Flynn bends over to place his lips to my belly, a soft, discreet press of his lips over my bridesmaid dress, before standing back up to pull me into a tight hug.
“When do you think we should tell everyone?” I ask when I see that his mom and Winnie and his brothers and Uncle Brad and Aunt Paula have now made a circle around Jude and Sophie on the dance floor.
“Let’s handle it like our wedding.”
I tilt my head to the side. “What do you mean?”
“My family is fucking crazy. We’ll tell them after the baby is born.”
Laughter bursts from my lungs. “Pretty sure they’re going to know before the baby is born, you know, with the whole, this belly of mine is going to get much bigger thing. Probably, like, scary bigger.”
“I can’t fucking wait.” He rubs my belly again, and we both look toward the center of the dance floor to find a giggling Sophie sitting in a chair and Jude striding up toward her with a big, sexy smile on his face.
Sophie’s sisters and a few of the other bridesmaids start to throw one-dollar bills toward the happy bride and groom, and Flynn smirks down at me.
“Just think, babe, all these crazy motherfuckers are your family now.”
I smile up at him. “They sure are.”
Talk about a dream come true.
Two months later…
Flynn
“I feel nervous.” Daisy flashes a shaky smile in my direction, and I reach out to take her in hand in mine.
“There’s nothing to be nervous about, babe.”
“I know.” Her free hand fidgets with the paper on the exam table. “It’s just that…I don’t know…I hope everything is okay with the baby.”
“It will be, Dais.”
She starts to open her mouth again, but when the door to the exam room opens, she quickly snaps it shut and watches as a woman in a white doctor’s coat walks inside.
“Good morning, Daisy. I’m Dr. Summers. How are you feeling today?”
“Do you want the real answer or the fake answer?”
The doctor grins. “The real answer, always.”
“Well, I’ve been better.” Daisy shrugs. “Morning sickness has been kicking my ass the past few weeks.”
She’s not joking. Every morning, like clockwork, I wake up to Daisy in the bathroom with her face in the toilet.
“I can imagine, Daisy, but I will tell you that, generally, once you’re well into the second trimester, those symptoms will start to dissipate.”
“I have everything crossed that’s the case,” Daisy answers and looks over at me. “I’m sure my husband feels the same. My morning puking now serves as his alarm clock.”
Dr. Summers laughs and meets my eyes. “And I take it you’re that husband?”
I nod and smile. I’m proud as hell to be Daisy’s husband, but that doesn’t mean I’m ready to get chatty with everyone now.
“Well, are you two ready to see your baby today?” the doctor asks as she puts two latex gloves over her hands.
“I think so.” Daisy flashes a nervous smile in my direction.
“Of course, we’re ready,” I reassure, but I glance over my shoulder to the door. “But we should have two more people who want to be here for the ultrasound. They should be arriving any minute.”
Daisy looks at me quizzically, but I don’t offer any explanation.
“I always say, the more, the merrier,” Dr. Summers comments and begins to set up her ultrasound equipment. “A baby is something to celebrate.”
“Flynn, who else—” Daisy starts to ask, but three knocks ringing against the door interrupt her midsentence.
Slowly, two heads peek inside.
“Did we make it in time, darling?”
Daisy’s jaw nearly hits her chest. “Gwen?”
“And Damien!” a jovial male voice exclaims as he steps into the room.
“What?” My wife’s smile is infectious, and she glances between Gwen, Damien, and me. “Did you do this?”
I shrug. “I might’ve had a part in it.”
“Had a part in it?” Gwen teases. “He was the mastermind behind it all.”
“Plus, there was no way Gwen and I were going to miss this for anything,” Damien chimes in. “It’s not every day that your best girl gets knocked up.”
Daisy snorts, but when more knocks sound against the door, she’s looking back at me.
“Flynn! How many people did you invite?”
“Technically, he didn’t invite us,” my sister Winnie answers as she steps inside the exam room. “But there was no way in hell we weren’t going to be here.”