Conviction (Consolation Duet #2)(70)

I’ve had a few sparingly, but nothing like the last time. I’ve been taking it easy and trying to stay off my feet. Of course, Aarabelle doesn’t fully get that, so Paige has been brought on as a full-time nanny for a work-from-home mom. She helps with so much more than I could expect, and she’s very attached to Aara.

“No, Dad. I’ve been good. I promise I’ll be careful.”

“There’s my wife!” Mark comes in with his booming voice. “How’s our sparkly baby coming along?”

“You’re so dumb.” I laugh and hit his arm.

“Hands off my woman, Twilight,” Liam warns with a hint of playfulness in his voice.

“Or what?”

“I’ll kick your ass.”

“Bring it. I’m twice your age and twice your size.” He winks at me and taunts Liam. “When the doctors told us the great news, we were thrilled . . . then we realized we’d have to tell you.”

“Oh, for the love of God.” I push Mark, and they both burst out laughing.

“Did you see her face?” Mark says between guffaws.

“Dude, we had her good.”

“Assholes,” I mutter and walk away.

Quinn arrives late as usual, and we all grab seats and catch up. This is more like a barbeque than anything else. Aarabelle is, of course, on Liam’s lap most of the day and occasionally she and Jackson play a little. Knowing how Jackson also lost a child breaks my heart. His daughter or son would’ve been almost four I think. He will really be such an amazing dad one day.

Aidan and I spend a good amount of time talking. He’s already head over heels in love with Aarabelle. She delivers him toys as she shares her half-eaten cookies. He never blinks an eye, just takes a bite and asks if he can have her call him Seanathair, which means “grandfather” in Gaelic.

Of course, this will take a long time to teach her, but it means a lot to him. It also will help cause less confusion for the new baby as well. It gives the men the same name for both children.

“Okay, I’m going to eat the damn cake myself if we don’t get to it now,” Liam says and claps his hands.

Everyone laughs as Reanell glares at him. “One call and I’ll have your ass back on a plane,” she toys with him.

“That is, of course, if Commander’s wife says it’s okay to cut the cake.”

We all laugh at Liam’s quick rephrasing, and Rea smiles.

“Let’s go find out what the bun in the oven is.”

We head over to the table where there are two small egg shaped cakes. Both white, and once we cut them open, we’ll know.

“Okay, the way this works is only one of you cuts the cake and the other announces the sex,” Rea explains.

“Why are there two?” I ask.

“Maybe there are two babies,” she jokes. Or at least she better be joking.

“Not even funny.”

Rea smiles, “I got two because the one wouldn’t feed this herd. Let’s be real here, Mark could eat that cake on his own.”

Mark scoffs, “I’m not the one named Muffin Top. Let us not forget who’s the fat kid with the cake here.”

“Funny,” Jackson replies, and we all bust out laughing.

“Liam, why don’t you cut the egg, and Lee can let us know what it is!” She bounces with excitement.

Liam’s eyes focus on the cake as he grabs the knife. He places it down, my eyes look to him in confusion before hands grip my face, and he presses his lips to mine. You can hear the group laugh and make teasing noises, but all I focus on is him.

He pulls back and stares for a beat. “I love you and right now . . . I’m just happy.”

“Me too. You make me this way.”

We both smile at each other and Liam starts to look around the room. “Aara?” he calls out.

Within seconds, she’s running across the room toward us.

“There you are. Wanna see if you’re going to have a sister or brother?” She starts to reach for the cake. “Or better let’s have some cake.”

Liam inclines, and I think he’s going for the knife instead he sticks Aarabelle’s hand in the cake.

“Liam!” I start to complain, but then when her hand comes out, we both just look at each other and smile.





“A boy?” Liam and I both start laughing. Which only increases as Aarabelle presses her now blue hand on Liam’s face.

“Well,” his eyes shine bright. “We were both wrong.”

“It’s going to be a boy!” I yell out as everyone claps.

Aarabelle goes back for more of the cake, which is now everywhere. Liam’s face is covered in frosting and cake. He dips his finger down while I warn him with my eyes.

“Don’t do it.”

“But we should match.”

“Liam Dempsey, you do it, and so help you God . . .”

“You wouldn’t want to make me blue.”

“Something else is going to be blue.”

Liam leans forward and lifts Aara between us and she gets me straight on the nose. Her hands glide down my face as she smears it everywhere. We all laugh, and I can’t help but feel as if the sun is shining down upon us.

We clean up and everyone comes over to talk to us. Liam reaches around and grabs my hand. Sometimes out of nowhere he’ll do this. It’s as if he needs to ground himself and I’m that for him. I love that through our touch he can feel like home.