Page 140 of Whispers of You
My belly clenched at the promise in his words. “Thank you.”
Holt kept me on his lap but grabbed the cylindrical case holding the architectural drawings. Carefully, he unrolled them in front of us. There was a stack of pages to go through, but that first page stole my breath.
Tears gathered in my eyes. “It’s perfect.”
Holt held me tighter against him. “Hey, what’s with the waterworks?”
“It’s just…I love it.” It was everything we’d dreamed of, a blend of rustic mountain lodge and farmhouse with a huge wraparound porch. “They even drew my swing in.”
His lips skimmed my neck. “I told them we needed the swing for it to feel right.”
“I love you. Have I told you that today?”
“Only ten times, so you’ve got at least ten more to go.”
I laughed and flipped to the next page of the plans. The architects had taken everything we’d told them to the next level. The first floor was open and airy with massive windows. The kitchen spilled into a family room on one side and a dining room on the other. A huge stone fireplace separated the dining room and another living space.
A basement would house a game room with a massive TV on one side and a gym that Holt had said heneededon the other. The second story held five bedrooms, including a suite for us with a dream bathroom.
As my fingers trailed over one of the secondary bedrooms, my heart picked up speed. “We could make this one a nursery. It’s the closest to ours and has a pretty view of the woods.”
Holt grinned, his lips ghosting across my hair. “I love that plan.”
I gripped his arms as I breathed deeply. “How would you feel about filling that room a little earlier than we planned?”
Holt’s body went rigid beneath mine. “Cricket?”
I twisted in his hold, needing to see his face. Those deep blue eyes held so much as they scanned my face.
He swallowed hard. “Are you?”
“You know how I was on antibiotics last month? I forgot that it can affect birth control. I was late, so I went to the doc this morning. I didn’t want to buy a test at the store. It would’ve been all over town in two seconds. I know we weren’t planning—”
Holt cut me off with a searing kiss as his hand came around to my stomach. “I’ve never wanted anything more than a family with you.”
Tears filled my eyes. “Stop making me cry.”
“Sorry, Cricket.” He pulled back, his brow furrowing. “Are you feeling okay? You said you were nauseous yesterday.”
“That’s what tipped me off. But it hasn’t been too bad so far.”
“You need to rest. We need to get you some prenatal vitamins and get a list of foods that are good to eat and—”
I silenced him with another kiss. “I’m going to be okay.”
Holt’s thumb swept back and forth across my belly. “We’re having a baby,” he whispered, and the words had a reverence to them that had emotion clogging my throat.
“I never thought I could be this happy.”
“You know, you really stole my thunder.”
I looked up at him, eyes dancing. “For what?”
“I got you a present in honor of our house plans. Something to put in the library.”
I straightened in his lap. “I like presents.”
Holt chuckled and reached into the picnic basket. “Happy new home.”
