Page 77 of Had To Be You

“I did.”

“Me too,” she says, leaning across the console that separates the two of us, her chin up, her lips parted, inviting me to kiss her. And that’s exactly what I intend to do because it’s all I ever want to do when I’m around her. But most of all, I want to love her. For eternity. Curling my hand around the back of her neck, I kiss her, then rest my forehead against hers and repeat those five perfect words.

“It had to be you, Ellie. It had to be you.”

Epilogue

A few weeks later

Ellie

I turn my head to find Liam leaning against the bedroom doorway, bare-chested with a pair of joggers hung low on his hips. That V shape muscle and the hard lines of his abs taunt me. I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to the sight of him.

“Are you ready?” His morning voice does that sexy, throaty thing that slays me.

“Are you planning on putting a shirt on?”

“You don’t usually complain when I’m half-naked,” he says, absently running his hand across his stomach. Such a smart ass.

“Oh, believe me, I’m not complaining, but a shirt might be appropriate when Facetiming my parents.”

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, I reach for my laptop while Liam pulls a T-shirt from his drawer. He sits on the bed next to me, pulling it over his head. A ray of sunshine streams in through the patio doors, casting a beam across the monitor. Shifting the laptop on the bed, I find a spot where we can both see the screen clearly.

We take the chance and by some sort of miracle, my parents answer. I smile at my mother through the screen, looking every bit the hippy in her floral sundress, my father next to her with his layers upon layers of crystal necklaces. They’re smiling, both at me and at my fiancé, as we get ready to deliver big news.

“It’s so good to see you! I miss you both. So much,” I say with a smile, my chest aching to hug them. I have to give credit where credit is due - they’ve called, emailed and Facetimed almost every other week, wanting to be kept in the loop with our lives. And although it’s not the same as having them live in the same city as me, it does help to know that it won’t be months until the next time I hear their voices.

“Hi, honey. Hi, Liam. I can see you’re keeping our girl very happy. She’s glowing. Do you have something to tell us?” My mom leans into the camera so all we can see is her chin. Liam and I look at each other and laugh.

“Mom, sit back. We can’t see your face,” I tell her as my dad reaches around her to her shoulders, gently pulling her away from the screen.

“That’s better,” I say, carrying on with the conversation. “I’m the happiest, mom. Never been better. And yes, we have news. How did you know?”

“I talked to Stella.”

“Stella?” Liam and I both ask in unison, looking at each other with who-the-hell-is-Stella stares on our faces.

“Yes, Stella. My psychic.”

“Ahh. Of course,” I say, pinching my fingers into Liam’s thigh. He quietly laughs and I do too, wondering what Stella the spiritual, supernatural supernova had to say.

“Well hurry up, sweetheart!” My mother’s eyes light up like she’s walked into a surprise party and we all just shouted her name. “I’ve been waiting for this call.”

Not able to hold it in a second longer, I blurt out: “We’re pregnant! I’m pregnant!” Then I watch as my parents both burst into huge smiles, unable to contain their joy.

“Oh sweetheart, we are wildly happy for the two of you, even though we already knew, of course. We are so happy you finally shared the news with us.” My dad beams as Liam pulls me into his side, setting his hand on my belly. I melt against him. If Liam ever wondered where I got my crazy from, he definitely knows now.

“But…you two are the first people we’ve told,” Liam points out, clearly confused.

My mother replies with a cat-that-ate-the-canary grin. “Stella knew two weeks ago, darlings. Your father and I almost fell out of our seats in happiness when she broke the news. We’ve been waiting for the two of you to spill the beans ever since.”

I shake my head. We both crack up. We fill them in. The shock of finding out, surprising Liam with the news one morning in our bed, the thrill of hearing our baby’s heartbeat for the first time last week. I grumble over Liam’s fiercely protective side, and his long list of things he already considers too high-risk for me to be doing now that I’m carrying our child. Standing in front of the microwave while my popcorn is popping is deemed too risky if you ask Liam. I’m also pretty sure he thinks I cooked the baby during my half-hour bath last night. My parents seem to side with his overprotective ways. It figures. Liam can do no wrong in their eyes.

As soon as I end the call, Liam lays me out on our bed, straddling my hips. He slips his hand beneath my shirt, resting his palm on my belly, an easy-going smile on his face.

“I think that went well. Would you agree?” he asks, running his finger down the center of my chest and back to my belly, which is still flat for now. Soon it won’t be, and I can’t wait for that day.

“I would. There’s only one way that could have gone better…if me having their grandchild might make them want to move back home.”

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