Page 43 of Comforted By The Mountain Man
I tip my body to lean on him. “No clue,” I whisper, staving off the new wave at the mention of food.
“Baby,” he says.
“Mm.”
“You haven’t had a period for a couple months.”
It takes what feels like an eternity to connect his meaning. My eyes dart open.Oh shit.My shot. I count in my head when I was due for the next one. I know I mentioned it to Asher when I was a couple of weeks out from needing it but he’d shrug and tell me, I still had time. No rush.
I whip my head around to face him, wide-eyed.
“Oh, my God,” I whisper. “I’m so sorry. I’ve never missed a shot. I promise, I’m so responsible about that. I never meant,” his lips silence me in a fierce kiss.
I gasp in his mouth then immediately pull away. “I have pucky breath!”
Chuckling, he leans over to fill a glass with water and a splash of mouthwash. Handing it to me, I rinse my mouth and spit in the toilet, flushing again. My brain runs a mile a minute. There’s a possibility I’m not even pregnant.
“Maybe it’s just a bug,” I offer, staring into the toilet.
“You mentioned one day wanting more kids,” he says, finger combing my hair off my face.
“Sure,” I finally look at him again. “In the future. You just became a ready-made dad to Ryder. I didn’t think you’d want more anytime soon.”
A soft smile tips his lips. “Brown Eyes,” he kisses my eyes. “I don’t need time to think about whether I want you, us, forever. I say, the sooner we give Ryder a sibling, the better.”
I stare, completely taken aback. More so, with my heart that skips, fearing this moment isn’t actually happening and I’m going to wake up, in our bed, sighing about new dreams I didn’t dare believe I’d get to live out.
“He has been asking about it lately,” Asher smiles, kissing my cheeks then my lips.
“I love you,” I whisper. “So much. With my whole heart.”
His fingers rake into my hair, bringing my face closer. “How about we visit the clinic and confirm. And if you’re not. We should get started on that. Immediately.”
Three seconds of shock bleed into laughter. Can someone combust from joy?
Turns out, we are pregnant. Eight weeks. Our little nugget is brewing. We waited a couple weeks to tell Ryder who took his Hulk plushy and screamed into its face, “Imma be a big brother!”
Safe to say, any worries I had of him feeling overshadowed went out the window.
At the end of my first trimester, we finally told the other Hunters. Should’ve known that they all suspected already. That night, we gathered for Sunday Dinner at their parents’ main house. Grace and I helped Ezra prep the table once everything was done.
With my hand cradling my still flat stomach, I watched our son sit on Asher’s lap, arguing with his uncles about which superpower is superior. These men, like me, have found increments of light to push away old demons. I’ve watched them battle their darkness but even the shadows can’t hold back the true nature of this family.
Love.
Love is the essence that runs in their veins. Most of them still don’t see how much love they’re capable of giving. And how much they deserve to be loved.
I feel his eyes on me. From day one, this invisible magnetic string connected us. I felt Asher everywhere then and I still do now. His hand cups mine over our growing child. I smile at this man who busted pass my walls—literally.
I love you, he mouths.
I reach up and press a kiss on his lips. Then exhale.
To think…this is just the beginning.
EPILOGUE
ASHER
