Page 100 of Broken & Bound

That was my cue. I stood and packed my lunch-box up. “And on that note, I’m out. Love you, Tori.”

“Oh, I didn’t know you were there, Bella. You’ll be happy to know I’ve got things ready to go on my end.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’ve got the ultrasound pictures cued up and will be ready to put them on the screen tonight. I’m so excited,” Tori offered.

“Yeah, I think you, Kinsley, and Pasha are the only ones that feel that way. But thank you. I’ve got to get back. I have an appointment coming in fifteen minutes. And then two more after that.”

“You’ll rest in between, understand?”

Tori had taken to mother-henning me lately. She insisted I rest whenever possible, especially since the morning sickness still hadn’t gotten the memo that it was supposed to ease up by now.

Apparently, carrying twins meant my hormone levels were significantly higher than normal. Lucky me. While other women seemed to graduate from morning sickness, mine had simply evolved into an all-day commitment.

“I promise. I have a good hour between them.”

“Good. And Isabella?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you,” she said, her tone softening once more. “I can’t wait for the meeting to be a done deal so we can talk more openly about everything.”

My heart warmed at her words. A small smile spread across my face.

“I love you, too.”

I waved to Kinsley and headed toward my studio.

The hours passed quickly. Before I knew it, I was standing from my chair and stretching my arms over my head. My back protested immediately. Carrying two tiny humans was harder work than I’d originally anticipated.

I glanced at the clock. Thirty minutes until my last appointment. The studio was quiet. Which wasn’t unusual for a Tuesday afternoon. Most of the artists had already finished for the day, and the steady buzz of tattoo machines that normally filled the building had faded into silence.

The meeting still loomed large in the back of my mind. A few hours from now, everything would change. Pasha and I wouldn’t have to be careful any more. We could just be together. No more pretending. A smile tugged at my lips.

The thought of falling asleep beside him every night without worrying about who might find out made me warm all over. And my girls were right. What was Sebastian really going to do?

Throw a fit? Absolutely.

Threaten Pasha? Without question.

But, eventually, he’d see what everyone else already did. Pasha made me happy. He made me feel safe and loved. And better than that, he made me feel chosen. Seen.

Sebastian wouldn’t begrudge me that. He may just need some time to come around to the idea. Pasha was my soulmate.

The thought of him caused the familiar flutter in my stomach. Or maybe the sensation was Arianna and Anastacia. I still wasn’t completely settled on the names, but every time I thought of them, those were the two that came to mind.

My girls. I chuckled. The term now had dual meaning.

It still felt surreal. A month ago, I couldn’t imagine my life continuing down this path. Now I couldn’t imagine it any other way.

With a contented sigh, I headed toward the storage area. I needed to finish inventory and place an order before Diamond arrived. The shelves were lined with ink bottles, stencil paper, gloves, and cleaning products. All the mundane little things that kept the studio running.

I grabbed the stepladder from the corner and positioned it in front of the shelving unit before climbing carefully.

The protective instincts had become ridiculous lately. Everything revolved around protecting them. And I meant everything. How I sat. How I slept. What I ate. How fast I walked. Every decision somehow circled back to them.

My hand drifted briefly to my stomach. Sixteen weeks. My smile widened. Tonight, everyone would finally know.