Page 65 of Until the End

“Oh, okay. That’s good.”

“Lottie was really grateful for your help with the designs,” Ginny says to Mom.

Mom chuckles. “I was happy to help, and boy, did they need it. Who would’ve thought the two of them would have such horrible design sense?”

“I was surprised Lottie wasn’t better at it, given Aunt Quinn is a painter,” Ginny says.

“There’s a huge difference between being creative and designing a house. Not to mention how many options there are to create the design,” I point out.

“So true. I couldn’t paint a picture to save my life, but I love picking out paint for a house,” Mom says.

Ginny looks at me. “Maybe we should think aboutpainting our house. It might be kind of fun to change things up a little.”

Her use ofourmakes my heart stutter. I’ve come to love that house, but the idea of redecorating to better suit us both is exactly what we need. “We can start looking for inspiration tonight.”

“Who’s ready for dessert?” Mom asks, standing from the table to start gathering plates. Nellie, Dad, and I help her with the dishes while Noah and Mirabelle dish up the carrot cake Mom made. I look around for Lilly and Ginny but don’t see them anywhere.

I make some decaf coffee for Ginny and me, placing our cups at our spots at the table. “Where did the girls go?” I ask my brother.

He shrugs. “Who knows? Upstairs, maybe.” I don’t bother asking him why they’d go up there. He doesn’t seem concerned in the slightest.

We’ve just started in on dessert when they finally come back. They both have odd expressions on their faces as they stand side by side in front of us.

I don’t have the patience to wait for them to explain. “What’s going on?”

“We’ve got news,” Lilly starts. They both start giggling, and I look at Noah for help. His eyes are narrowed at his wife as if he’s starting to figure out what they’ve done. I still have no clue, and I’m about to come unglued.

“We’re pregnant!” Ginny finally squeals.

My jaw drops. “What?” I stand and stride directly to Ginny. “Are you serious?”

She looks up at me as multiple emotions flash through her eyes. “Yeah. We just took tests.”

I don’t hesitate. I kiss the living hell out of my girl.

For the past several months, I’d wondered if having a baby just wasn’t in the cards for us. We’d never taken any sort ofprecautions, and Ginny’s cycle was always regular. I was okay with any outcome, but I can’t deny that having a baby with my best friend ignites something in my soul.

This is what I’ve always dreamed of having. It’s hard to believe it’s not still a fantasy.

“You’ve made me so happy, Goose,” I whisper against her mouth.

Ginny’s grin is a mile wide. “Right back atcha.”

Noah and Lilly are in a similar embrace, but theirs includes Nellie and Mira. I can’t believe we’re going to have newborns at the same time.

Mom and Dad join us in celebrating, giving hugs out left and right. Once the excitement dies down a little, we settle back at the table.

“How in the world did this come about?” Mom asks.

Ginny takes a sip of her coffee. “Since I knew I’d see you guys tonight, I asked Lilly if she’d buy a test for me. I’ve had my suspicions for the past week, and when my period didn’t show up yesterday, I figured it was time to find out for sure. While most people in town wouldn’t rat me out, I couldn’t take a chance on something this big, so I thought if Lilly got the test, it would keep the suspicion down.”

“I was shocked at the coincidence because I’d literally just bought a box this afternoon. I’d been feeling off for a little while, too, and wanted to rule out being pregnant. Turns out, it is the reason,” Lilly jokes.

Noah gently pinches Lilly’s side. “I can’t believe you didn’t say anything.”

“I just wanted to be sure first,” she counters.

“This is the best day,” Mom gushes. “I can’t believe both of my babies are old enough to have babies of their own.”

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