Beautiful Dreams (The Beautiful Series) (36 page)

“Steamy?” he asked with humor while bringing my body closer to his.

“Very steamy,” I answered with a nod.

“I
love
steamy,” he said, unveiling a gorgeous smirk.

“Me, too,” I agreed without any doubt in my mind.

I had a feeling his thoughts mirrored mine. I wanted to stay out here forever, but it was time to start heading back to the house. I repositioned myself behind him once more.

His hands came to rest on my legs as he tilted his head back at me. “With your hands wrapped around my waist and you pressing your thighs around me like that,” he said, shaking his head, “I might never let you ride your own four-wheeler again.”

I loved holding his body against me, too, but if I admitted that right now, he would probably find a new home for my four-wheeler.

“In your dreams, buddy. Now, let’s ride.” I laughed.

With that, he took off in the direction from where we had come. He made a quick detour, so he could show me his nearest neighbor’s house, which was not that close at all. In fact, it was at least fifteen or twenty miles away. I loved all the wide-open spaces of fields. I planned to spend a lot of time exploring the area in the future.

We strolled in the door, and I made us a late lunch since it was nearly half past two. My thighs felt like Jell-O from squeezing them against Kyle so hard, but I had a wonderful time riding together. It was a nice change of pace to be able to really take in the scenery instead of focusing on driving. I would definitely do it again.

After lunch, I baked a ham in the oven for dinner later, knowing it took a while to cook. Thankfully, Kyle had a double oven, so I made him a chocolate cake, too. A birthday was simply not one without a cake. I even layered a thick coating of milk chocolate frosting on top.

Kyle put in
Fast and Furious 6
, and we nestled together on the couch. We had both watched it before, but I would never tire of seeing great actors and hot cars combined on one screen. The series was one of my all-time favorites. I even made Kyle pause it while I took the cake out of the oven when it was done baking.

After the movie, we finished cooking dinner, side by side, while making small talk about Kyle’s upcoming work. I was amazed at how many projects he had going on at one time. He said that Abbey was the one who kept him on track.

Once we finished eating, Kyle walked over to the couch and sat back. I could tell he was ready to settle in for the evening and just relax. I strode into the bedroom and pulled his last gift out from the bottom of the closet.

As I made my way back into the living room, Kyle’s eyes caught on to the small wrapped box.

“Another one?” He smiled.

“Yep, last one.” I beamed with excitement as I took my seat next to him and handed it to him.

His eyes shined brightly at the package as he pulled back the wrapper. He opened the small box, revealing the silver Rolex that had caught my attention at the jewelry store yesterday. I had no idea if he even liked watches since I had never seen him wear one before.

“Since you always dress up for work, I thought that you might like a watch,” I said anxiously.

His eyes lifted to meet mine, and they were glowing fondly. “Thank you, Lily,” he said, pulling the watch out of its packaging. He bent forward to kiss me tenderly. “Mine actually broke last spring, and I never replaced it.”

I let out a deep breath that I didn’t realize I had been holding. I wasn’t sure why I was so worked up over him liking his last gift. “I’m happy you like it.”

“I do,” he said reassuringly while slipping it over his wrist.

I lifted my hands to close the clasp. “Here, let me help you.”

His eyes noticed his initials,
KM
, inscribed on one of the lower links. “You had this engraved, too?”

I nodded shyly. “Yes.”

“It’s perfect, Lily,” he said, bending down to kiss me. Then, he drew back, his eyes looking straight into mine. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” I breathed.

After a moment of silence, he placed my hand in his and affectionately caressed the top. “Are you sure you don’t have another surprise for me, beautiful?” He paused, searching the depths of my eyes.

“Huh?” I racked my mind as I counted the presents I had given him. I was pretty sure that I’d stuffed them all in the same spot unless I’d overlooked one.

“I don’t think you’re catching my meaning,” he said with love and a hint of humor. “Let me rephrase. You’ve been sick for the past four days…at only certain times of the day…with no fever. On Thursday night, you threw up as soon as you smelled milk…and on Friday, you had to lie on the bed to get your skirt on,” he added in a quiet tone.

My eyes were bulging so wide that it was painful. I had to force my brain to make my lungs drag in deep pulls of air and then release it as I caught on to his suggestion.
Could I be…

Kyle’s chuckle was low and deep.

He’s laughing? Right now?

“By your loss of words, I take it that you understand my meaning this time?”

My mind swarmed with nervousness, and my fingers felt tingly. “You think I’m…” I murmured, my thoughts running rampant.

