Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 106754 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106754 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
But now's not the time to worry about my twin. Instead, I palm June's hand, wondering whether she knows about the baby. She hasn't asked about it once, which makes me think she doesn't even know she's pregnant. I finally speak up.
"June, there's something else. Something the doctors told me."
Her brows knit together in worry, and she pulls herself up in the hospital bed. "What is it?"
"Well..." I don't know how to deliver the news. I'm not great with delicate matters, so I just blurt it out. "The doctors told me you're pregnant."
"What?" Her shell-shocked expression tells me there's no way she knew about this. "Oh my god."
"I just... have to ask," I continue. "Is it mine?"
She looks at me, eyes filled with rage as she pulls her hand away from mine. "How can you ask me that, Kade?"
"Well, you told me you slept with my brother," I hiss, the mere thought pissing me off. "How am I supposed to know?"
"It was a lie," June whispers. "A stupid lie to make you jealous."
"So it..." I swallow thickly. "It is mine?"
She looks up at me, eyes wide. "Of course it's yours."
I'm finding it really fucking hard to fight the grin off my face now, and June starts laughing at me. I join in. This is the first bit of good news I've gotten in fucking months.
"I'm going to be a dad?" I ask next, shaking my head in disbelief. "Are you fucking serious?"
"We might need to watch that mouth of yours." June giggles. "The baby will pick up on that... I don't want its first word to be fuck, you know."
"It won't be." I laugh out loud. "It'll be Junebug. I'll make sure of it."
We stare into one another's eyes. For a moment, I almost manage to forget about the mess Parker's dragged us into. For a moment, everything's normal, and we're just a regular couple who found out they're expecting their first child together. It may just be a moment, but I know it's the promise for a lifetime of happiness.
2 weeks later
June's time in the hospital extends from a few days to two full weeks. They insist on keeping her there until she's fully recovered, and finally, two weeks after the tomb incident, she receives her clean bill of health, and we're allowed to leave.
I've used the time she was away wisely. I've spent every minute of my time when I wasn't with June in the hospital to work on the surprise I have waiting for her when we return to our family home. Even though I've used up all my savings, what little I had of it, I'm so excited to show her, and I keep grinning on the drive back like a fool.
"What are you smiling about?" June asks, tugging on my hand.
"You'll see soon enough." I grin at her just as we pull up in front of the house. I rush out of the car, opening the door for her before the driver can. I help her into the house even though she insists she's strong enough to do it on her own. But I can see she's still exhausted. The pregnancy's starting to take a toll on her, and she excuses herself to take a nap while I finish up her surprise.
By the time she's up again, I'm waiting downstairs, and everything's ready. June yawns as she climbs the stairs, stretching her limbs.
"I really needed that," she mutters. "I was exhausted."
"It's good that you got some rest," I tell her. "Something tells me your night is about to get a lot more interesting."
"Is that so?" She laughs. "What did you have planned? Are we going out for dinner?"
"No, we're doing something right here." I take her hand and head to the French doors that lead to the vast garden behind the house. "Come with me. I want to show you something."
June follows closely behind. When we step outside, she gasps when she sees the porch decorated in fairy lights. The atmosphere is special, magical—you can just tell something extraordinary will happen here tonight.
"Did you do all this?" she asks when she sees the lights. "It's like a fairy tale!"
"There's more." I grin, taking her hand in mine. "Follow me."
I lead her through the garden, into the back where the new structure is waiting in the darkness. With the flick of a remote control, I light up the new glass house just as we round the corner, and June gasps when she realizes what I've done.
The glass house is lit up from the outside. As we enter, the heat and humidity reach my bones, making me feel like it's the first time I've been warm in months. The vegetation in the house is rich and lush, and once the lights start, the butterflies flit from one branch to another. One of them lands on June's hair, and she laughs with wondrous delight.