exactly did that happen?”
Crawling up the bed to lie next to her, Joe said, “Every time you nursed P.J. and sang lullabies to him. Every time you bathed him and giggled at the way he splashed you until you were wetter than he was. Every time you jumped out of bed when he made the littlest sound. When you walked around the house with him attached to you in that scarf thing and then when you danced until he laughed. You seduce me when you fall into bed, dead on your feet but glowing with joy after the day you’ve spent with our son.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks, and her lips quivered. “That’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever said.”
“Then why’re you crying again?”
“Because! I’m pregnant, so everything makes me cry, especially when you’re sweet to me, so cut that out.” She snuggled P.J. into the crook of her neck, rocking him so naturally that Joe wondered if she realized she was doing it. “Are you scared?”
“Terrified. But that’s not all I am. I’m also a little excited at the thought of another P.J.” He was trying not to think about the nine terrifying months that would precede the arrival of the new baby. “What’re you thinking?”
“I have no idea. Mostly I’m shocked that this could’ve happened again without me knowing it. Let me tell you this, mister—if we are pregnant, after this, you’re getting that thing snipped.”
“That thing ? Did you just refer to the part of me you love best as a thing ?” Despite the insult to his manhood, he was relieved that she’d stopped sobbing.
“That’s not the part of you I love best.”
“That’s not what you said the other night when you were all like, ‘ More , Joe, give me more .’”
Her face turned bright red. “I never said that.”
“Do I need to start recording these encounters?”
“If you do, I’ll kill you.”
“You won’t kill me. You like my thing too much to kill me.”
“I’m mad at your thing right now. He and I are in a huge fight.”
Snorting with laughter, Joe said, “It’s not his fault that your eggs are so welcoming .”
She let out a low moan. “ Joe . How can we be joking about this after what happened when P.J. was born?”
He took hold of her hand, linking their fingers and gazing into big blue eyes gone liquid with emotion and fear. “Because we’re not thinking about that day right now. We’re thinking about the possibility of another miracle like P.J., and we’ll stay focused on that until after the holidays, when we can go see specialists on the mainland who’ll tell us exactly what we’re going to do to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
Nodding, she said, “Yes, that’s what we’re going to do. And then you’re getting that thing snipped.”
Laughing, Joe gathered her into his embrace, vowing to do whatever it took to ensure that everything would be different this time. He would do anything in his power to keep her—and their baby—safe from harm.
“Is she down for the count?” Mac asked when Maddie came into their bedroom later that afternoon.
“Out like a light.”
“Thank God for naptime.”
She stretched out on the bed, where he’d been reading while she put Hailey down for a nap. Thomas had spent the previous night at Tiffany’s house, and they’d see him later at the party.
“Hailey was cranky today.”
“Teeth,” Maddie said. “The last time we saw David, he made a comment that if any of us remembered getting teeth, we’d be traumatized for life.”
“Poor baby.”
“I remember going through this stage with Thomas by myself and wondering if either of us would survive it.”
“It makes me sad to have missed that with him.”
She turned toward him and smiled. “You won’t miss much with him.”
Mac put his e-reader on the bedside table and turned on his side to face her. “Whatever shall we do with a couple of hours to ourselves on a snowy afternoon?”
“Nap,” she said, sighing as her eyes
Crawling up the bed to lie next to her, Joe said, “Every time you nursed P.J. and sang lullabies to him. Every time you bathed him and giggled at the way he splashed you until you were wetter than he was. Every time you jumped out of bed when he made the littlest sound. When you walked around the house with him attached to you in that scarf thing and then when you danced until he laughed. You seduce me when you fall into bed, dead on your feet but glowing with joy after the day you’ve spent with our son.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks, and her lips quivered. “That’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever said.”
“Then why’re you crying again?”
“Because! I’m pregnant, so everything makes me cry, especially when you’re sweet to me, so cut that out.” She snuggled P.J. into the crook of her neck, rocking him so naturally that Joe wondered if she realized she was doing it. “Are you scared?”
“Terrified. But that’s not all I am. I’m also a little excited at the thought of another P.J.” He was trying not to think about the nine terrifying months that would precede the arrival of the new baby. “What’re you thinking?”
“I have no idea. Mostly I’m shocked that this could’ve happened again without me knowing it. Let me tell you this, mister—if we are pregnant, after this, you’re getting that thing snipped.”
“That thing ? Did you just refer to the part of me you love best as a thing ?” Despite the insult to his manhood, he was relieved that she’d stopped sobbing.
“That’s not the part of you I love best.”
“That’s not what you said the other night when you were all like, ‘ More , Joe, give me more .’”
Her face turned bright red. “I never said that.”
“Do I need to start recording these encounters?”
“If you do, I’ll kill you.”
“You won’t kill me. You like my thing too much to kill me.”
“I’m mad at your thing right now. He and I are in a huge fight.”
Snorting with laughter, Joe said, “It’s not his fault that your eggs are so welcoming .”
She let out a low moan. “ Joe . How can we be joking about this after what happened when P.J. was born?”
He took hold of her hand, linking their fingers and gazing into big blue eyes gone liquid with emotion and fear. “Because we’re not thinking about that day right now. We’re thinking about the possibility of another miracle like P.J., and we’ll stay focused on that until after the holidays, when we can go see specialists on the mainland who’ll tell us exactly what we’re going to do to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
Nodding, she said, “Yes, that’s what we’re going to do. And then you’re getting that thing snipped.”
Laughing, Joe gathered her into his embrace, vowing to do whatever it took to ensure that everything would be different this time. He would do anything in his power to keep her—and their baby—safe from harm.
“Is she down for the count?” Mac asked when Maddie came into their bedroom later that afternoon.
“Out like a light.”
“Thank God for naptime.”
She stretched out on the bed, where he’d been reading while she put Hailey down for a nap. Thomas had spent the previous night at Tiffany’s house, and they’d see him later at the party.
“Hailey was cranky today.”
“Teeth,” Maddie said. “The last time we saw David, he made a comment that if any of us remembered getting teeth, we’d be traumatized for life.”
“Poor baby.”
“I remember going through this stage with Thomas by myself and wondering if either of us would survive it.”
“It makes me sad to have missed that with him.”
She turned toward him and smiled. “You won’t miss much with him.”
Mac put his e-reader on the bedside table and turned on his side to face her. “Whatever shall we do with a couple of hours to ourselves on a snowy afternoon?”
“Nap,” she said, sighing as her eyes
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