Part of me was overwhelmingly excited by the thought while the other was still processing this very new idea of expanding our family so soon. My hands came to my stomach, cupping it, while I wondered if I could be…

“Pregnant?” I finally finished, reeling as I let the possibility sink in.
Oh my…how could I have ignored so many signs?

Kyle leaned forward, steadying me, and then he gently pulled me into his arms to sit on his lap. He lifted his thumb and forefinger to cup my jaw, bringing my gaze to meet his. “Lily…” he said in a sweet, gentle tone. His eyes burned with sincerity. “Whatever it is, it’s going to be alright.”

“I know,” I said honestly, “but I never expected it to happen so fast.”

He lowered his head and kissed me tenderly before drawing back. “Me neither, but this anticipation of not knowing for sure is going to drive me mad.” He hesitated. “How about we go to the closest store, so we can buy one of those tests?” he asked in an upbeat tone.

I blinked up at him. “And break our first Sharpie Weekend?”

Kyle grinned, stroking my chin. “I think we can make an exception.”

I smiled up at him, overwhelmed with emotions coursing through me. Yet, I was happy that he wasn’t freaking out. “Okay,” I breathed.

After the longest car trip of my life, which was actually only six miles round-trip, we arrived back at the house. If the feeling of possibly carrying a baby wasn’t surprising enough, choosing between eight brands of pregnancy tests surely had been.

I exited the car, still completely in shock. My subconscious was poking at me, telling me that I already knew the answer.

Nausea on and off—check.

Tired—check.

Sensitive to smells—check.

Skirt feeling snug—check.

No idea when my last period was—check!

I could not recall ever missing my pill. I took it like clockwork, but with my chaotic schedule and moving, I had not paid much attention to my periods.

Kyle placed his hand on the small of my back, stifling his humor, as I stood in the garage.

“Come on, beautiful, inside you go.” With the bag in his hand, he gestured me in the direction of the back door leading to the mudroom.

I walked straight into the house and through the kitchen. I paused at the living room threshold, and Kyle stopped at my side.

“Do you want me to wait out here?” he asked quietly.

I shook my head, turning to stare at him. “Aren’t we supposed to wait till morning? I think they are more effective earlier in the day,” I rambled.

“I don’t think I can wait that long, Lily,” he said, pulling me into his embrace.

I felt myself relax with his strong arms around me. I was not sure why I was so taken aback. The thought of having a baby made me smile. I guessed it was the unplanned part that had my mind in a daze. I was also a tad embarrassed that Kyle had caught on before me.

“I think we’ll both sleep better if we know tonight,” he added.

“Okay, I think you’re right.” I smiled softly.

Side by side, we walked into the bathroom. I reached for the bag, pulled out the box, opened it, and read the back label.

Pee on the stick and wait three minutes. That sounds easy, right?

I ambled over to the toilet and then looked back at Kyle. He was leaning against the sink with one leg kicked out in front of him, and his arms were crossed over his broad chest. Even now, while I was in a complete state of shock, he stood there, strong and utterly supportive. I was reassured for the millionth time that I could not have picked a better man to fall in love with.

Except…he was apparently rooted in his spot with no intentions of moving.

Is he seriously going to stand there and watch?

My cheeks flushed slightly. “Uh…I don’t think I can pee with you in here,” I admitted shyly while lingering in front of the toilet.

Kyle chuckled, shaking his head. “I want to be here,” he countered.

“You watching me pee…is too weird.” I chortled anxiously, fiddling with my hands nervously.

“Fine.” He laughed. “But I’m coming back”—he glanced at his new watch and then smirked at me—“in sixty seconds, so you better pee quickly.”

He reemerged at what I was pretty sure was
not
a full minute. I inwardly rolled my eyes while washing and drying my hands. I was thankful that I had already finished. Kyle closed the distance between us, and he led me toward the Jacuzzi ledge. He sat down and pulled me onto his lap.

Two minutes…

One minute…

Thirty seconds…

Ten…

Long…

Seconds…

And then our answer flashed on the screen.

PREGNANT

HOLY SHIT!

“We…” Kyle broke off, sounding stunned. “We are going to have…”

“A baby,” I whispered, finishing his sentence.

Kyle pivoted me, so I was sitting with one leg on either side of his waist. Our eyes became transfixed on one another.

“A baby,” he breathed.

His eyes were glowing so brightly while my heart warmed in my chest. All I could do was nod in agreement. A loving smile spread across my face, and his expression mirrored my own.

“I can’t believe it,” he breathed. His eyes glistened before he blinked, and then his gaze bore deeply into mine. “Everything I’ve ever wanted is right here in front of me.”

His words left me speechless, and I felt the same way, too. He was my world. I loved him more than anything. Nothing would ever have the power to change that.