Page 105 of Within Striking Distance

“A baby?” I choke out. “When? How?”

She winces, pressing her palm to her forehead. “I guess the food poisoning two months ago messed with my birth control.”

“What’s going on?” Tinsley demands.

“We’re having a baby,” I murmur the words, but it’s more to myself than to her.

“Really?” she shrieks, jumping to her feet and doing a happy dance when her mum nods.

I drag a hand through my hair, a grin spreading across my face. “We’re having a baby,” I repeat, louder now, the words finally sinking in.

Juliet stares at me, a look of uncertainty on her face. “Are you okay with this?”

Bolting off the couch, I cross the space between us in two strides and pull her into my arms. She melts into my embrace, burying her head in my chest as her hands slide around my neck.

“Okay with this? Pixie, I’ve never been more okay with anything.”

“The wedding?—”

“Forget about the wedding,” I say, tilting her chin up to meet my gaze. “We’ll push it back if we have to. Or we can bring it forward. Whatever you want to do. Right now, I’m focussed on the fact that I’m going to be a dad.”

Her eyes fill, but she’s smiling now. “You already are,” she says, nodding at the little girl dancing around the living room, chanting, “I’m going to be a big sister.”

I brush my thumb across her cheek. “Thank you for giving me the best family a man could wish for.”

She pulls me in for a kiss. “Thank you for choosing us.”