.’

He rolled his eyes—a clear indication of a man who had heard the words before. ‘Yes, I know. We had to set up our operations for the hotels from Cape Town, and then we had to support Connor and Elizabeth during their wedding and Tyler’s birth, and then we had our own wedding.’

‘Exactly. Points to you for remembering.’ She grinned at the amusement in his eyes, and then felt it soften to a smile. ‘But all that’s done now.’

‘Yes—thankfully. So I don’t have to be reminded about it all the time.’

She felt her lips twitch. ‘No, Blake, all that’s done now.’

‘I heard you the first time.’ Blake frowned at her, and then sat up a little straighter. ‘You mean we can start trying for a family?’

‘I mean that it’s happened without us really trying.’ She whispered the words, unsure, even though she knew that this was what they both wanted. ‘I think my body knew about our timeline, too.’

He took a moment to process her words, and then whispered back, ‘Do you think you’re pregnant?’

‘I know I am. The doctor called yesterday.’

* * *

She had barely finished saying the words before Blake pulled her into his arms, needing the contact with her more than he’d thought possible. His heart was exploding, and it was a long time before he let Callie go.

‘Hey, none of that in front of my kid.’

Blake heard Connor’s amusement and smiled, unable even to pretend that he was upset. ‘Well, I think expressions of love are important. Maybe we should start making notes of all the things we’ve learnt from Connor about what to do and what not to do before our baby gets here, honey.’

Connor’s eyes widened. ‘You’re pregnant?’

Blake laughed, and thought he had never felt this good in his life. ‘No, not me personally—but Callie is.’

The announcement was met with laughter and congratulations, and even though he accepted the hugs of his family, even though he toasted his unborn child, he couldn’t take his eyes off Callie. She was radiant, he thought, and saw her blushing every time she caught him looking at her.

It made him love her even more.

When Connor and Elizabeth had left, Callie and Blake moved back to the swing seat in the backyard. It would be a special place to him for ever, he thought. This house where he had finally found a home, where he had finally found himself be a part of a family. This yard where he had celebrated his godson’s first birthday. And now this swing seat, where he had found out he was going to be a father.

‘How have you made every dream of mine come true?’ he asked, his heart filled with the love that overwhelmed him every time he looked at her.

She gave him that soft smile of hers and moved closer to him. ‘We’ve made each other’s dreams come true.’ She laid a hand on his cheek. ‘You’re going to make the best father, Blake Owen.’

‘Our child will have the best parents in the world.’

And then he kissed her, and knew without a doubt that he had finally found his home.

* * * * *