“What?” He looked worried for a second. “Please do not tell me you’re already married.”
“No, goofy.” I laughed and he laughed back at me, stroking the hair away from my face. “I decided to apply to UCLA. I researched their History program and it’s great. I’m hoping to be able to transfer.”
“Are you sure?” His face was full of concern. “Don’t do that for me, Lucky, I’d be happy to go back to Miami with you so you can finish school there.”
“No.” I shook my head. “This is our home. I feel like this is my real home. I love it here. I don’t want to leave.”
“Then we will never leave, my love.” I felt Zane’s hand creep up to my breast and I pushed it away gently.
“I have something else to tell you, Zane.” I grabbed both of his hands and stared into his eyes. “I think we’re having a baby.”
“What?” His jaw dropped open and he looked at me in shock. “How?”
“Well, one day we had sex and we didn’t use a condom …” I started and giggled as he started to tickle me.
“I know how, you little …” His words drifted off as he kissed me and then he looked back up at me. “I thought you got your period.”
“You can still be pregnant when you have your period. Plus remember that day in the field in Paris?”
“Oh yeah,” he grinned.
“And the day at the beach.”
“Oh, yeah.” This time he licked his lips.
“We haven’t exactly been the poster children for safe sex.” I shook my head and we both made faces at each other.
“I guess that is what the puke was doing on the couch downstairs?” Zane made a face and I smacked my mouth across my face. “Oh shit, I forgot. Sorry. Let me go and wipe it up.” I tried to get off the bed and he held me down. “Don’t worry about it, Lucky. I’ll go clean it up later.” I smiled up at his caring face and felt so special to be loved by this man.
“So when will we know?” He looked serious all of a sudden. “We have to get a doctor’s appointment so we can check and find out for real this time. What makes you think that …” All of a sudden his eyes popped open. “Oh shit, you’ve had morning sickness, haven’t you?”
“I think so.” I nodded my head.
“And that would explain why you have been eating so many pickles.” He shook his head and laughed. “I thought you were trying to turn me on.”
“What?” I laughed. “With a pickle?”
“Well, you know.” He paused. “It’s the way you eat it, all nibble, nibble and then gulp, gulp. It makes me think things.”
“You’re disgusting, you know that?” I wrapped my hand around his waist and pulled him closer to me. “But that’s why I love you.”
“You love me because I’m disgusting?” His hand found its way to my breast again and this time I didn’t push it away.
“I love you because you look and act like this big macho guy, but you’re really a big ol’ softie inside.”
“I am?”
“Well, maybe just a big old goof.”
“I love you because you’re the most beautiful woman in the world.”
“I bet you say that to all the girls.”
“There are no other girls. For me, there is only you.”
“Unless we have a daughter,” I spoke softly and he looked at me with shocked eyes.
“I never thought about that. We may have a daughter. I may be a dad.”
“Are you okay with that?”
“I’ll be the happiest father in the world.” His words were light, but I could tell from the intensity of his eyes that he meant every word that he said. “I’d love to see a little Lucky with big curls and big brown eyes.”
“I’d like to call her Ruby Lane, if we have a girl.” I allowed him to run his fingers gently across my lips. “When I was young, my mother used to read me this book about a little girl, who was the luckiest girl in the world. She had the best mother and father in the world, and she was the happiest girl in the world, and her name was Ruby Lane. I always told myself that if I had a little girl, I would call her that.”
“Ruby Lane Beaumont,” Zane said the words aloud. “I like that, I like it a lot.”
“I love you, Zane Beaumont.” I sat up and studied his face. “I’m so thankful you chose my diner to come into that day.”
“It was fated, my love.” He reached into his back pocket and took out a ring. “I bought this for you before we went to France. But I wanted to wait to ask you. I didn’t want to ask you and have you say yes because you felt bad for me in Paris. I wanted to know that when you said yes, it was because it was something you wanted for you, and not because you felt bad for me.”
“Oh, Zane, I would never do that.” I stared at the large diamond as he slid the platinum band onto my finger. “I love it.” I smiled shyly at him. “And yes, a million times over.”
“Do you remember my song for you, my love?” He ran his hand along my cheek. “Today is our day, my love, today is our day.”
“Do you remember mine? You are me, I am you, and we are one.” I sang out in a reggae tone and we both laughed.
“That we are my dear, that we are.” And with that Zane and I fell back into the bed and he held me close in his arms. I pressed my face against his chest and allowed myself to breathe all of him in, this man was mine. This handsome, wounded, strong and spectacular man was going to be my husband and I knew that without a doubt he would be the only one I’d have for the rest of my life.
Chapter 13
Zane
“I’ll give you my watch,” he handed me his watch with sticky fingers and a reluctant look on his face.
“I don’t want your watch, Noah.” I hit his hand away. “Just get out of my way.”
“But I don’t want you to go out.” He pouted and his eyes bore into mine. “You said you’d stay home and hang out.”
“I’m going to a sleepover,” I looked at him with an annoyed expression. His whiney 10-year-old voice was irritating me and I just wanted him to leave me alone.
“I wanna come too.” He pleaded.
“You can’t come.” I grabbed my bag and headed to the door.
“I’ll give you my watch and all my coins.” He looked at me as if he was going to cry. “And three Twix bars I have in my room.”