Page 62 of Pastel Kisses

And in that moment, despite the bruises, the trauma, the healing still ahead—I know one thing with absolute certainty:

We’re going to be a family.

And no one—not Sarah, not fear, not even time—can take that away from us again.

“Our baby? Kitten… you’re saying we’re going to be dads?” Jaxton’s voice is low, stunned, like he can’t quite believe what he’s hearing. The question lingers in the air, suspended between disbelief and wonder.

A soft giggle escapes me, surprising even myself. The sound is a breath of life—light, familiar, andmine. It reminds me of the girl I used to be, the one who laughed freely in the sun. It feels like the first piece of myself I’ve gotten back. “Sure am, Daddy,” I tease, voice thick with joy, even as my body aches. And the flare of desire in Jaxton’s eyes tells me he felt the new title down to his soul.

A breathless laugh tumbles out of him. His eyes shine with a thousand emotions as he leans in, brushing his lips against my forehead, reverent and tender. “We’re going to be dads,” he murmurs again, like he’s trying to make it real with the sound of his own voice.

But then, the glow in his expression dims. A shadow clouds his face.

“Sarah…” he says carefully, his tone laced with disgust. “She told me the baby was mine, too. I never believed her. I already ordered a paternity test, but I just—God, I swear, she was sleeping with half the damn city. I should’ve never—”

“Jax,” I interrupt, resting my fingers gently over his mouth. “Stop.” My lips curve into a small smile. “She lied. Once she realized I was pregnant, she hatched a plan to steal the baby and pass it off as her own. She had fake sonograms. The whole thing was a setup.”

Relief slams into him like a tidal wave, and for a moment he’s speechless. Just breathing. Justfeeling.

Lennox’s jaw clenches next to him, the muscle ticking with unspoken fury. His grip on my hand tightens, protective and firm. “She’ll pay for everything she did to you, Bee. I swear it.”

I sigh, the weight of everything still simmering beneath the surface. “Get in line,” I mutter dryly, my voice scratched but steady.

“Let me closer,” Liam blurts, stepping forward like a man starved for sunlight. “I need my fix.”

I laugh softly as he nudges Jaxton aside and buries his face in my hair, breathing me in like a man drowning finds air.

“Liam…” I whisper, voice hitching when emotion tightens my throat. “I probably smell horrid.”

“I don’t care,” he mumbles against my skin. “You’re here. That’s all that matters.”

He pulls back just enough to press a kiss to my knuckles, his eyes glassy. “I thought I was holding everyone together,” he admits. “I really did. I thought if I stayed strong, the others would too. But I was barely holding on, Bee. Every morning I’d walk your damn yard just to feel close to you. Just to breathe.”

“I missed you all so much.” The words are barely a whisper, but I know they hear them. I see it in the way they stand straighter, as if my presence puts their world back on its axis.

Liam brushes his thumb along the top of my hand. “We love you so damn much. Don’t ever doubt that.”

“I don’t,” I whisper. “Not for a second.”

Lennox is next, slipping in like the calm after a storm. His eyes are rimmed with red, but there’s light in them now. “You scared the shit out of us, Bee.” He leans down and nuzzles me gently, the way he always used to when words weren’t enough.

“I’m sorry,” I breathe. Not because I did anything wrong—but because Iwasn’there. Because of everything we lost in the time I was gone.

He brushes a strand of hair from my face. “When you’re well enough to come home, we have a surprise waiting in the yard.”

My brows pinch in curiosity.

“We finished it,” he says, pride tinging his words. “The whole landscape design you’d been working on? We did it exactly how you planned.”

Tears flood my eyes. “You didn’t…”

“Oh, we did.” He smirks. “Every last detail.”

My laughter mixes with my tears, equal parts joy and heartbreak. “You guys…”

At the foot of the bed, Kamden stands silently, arms crossed, his face carved with tension. Unlike the others, he hasn’t said much. But I feel him. His restraint is a mask barely hiding the storm underneath.

“Kam…” I say softly.

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