Page 108 of When We Met

Beside me, Camdyn puts her hand on my shoulder. “Toddlers are so much work.”

I smile at her. “And to think we’re having another one soon.”

She shakes her head. “What were you thinking?”

“I’m not sure.” Reaching for the box of nails, I shake it, realizing I’m almost out. “Can you get me another box?”

“I’ll go ask Mommy.”

Mommy. Now there’s a word I wasn’t sure I’d hear my girls say. They knew Daddy, but would they ever call a woman mom? It took all of six months of Kacy living with us when Camdyn asked her if she could call her mommy. After hours of crying, eventually, a “yes” was uttered by Kacy, and soon after, I got down on one knee and asked for a forever. She said yes, and a month later, we were married on the ranch.

And now here we are, expecting another child who we conceived in those weeks after she returned to Amarillo. Funny how that works, huh?

Actually, I want to know how it happened because she was on birth control. Kacy jokes that Sev cast a spell on us and you know, she’s not wrong. It’s terrifying to think about.

I know one thing. When I built this house, I never thought I’d be adding to it. And now here I am, in the middle of a blazing hot summer, sweating my balls off and trying to add another room and bathroom before the end of September.

Five minutes later, Kacy comes outside, waddling toward me, barefoot and ready to pop any day. “You need these, babe?”

Pink-cheeked, she’s wearing shorts, and her tank top’s riding up so her swollen belly is on display. She’s the prettiest goddamn thing I’ve ever seen, and I find it hard not to drag her inside. “Yeah, I do. Thanks.” I take the box from her, our fingers brushing in the process. It’s then I notice Camdyn never came back. “Where’s Camdyn?”

“Folding baby clothes,” she gushes. “So cute. She keeps folding them and arranging everything for the baby.”

I laugh. “When Sev was born, she wouldn’t talk to me. Not that she talked that much anyways, but man, she was pissed at me when we brought Sev home. I think she thought she was a doll.”

Kacy uses me to sit on the edge of the framed room we’ve yet to get walls on yet. We decided to give Camdyn our room, the baby Sev’s room that she doesn’t sleep in, and build a bigger master suite away from the kids’ bedrooms. For obvious reasons.

As she’s sitting next to me, she looks between her legs and then to me, wide-eyed. “I either peed myself, again or… my water just broke.”

“Wait, did you say again? As in you peed yourself once already?”

“Uh, yeah. There’s a watermelon on my bladder. I’ve lost all control down there.”

I glance between her legs and smile. “Baby time.”

Kacy’s eyes widen, face pale. “What? No. I’m not ready. I haven’t even packed my bag.”

“Yes you did. It’s in the truck, remember?” I stand and help her up.

“But we don’t have a name.”

“We’ll think of one.”

“We don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl.”

I stare at her, making her face me. “Darlin’,” I whisper, pressing my lips to hers.

She sighs, her breathing evening out. “But… I don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve never had a baby before and I watched Lulu deliver her foal and that was messy. What if I make a huge mess and my vagina never goes back to the same size? What if you’re disappointed?”

“I won’t be.” I pull her with me toward the truck. “Sev! Get my keys.”

“No thanks,” she mumbles, taking a handful of dirt and pouring it over her cat. Who does not move.

Refusing to move, Kacy yanks on my hand. “But you might be. Vagina tightness is important.”

“I’m not really concerned about that.” I am, but I’m not about to tell my freaked-out wife that.

“Barron, I’m serious.” Kacy stomps her foot down.

---