Page 168 of The Illusion
"At what? Bedtime negotiations?"
"At being parents. At being a team. At all of it."
I smile and kiss him softly. "We are pretty good at it."
"Pretty good? We're amazing."
"Okay, we're amazing."
He grins and kisses me again, deeper this time, and I feel the familiar warmth spread through me. We make love slowly, tenderly, the way we always do when we have the time and space to just be together. And when we're finished, lying tangled up in each other, I know it's time.
"Ryan," I say softly.
"Hmm?"
"I need to tell you something."
He props himself up on one elbow, his expression shifting to concern. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong. It's just that we're going to need to get our newborn game on again."
He stares at me for a moment, his brain clearly trying to process what I just said. And then it clicks.
"Wait. Are you?—"
"I'm pregnant."
His eyes go wide, and for a second, he doesn't move. Doesn't speak. Just stares at me like I've just told him we won the lottery.
And then he laughs. A loud, joyful, disbelieving laugh that makes my heart swell. "Are you serious?" he asks, his voice cracking.
"I'm serious."
"Yep. We're having another baby."
He pulls me into his arms, holding me so tight I can barely breathe, and I feel his whole body shaking with emotion. "Oh my God," he whispers. "Oh my God, Julie. This is—this is incredible."
"You're happy?"
He pulls back just enough to look at me, and there are tears in his eyes. "Happy? I'm over the moon. I'm—I don't even have words. I'm just—" He kisses me, hard and desperate and full of love. "I love you so much. I love you and Rory and this baby and this life we've built. I love all of it."
I'm crying now too, and I laugh through the tears. "I love you too."
"Another baby," he says, his voice full of wonder. "Rory’s going to be a big sister."
"She is."
"She's going to be so bossy."
"She's going to be amazing."
He grins, and I can see the future written all over his face. The sleepless nights. The chaos. The laughter. The love. "We're doing this again," he says.
"We're doing this again."
"I can't wait."
EPILOGUE THREE
