Page 76 of Home Run

“How long have you two been together? You really are the cutest couple.”

Yup, Julie was definitely my new best friend.

Wrapping my arm around Millie’s shoulder, I pulled her into me and rested my lips against her temple. “If you ask me, we’ve been together thirteen months. Since the first time I laid eyes on her, standing across the grossest, stickiest, noisiest dive bar. But this one has a different answer, don’t you, babe?”

Man, I loved that color she turned, especially when I winked.

“We’re not together,” Millie replied eventually, adding a deep roll of her eyes.

“Oh, you two.” Julie’s smile beamed out as she laughed at the bit between Millie and me that I’d just invented, and turned to guide us through to a different section of the floor. “I’ve seen plenty of couples in my day, and I know when I see the ones who’ll last. You’ll be coming back with the next babies, mark my words.”

I turned to Millie, my eyes flaring wide, and mouthed,Next babies, only to receive a sharp elbow to the ribs in response.

“Do you know what you’re having?”

Millie shook her head, and I could see from her expression she wasn’t finding Julie as charming as I was. “No, we haven’t decided to find out yet, our twenty-week scan isn’t for a few weeks.”

“What’s the date? If you find out, we can adjust the color schemes.”

“October thirtieth.”

“If Jupiter’s correct, that’ll be game five,” I added.

“Correct about what?”

“That we’ll win the World Series in five games against the Yankees. Which means game five will be the winning game.”

Millie stopped walking, standing between an almost life-size giraffe and an equally large tiger. “But that’s a big day, should we push the scan?”

I shook my head. “No. It’s going to be the fourth best day of my life.”

“Fourth?”

“Yeah, first was when I met you”—my hand cupped her belly—“second when we made this one, third will be when they’re born, and fourth is when we get to see them properly in the scan. Second and third are tied though.”

“Tan—”

“Come on,” I leaned in, taking the opportunity to brush my lips against her ear before she kept looking at me the way she was looking right now, like she didn’t know whether to cry or not. “The quicker we get the stroller, the quicker I can take you home and fuck you into oblivion again.”

As predicted, Millie’s cheeks flushed, and for all I knew, she was about to protest, but I felt the telltale shiver of anticipation from under my palm still on her belly. My dick twitched with it.

“Tanner. Why do you have to say something so lovely then ruin it all?”

“Ruin? Oh, I can definitely show you how good Iruinlater.” I winked, only for her to shake her head, waiting for an answer. “To keep you on your toes, Mama Bear. Why else?”

Millie might have tutted loudly in response, but I didn’t miss the curve of a smile as she took off after Julie.

I ambled behind them, soaking in all the baby paraphernalia, perusing through the various children’s storybooks I’d found dotted about the place. Pulling up Lucas’s list again, I wondered if he had a section on best baby stories to read, but there was nothing, so I tucked a couple under my arm that I liked the look of.

What I did find was the section on strollers, and as luck would have it, the one Lucas had marked as his favorite was the one Julie recommended. We took it.

We also added a baby sling, a machine that looked like it made espresso but actually made baby bottles, a diaper changing table and chest of drawers, and a bouncy thing before I heard Millie’s stomach rumble loudly, and I decided to call time.

We needed days in this place, and not just half a morning.

Tugging Millie’s hand before she wandered into the next section, I whispered, “The Four Seasons is around the corner, I could murder one of their burgers. Whaddya say?”

I’d never seen her look so happy.

---