THE BEST KIND OF SURPRISE

by Miller, Jasmin

  “It’s getting too much, Aiden. I need to—”

  Before I can get the rest of the sentence out, he leans forward and turns my head to capture my mouth in a kiss so hot, the house might as well be on fire without me noticing it.

  “Don’t worry, babe. I got you.” He picks up his speed, turning rhythmic while rubbing my center into oblivion.

  After a few more deep thrusts, we both tumble over the edge, shouting our release, and all that’s left is our heavy breathing as we both try to calm our insane heartbeats. I happily collapse into his arms when he turns me around, and I realize I haven’t felt this sated in a very long time.

  Aiden insists on washing my body while I shampoo his hair, with him sitting on the bench this time. It feels intimate and incredibly satisfying in a way so different to anything I’ve ever felt before.

  When we’re both done and step out of the shower, Aiden wraps a big, soft towel around me, pulling me close to him. He leans his forehead against mine, and for a moment, we simply enjoy each other’s presence. “I haven’t had my fill of you yet. Will you stay with me tonight?”

  I want to yell “Yes!” more than anything, but I’m also a little freaked out. What if this doesn’t work between us, and I end up without a partner—completely alone?

  Aiden touches the space between my eyebrows, rubbing his thumb toward my hairline. “Stop thinking so hard about it. I can keep my hands to myself if you’re worried about that. I just want to have you in my arms when I fall asleep.”

  I attempt to let go of my reservations, trying not to worry so much. “Okay.”

  It’s only one night, right?

  11

  Stella

  Somehow, one night turned into two, and two turned into...well, a lot more. So much that I’ve barely spent any time at my place over the last few weeks. I’ll be the last person to complain about that, though, because life has been pretty good.

  Turns out my hunger for sex hasn’t decreased one bit—quite the opposite, actually—but now my hunger for food has really made an appearance too.

  The slight nausea from the first few weeks of pregnancy is gone, leaving me famished morning, noon, and night, which I supplement with a few snacks here and there. And what better person to satisfy both of those needs than my own personal sexy chef?

  Aiden has made it his mission to provide me with everything I need, both in the kitchen and the bedroom. He loves cooking for me, and I love watching him do it. Oftentimes, I pretend I’m watching TV or reading a book on the couch, but in reality, I’m peeking over the back of the couch and into the kitchen as often as I can.

  Just like right now.

  Who would have thought I’d turn into this creepy pregnant lady who gets turned on from watching her baby daddy cook for her?

  Aiden turns off all the appliances before walking over to me with two plates in his hands, holding one out to me. “There you go, babe. I made your favorite, quinoa stir-fry.”

  My stomach lets out a loud growl, and I’m starting to salivate. Thankfully, my taste buds have been incredibly kind to me during pregnancy, making most foods taste better than ever. My sense of smell, on the other hand? Not so much. The worst thing for me is raw onions. The smell alone makes me want to puke, which is why I’ve banned myself to the couch and out of the kitchen whenever Aiden cooks. “Thank you. It looks delicious.”

  I don’t have the patience to wait any longer because being hangry is even less fun than just being hungry or angry. Aiden knows that, so he lets me eat in silence, watching me with a knowing smirk on his face. Once we’re done, we clean up together, something that has become a part of our routine.

  Weirdly enough, I’ve come to enjoy it and even look forward to it. I find comfort in the familiarity of doing everyday tasks together, even if it’s just something simple, like one of us washing the dishes while the other one dries.

  “We’re leaving in half an hour to go to the hospital for your ultrasound appointment, right?” Aiden puts the last pot away before pulling me to him as much as he can with my ever-growing belly between us.

  I’ve recently started wearing more maternity clothes, proudly showing off my belly whenever I get the chance. “Yes. Are you excited to find out what our little one is?”

  His hands move over my belly, rubbing it like it’s a genie lamp. “I still think it’s a girl. The kicks feel soft and gentle, and she’s been really nice to you with all your other symptoms too—contrary to what my brother and I used to be like, at least according to our mom.”

  “A girl would be nice but so would a boy.” The daily battle in my head will hopefully come to an end after knowing what I’ve been baking. “I just want it to be healthy. It’s scary to imagine it’s not.”

  “I know.” Leaning down, he gives me a hug and a kiss on the forehead. “I’m sure everything’s going to be all right. Now, let’s get ready and leave. The faster we can find out, the better.”

