“Yeah. I am. I know you love me and I know you will take care of us. I finally admitted to myself with Dr. Roswell that I need you. I love you and I need you.” I cupped one side of his face with my hand. “Let’s do it.”

I got one of those spectacular and rare Ethan smiles that made it all worth it. I did indeed love making this man happy. It filled something in me, made me feel warm inside.

“We need to tell our parents and families. How do you want to break the news?” he asked softly.

“Hmmm . . . good point.” I looked at the bedside clock reading one o’clock in the morning. “How about now?” I said.

“Now?” He looked unsure for a moment before he figured it out. “You want to tell your dad first.” I could tell he was doing mental calculations. “It’s five o’clock on a Friday, do you think you can get ahold of him?”

“I’m pretty sure I can. Get dressed.”

“Huh?”

I slipped out of bed and started pulling on yoga pants and a T-shirt. “I want to Skype him and tell him that way.” I smirked, feeling pleased with my idea. “I doubt he’d appreciate hearing he’s going to be a grandfather with you naked on Skype looking like you do right now,” I said with a long, measured look over his bare, muscled skin, “so get dressed, please. I can guarantee he’ll want to talk to you once I tell him what you’ve done to me.”

 “Princess, you look so pretty. I love seeing your face on here. To what do I owe this honor, and what in the hell are you doing up at one a.m.?”

I grinned at my dad and actually got butterflies in my stomach at the prospect of telling him our news. Somehow I knew he would be happy for me. He’d never judged me in the past, and he wouldn’t now. “God, I miss you. I would give anything to have you right in front of me for this, Daddy.” My handsome dad had a pool towel around his neck and wet hair.

“I just did forty laps, and it felt great. My weekend is off to a good start. The weather’s been so nice for the pool. Wish you were here to enjoy it with me.”

“Me too. Are you taking your blood-pressure pills like you’re supposed to?”

“Of course I am. I’m in great shape for an old codger.”

“Oh, please, you’re about the furthest you can get from being a codger, Dad. When I imagine an old guy, you’re definitely not it. I even got a message from Jess on Facebook telling me how she sees you at the gym and how adorable you are. You must have to scrape the ladies off you when you work out.”

He laughed and brushed my comment away. I always wondered about that part of his life. He never talked about dates or women, so I really didn’t know much. He had to get lonely sometimes. Humans weren’t meant to be alone. I wished he could find someone who made him happy.

“Jess is a sweet girl. We talk mostly about you, Brynnie. You didn’t answer my question either. Why are you up so late?”

“Well, Ethan and I have something important to say and I didn’t want another moment go by before talking to you.”

“Okay . . . you’re smiling, so I think this must be happy news?” He lifted his chin and looked a little too smug. My confidence faltered just a little, until I felt Ethan come up behind me and sit down. He put his hands on my shoulders and leaned forward so my dad could see him in the monitor. “Hey, Ethan, so you’re going to make an honest woman of my daughter? Is that what this big announcement is all about?”

“Ahhh . . . well—um . . . we wanted to tell you a few things. actually, Tom.”

“Well, I’m dying to hear it,” Dad said, obviously loving that he had Ethan squirming on Skype, a monstrous grin on his handsome face. God, I hoped he was happy once he heard the words.

I went for it. A big ole fat belly flop into the deep end of the metaphorical swimming pool that was my life.

“Daddy, you’re going to be a grandpa.”

I felt Ethan’s fingers grip my shoulders a little harder , and watched the big grin on my dad’s face morph into a look of complete shock.

14

I pulled up to the redbrick house where I’d grown up in Hampstead and parked on the street.

“This is my dad’s house.”

“It’s lovely, Ethan. An elegant English home, just like I imagined it. The yard is beautiful.”

“Dad likes to keep his hands dirty with it.”

“I’ve always admired people with a green thumb. I’d like to have a garden someday but I don’t know much about plants. I’d have so much to learn,” she said wistfully from inside the car. “Do you feel good when you come here? Does it still feel like home to you?” She sounded a little homesick to me.

“Well, yeah, it does. It’s the only one I ever had until I bought mine. And I know my dad would be happy to teach you anything. My mother’s garden is in the back of the house. I really want you to see that.” I swept my eyes over Brynne, looking beautiful as usual in a flowery dress and some purple boots. God, I loved when she wore her boots. The clothes could go but the boots could stay . . . any time. “Are you nervous?”

She nodded. “I am . . . very.”

“There’s no need, baby. Everyone loves you and thinks you are the best thing to ever happen to me.” I gave her a slow kiss on the lips, tasting her sweetness before we had to go out in public, and my constant need to have my hands on her would have to be curbed for the next hours. It sucks to be me, then. “Which you are,” I added.

“Oh, come on; I remember how my dad interrogated you . . . and how your voice cracked.” She giggled. “The look on his face was priceless, wasn’t it?”

“Ahh, I guess so. I don’t really remember his face. All I could think about was how grateful I was to have thousands of miles between us, you know, to save my c**k from being twisted off.”

“You poor thing,” she laughed, holding her hand over her stomach.

“Are you feeling well? How’s our raspberry behaving this evening?”

Brynne reached up to hold my cheek. “Little raspberry is cooperating so far, but I never know what will set me off. Nighttime is my nemesis for some reason. Just gonna take it slow.”

“You look so beautiful tonight. Dad is going to be thrilled.” I picked up her hand and kissed it on the palm, then pressed it back over her stomach.