Page 102 of Dangerous Encore
Piper starts tearing into her container of phobroth.
I rub the space between Bella's pointer finger and thumb with mythumb.
I stare into my wife'seyes.Now?
Shenods.Now.
I push myself to my feet. "We have an announcement to make." I try to keep my voice bouncy, but it's clunky.Awkward.
Bella rises with me. She keeps her hand glued to mine. "It'sgoodnews."
I stare back into her gorgeous eyes. "Youwantto?"
She nods. "I do." She looks at our friends. Her grip on my hand tightens, but she holds strong. "I'mpregnant."
I study expressions like my life depends on it. Kit shoots me ayou've got thislook. Piper's eyes light up. Violet claps her hands together, her usual reserved expression falling into something moregiddy.
"Congrats. That's fucking amazing." Ethan nods to me then he leans in to whisper something toViolet.
She blushes then turns back to us. "Itreallyis."
Mal nods at me. It's hard to describe his expression. It's just so fucking Mal, all paternal, andI know best and I know that you candothis.
"That's amazing, Bella. I'm so excited for you. And you too, Joel." Lacey smiles at us, all earnest and sweet the way shealwaysis.
She and Bella share a knowing look. A girl thing, I guess. They're pretty close, what with both of them working in the music industry. They're always trading gossip oroh my God, he's the worstcomplaints about difficultmusicians.
"It's early," Bella says. "The due date is in May. And, we… we don't know the sex yet. We don't know a lot. But, um, I planned out your next two years. The tour schedules, with plenty of room for time off and difficulties recording." She winksatMal.
He shakes his headI'd never, but he smiles back at her. "You didn't have todothat."
"I did, actually. I'm taking over for Alessandra." Bella smiles. "I dropped four dates and found about ten where Joel needs someone to fill in, but otherwise it shouldn't affecttoomuch."
"You don't have to dothat," Mal says. "We canslowdown."
"No. You can't. You're the hot thing now. You think this lasts forever?" Bella shifts right back into work mode then she catches herself and shifts out of it. "I mean… I appreciate that. You all accepted me as soon as I got back from Vegas with Joel. You've always made me feel like family. It means a lottome."
Everyonenods.
Another round of congratulations blurs into teasing about how Bella will be every bit as ruthless asAlessandra.
She'sright.
We have a great fuckingfamilyhere.
We have the supportweneed.
And we have eachother.
I pull Bella into atighthug.
She whispers in my ear. "We're reallydoingthis."
"We're really gonna haveababy."
And we're really gonna give him all the love in the fuckingworld.
Not just the two of us. Not just our parents and oursiblings.
We have the entire Dangerous Noisefamily.
