Page 128 of Reclaimed

“Close your eyes.” Aiden picks up my hand and links our fingers. “No peeking.”

“I wouldn’t dare.”

His spicy, citrus scent warms me as he leans in close and kisses my forehead. Then, he leads me straight down the hall.

A handle twists, and the latch scrapes against the strike plate. With a hand on my lower back, Aiden gently nudges me inside.

“Open your eyes, starshine.”

Blinking against the yellow ceiling light, I nearly start to cry. “Did you spend all afternoon on this?”

“I had to call in a team to get it done in time.” Aiden’s voice is a low timbre in my ear.

“By team, you mean your brothers, right?”

“Of course. Who else would come help me build a nursery during a snowstorm?”

I choke on a laugh as tears fill my eyes. “Who else indeed?”

My stomach fills with butterflies as I scan my surroundings. A gray wash crib is pressed up against the wall across from the door and adjacent to the window. The wall behind it is painted a jungle green while the three remaining walls are a softer green pastel hue. The hardwood is covered in the middle in a new gray fluffy rug that’s plush beneath my bare feet. In the corner of the room beside an empty bookshelf is a padded rocking chair that I can already picture Aiden or me rocking a sleepy newborn or reading books to him as he grows. My eyes grow wetter at the changing table atop a set of drawers I could guess is already filled with baby clothes.

“I don’t mean to assume, but is this your way of asking me to move in with you?”

Aiden turns me into his arms. “Asking is what you do when there’s a question. I have no questions about our future, Isla. You and our baby are the only things I want. The rest is just details.”

“This is a hell of a detail. A big, beautiful, memorable detail.”

Aiden catches a tear racing down my cheek with his knuckle. “We can change anything you don’t like. But I tracked down your Pinterest board, so I think it should be pretty close to what you wanted.”

“I don’t think it could have been any better even if I created it myself.” I press up on my tiptoes and push my lips against his. “Let’s go cancel my lease.”

“Later.” He kisses me softly. “There’s a snowstorm, and I have a few ideas how we can pass the time until the roads clear.”

Isla

Eight WeeksLater

“Who waitsuntil three months before the wedding to find a dress?” Bree sips her champagne flute.

Cortney adjusts the skinny straps on her shoulders. “I’ve been busy. The vet office has been crazy this winter and Sebastian and I took a while to settle on the date.”

“Thank God you’re skinny. There isn’t time for alterations.” The bridal rep takes Cortney’s hand and tows her back to the changing room.

“Rude,” Whitney glares at the lady’s back.

My stomach gives a twinge, stealing my retort. It’s been happening a lot today. My doctor called them Braxton Hicks, but they seem to be getting stronger. I sip my glass of water as the girls volley gossip back and forth.

“Oh, that’s pretty!” Nancy remarks as Cortney reappears in another dress. Cortney’s face reflects uncertainty.

“I don’t know.” She twists in the four-paneled full-length mirrors. “I think my ass looks big.”

“Your ass looks fantastic.” Whitney salutes her with her champagne.

“I agree,” Frankie adds.

“Who doesn’t want their ass to look big?” Juniper says from the corner of her mouth.

“Right?” I laugh. My phone buzzes with a text, distracting me from another twinge.

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