I love you too, Kamryn.
Epilogue
Two years later . . .
Brody
KAMRYN LAUGHED LIGHTLY and ran her hands through my hair. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who loved that sound. A little hand jabbed against mine, and I looked up at her with a smile crossing my face.
“Laugh again,” I prompted her.
“I can’t just laugh again, it wouldn’t be genuine. She’ll know.”
I smiled again and pressed my lips to her large stomach. “Oh, will she?”
“She will . . . she has laugh-dar or something.”
“Now your mom’s just being ridiculous,” I whispered against Kamryn’s belly. Running my fingers gently across her stomach, I let my lips leave a trail as I continued speaking. “But you’ll keep moving for Daddy, won’t you, baby girl?” Letting my voice drop lower, I spoke softly. “Tatum, baby, move for Daddy,” I crooned and was instantly rewarded with a few kicks.
“Show-off,” Kamryn scoffed, but she smiled widely down at me.
“Nah, she’s just a daddy’s girl.”
“Ugh, gag me,” Kinlee said as she walked into the kitchen. “Can the two of you be any cuter? I’m waiting for you to get out of the honeymoon phase so I can watch the lovely drama unfold of you hating each other.”
I stood and rolled my eyes before kissing Kamryn quickly.
“If I’m not mistaken,” Kamryn began, “you and Jace have been married for five years, and y’all are still in the honeymoon phase.”
Kinlee flipped her hair back and sighed dramatically. “Well, that’s just because we keep it exciting in the bedroom.”
I laughed and Kamryn started gagging. “Gross, Lee.”
“Kinlee told me she’s always telling you to join us, Kam! Even pregnant, I’ll let you join,” Jace said as he walked into the kitchen.
Straightening up, I glared at my younger brother.
“Oh, come on, Brody. You know I’m joking. It’s just what Lee says when she’s drunk.”
My glare didn’t waver, and his smile faltered as he moved to stand next to his wife.
“Still grossed out, losing appetite!” Kamryn gagged again. “Seems to be a recurring theme when it comes to y’all.”
“Pfft, whatever.” Kinlee bounced a few times on her toes and looked up at Jace with bright eyes. “Now?” she whispered.
Kamryn and I exchanged confused glances as she moved to rest against my chest. My hands automatically moved to caress her swollen stomach, and I smiled when I felt Tatum moving.
Jace nodded twice and bent down to kiss Kinlee’s forehead. When he was standing upright, I saw a look I’d never seen on my brother before, but just seeing the way his eyes and smile lit up had me anxious to know what was happening.
“Okay, so, we’re going to be telling everyone at dinner tonight, but we wanted you two to come a little early so we could tell just the two of you first, since you’re not only our family but our best friends,” Kinlee choked out as a few tears slipped down her cheeks, and for whatever reason, Kamryn was already crying too.
Pregnant women. So confusing.
“Well,” Kinlee said, drawing the word out and glancing up at Jace one more time, “we got the call yesterday, and we’re going to be adopting a baby boy in three months!” she cried out and began jumping up and down.
“Oh my God! Are you serious?” Kamryn grabbed at one of my hands, and the other went to her chest as she watched her best friend. And when Kinlee nodded, she moved to pull her into a hug. “Oh my God! I don’t know what else to say except, oh my God!”
Kinlee choked out a laugh. “I know! And you know what this means! We get to be moms together!”
The girls screamed and began talking excitedly, and I tore my eyes from my wife and sister-in-law to look at my little brother. His eyes were bright, and with a choked sob, the tears began falling down his face.
Grabbing his shoulder, I pulled him in to hug him and watched as he wiped at his cheeks when we parted. Squeezing his shoulder once, I smiled and tried to control my own emotions. “I’m really happy for you, man. I know this is something you’ve been wanting for a long time now.”
He just nodded hard and laughed when my very pregnant wife squeezed between us to hug him. I moved around them and grabbed Kinlee up in a bear hug, squeezing her tighter when her soft cries turned into sobs.
“You’re going to be a great mom, Lee. You and Jace deserve this, and you’ll be the best parents. Okay?” She nodded, and I kissed the top of her head. “Love you, Lee.”
“Love you too, you big jerk,” she said with a laugh and punched my arm.
She moved into Jace’s arms, and he pulled her back a few feet as she tried to control her crying, and I wrapped my arms around Kamryn, bringing her back against my chest.
“What are you thinking?” I asked when I caught her staring up at me.
“That everything’s perfect. And how so long ago, I didn’t know how we would ever make it through the beginning. So many things seemed too hard to get past. Hiding our relationship, hiding from my family, trying to get your divorce finalized . . .” She drifted off. “I remember thinking that someday we would be done with all of that, and we would finally get to just live.” Shrugging, she smiled up at me and placed my hands on her stomach. “I just realized we are.”
Leaning down, I pressed my mouth against hers and whispered against her lips. “We’re living our forever, Kamryn.”