Until the End (Sea Breeze #9)(81)

She shook her head. “No. I have two colors and some extensions to do today. I’m good. I’ll be fine.”

I dropped the cloth in the laundry basket and took her over to the sink with my arm still around her. “You just threw up, babe. You’re not fine. Go ahead and brush your teeth. Then you can go back to bed. I’ll put a trash can beside the bed. Once I get Micah to school, I’ll let them know I can’t come in today and I’ll be here.”

Sienna had a superwoman syndrome. Being a single mom so young and having no one to help her, she had learned to make it through shit like this alone. I was learning I had to force my hand with her. She would try to keep going when she had a fever. Once the crazy woman had tried to go back to work the day after she’d had her wisdom teeth taken out. No one does that.

“Seriously. I am fine. I . . . I’m good.”

“You are contagious. If you go to work, you’ll get all those people sick. They’d rather not get their hair done today than get your stomach virus. I promise.”

The only way to deal with her was to point out how her decision affected others. She cared about everyone else. She just thought she could fight through anything.

“I’m not,” she argued.

I put the toothpaste on her brush, then handed it to her. “Get the nasty taste out of your mouth. I’ll go buy you a new toothbrush today.” I was done arguing with her.

She took it obediently and brushed her teeth. I filled a cup of water and handed it to her so she could rinse. While she brushed, she kept looking up at me nervously.

Once she was done, she set the glass down. “I’m going to work,” she repeated. “I am fine. It was a . . . I’m not sick. I’m fine now.”

Ignoring her, I put my hand on her back and gently nudged her toward the bedroom. “I had Micah pack his lunchbox last night. It’s ready to go and in the fridge. We got this. Go to bed.”

When we got to the bed, she spun around and titled her head back so she could look me in the eyes. “Dewayne. I’m not sick. . . . I’m pregnant.”

I stood there.

I didn’t have words.

I wasn’t sure if I was actually awake yet.

Sienna was waiting on me to speak. I needed to.

Me not saying anything was going to worry her.

I forced myself to breathe, then managed to form words. “Pregnant?”

She nodded and gave me a nervous smile. “I was late. I took a test last week. I actually took four tests. I am for sure pregnant. I have a doctor’s appointment next week. I thought I would wait until then to tell you. But just like with Micah, I got sick early. I get sick in the mornings. And then only when I smell certain things. Today it was coffee. Tomorrow it may be pancakes. I never know.”

She was pregnant. With my baby. We were going to have a baby. “A baby,” I said, not knowing what else to say.

We had Micah, my nephew, but I hadn’t been there for him when he was a baby. I had missed those years. We all had. My parents. My brother. Me. But now . . . we were going to have a baby.

Emotion clenched my chest, and I felt my throat get tight. Reaching for Sienna, I pulled her to my chest and held on. My heart was beating so damn hard I was afraid it would break free if I didn’t calm down.

But a baby!

Holy hell! I was going to have a baby.

“Does this mean you’re happy about it? I know we aren’t married yet, and we have been planning the wedding and stuff.”

Was I happy about it? Was she crazy? I couldn’t believe she had to ask me that.

“Babe, I’ve not been happier in my life,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. I tucked his face into the curve of her neck and held on.

“We’re gonna have a baby,” I repeated in awe.

Sienna laughed and cupped the back of my head with her hands. “Yeah. We are.”

“Who’s having a baby? Us?” Micah’s sleepy voice asked, and we both jerked. I turned around to see Micah in his Miami Heat pajamas. His hair was sticking up all over, and he was squinting at us like he hadn’t been able to open his eyes fully yet.

Sienna moved around me fast and went to him. She bent down and kissed his cheek. “Good morning, handsome.”

He put his little arms around her and hugged her. “Are we having a baby? Is one in your tummy?” he asked again, his eyes more alert now as he looked at his mother.

This was one of those moments when I had no answer. I wasn’t sure how Micah would take this news. I wanted him to be as excited as I was.

Sienna grabbed his little hands in hers and gave him that smile that was full of love and reassurance. “Yes. We’re going to have a baby. You’ll get to be a big brother. Do you like that idea?”

Micah’s eyes went round. “For real? Can it be a boy? I want to teach him to play basketball, and then he can play in my room.”

Sienna chuckled. “We don’t know what it will be. We don’t get to pick that. If we did, I’d pick a little boy just like you because I love you so much. But whatever we get, we will love it.”

Micah thought about that for a minute, and then he frowned. “Will this baby call you Dad?” he asked me, this time looking thoughtful.

I needed Sienna to bail me out here. I wasn’t sure answering yes to this was what he needed right now. Or if we were supposed to ease him into the fact.