Page 115 of Beautifully Broken Redemption

I nodded against his chest. “There’s so much to be grateful for.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t miss your sister and want her with you. You have to let yourself feel the hurt. If you don’t, you’ll cut yourself off from the good.”

And there was so much good all around for us to experience. I didn’t want to miss an ounce of it. “I can’t wait to marry you tomorrow.”

“Me, either.”

I pressed my palm to his chest. “I have something to tell you.”

He tipped his head down to meet my gaze. “I’m listening.”

“I’m pregnant,” I whispered.

His body gave a little jolt. “What?”

“I didn’t think it would happen so quickly. I thought for sure the test was wrong. But then I took three and saw my doctor.”

Mason’s hand went to my stomach as wonder filled his gaze. “We made a baby.”

“Happy?”

His mouth met mine in a long kiss that made me wish we were somewhere a little more private. “Best wedding present ever.” I smiled against his lips. “Are you happy? This is a little quicker than we’d planned.”

I leaned back into his hold, my hand joining his on my stomach. “I love him or her so much already. It’s wild. But I’m scared, too.”

“Scared?”

“Mase, I had the worst example of parents you could possibly have. I don’t know what I’m doing. It’s terrifying.”

His thumb swept across my stomach. “Anna. You mother every single person that comes through those shelter doors. Even if they’re seventy years old. You’ve gone through the hardships and triumphs with them, been encourager and disciplinarian. You’re raising Justin and Lyla. It’s in your bones. You’re going to be amazing.”

My heart stuttered and rolled at his words. “You’re already the best dad. I can’t wait to see you in action from day one.”

Mason framed my face in his hands. “That life we’ve been building is taking root.”

And as those roots dug deep, we’d get to watch new life sprout and cycle. We’d share the winters and springs. But through each hardship, those roots would only grow stronger. It would allow us to enjoy every single bloom. And I’d want no one else by my side through it all.

He brushed his lips across mine. “Ready to celebrate that?”

I smiled against his mouth. “Ready.”

Mason stood, tugging me to my feet. As we headed down the dirt road back towards the house, laughter and voices lifted on the breeze, punctuated by the occasional shout from one of the children. It was exactly the background music I wanted for our rehearsal dinner. This perfectly chaotic melody of the family Mason and I had created for ourselves.

Juliette caught sight of us approaching and made a beeline in our direction. “Oh, good, you’re here. The caterers didn’t bring enough champagne. I told them how many bottles, but they clearly didn’t listen. I should’ve triple-checked—”

“Jules,” Mason cut her off. “It’s fine. Raid my wine cellar if we’re running low.”

“It might not be the same vintage.”

He chuckled. “If you haven’t noticed, we’re not worried about that around here.”

I looked around. Lyla and Justin ran in some sort of game with the other kids. Lyla burst out in a fit of giggles as Cooper Cole dove into a sort of somersault. The kids were all in play clothes, and the adults were casually dressed. We had lawn games set out, along with more food than we’d ever be able to finish. This wasn’t a fancy crowd, and it was exactly how we liked it. Juliette just hadn’t quite figured that out yet.

I met her gaze. “Thank you for wanting to make sure this is so special for us.”

She blinked a few times as if surprised I would compliment her. “You’re welcome.” Juliette looked up at Mason. “It isn’t every day your brother gets hitched.” She rolled her eyes at me. “At least he told me he was doing it this time.”

I couldn’t hold in my laughter, glancing at Mason. “She does have a point there. You could’ve called her.”

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