  I couldn’t agree more. Aiden has put out more than one fire lately, when I was freaking out over everything and nothing. “Okay.”

  Pushing me toward the bedroom so I can get changed, Aiden slaps my butt lightly, making me laugh. “Hurry then.”

  * * *

  The lights of the hospital room are dimmed, the glare from the monitor of the ultrasound machine our main light source. The technician is staring at the screen while Aiden’s and my eyes are glued to the big TV screen that’s mounted on the wall opposite us. It mirrors the technician’s screen, and it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

  The clarity of the image is incredible and straight-up mesmerizing, even though I still have a hard time telling what’s what. I’m pretty sure I just saw a hand, though, or maybe it was a foot? Either way, I think this is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.

  Unable to hold back my emotions, tears prick the corners of my eyes, and I sniffle quietly.

  The technician suddenly stops what she’s doing and jumps up from her chair. “Give me one moment. I’ll be right back.”

  It takes less than a minute for her to return with a doctor, but it’s enough for my nerves to go haywire.

  “What’s going on? Is something wrong?”

  Fear hijacks my system, making me break out in a cold sweat. My heartbeat feels like it’s doubled in the last two seconds, and my hands are shaking.

  Please let our baby be okay. Please.

  The doctor smiles at me. “No worries, everything looks great so far, I just need to double check something.” She moves the wand around on my stomach, smearing the sticky gel everywhere on my belly.

  After what feels like the worst two minutes of my life, she hands the wand back to the technician before turning to Aiden and me, chuckling. “Well, looks like we have a surprise for you.” When she realizes she won’t get a response from either one of us, she continues, “There are two babies. You’re having twins.”

  My eyes almost bulge out of my head, the corners burning from the pressure. “Twins? Are you sure? There’s really two in there? How did we not know that?”

  “Sometimes the second one hides on the first ultrasound screening, which makes it easy to miss so early in the pregnancy.” She seems undeterred by the barrage of questions. “And it’s not always easy to hear the second heartbeat with the doppler either, especially when the doctor isn’t specifically listening for one.”

  “Wow.” That’s all that comes out of Aiden’s mouth, and I don’t blame him. I’m a bit at a loss of words right now too.

  This can’t be real. “And you’re absolutely sure?”

  The doctor prints out a few ultrasound pictures for us and shows us what we’re looking at. All of a sudden, it’s blatantly obvious there are two. “Yes, no doubt at all. Good news is, they both look great.”

  I blink at her, still unable to grasp the news. “Does this happen a lot?”

  “Not that often anymore since technology has gotten better, but every once in a while, one slips through.” When I don’t say anything in r
eturn, she points at the screen in front of her. “Did you want to know what you’re having?”

  I nod.

  “Great.” She sits down in the chair and takes back the wand from the technician.

  The picture on the screen is back the second she touches my belly, after squeezing another round of warm gel on it, and I’m completely entranced by seeing two babies on the screen. I feel stupid for not noticing it before, but I guess I just wasn’t looking.

  The doctor pauses. “Ah, there is one. Let’s look at the other one again to make sure.” Seconds tick by. “Yup, like I thought.” She looks back and forth between Aiden and me. “You’re having two baby boys.” She stands, holding out her hand to us. “Congratulations, you two. I’ll let your doctor know, so they can adjust your visits accordingly.”

  “Thank you.” My mind is on auto-drive, barely registering what is happening around us, until the technician tells us she’s going to switch to the 3D image.

  And then it’s happening; I’m actually seeing our babies on the screen. I can see their faces—their cute little noses and puckered lips. One of them has his hand over his cheek and eye while the other one sucks on his thumb.

  My eyes fill with tears as the technician hands me a new row of ultrasound pictures and turns off her machine. She smiles at us, says, “Congratulations,” and leaves the room.

  Aiden’s been awfully quiet, but it’s a lot to process. He’s still staring at the image that’s displayed on the TV screen while I use the towel they tucked into my waistband to wipe all the goo off my stomach.

  After fixing my clothes, I stand in front of him, touching his arm lightly. “Ready?”

  He nods and gets up, his posture stiff, his shoulder muscles rigid under the navy-blue T-shirt he’s wearing. I follow him to the elevator that will take us down to the garage, completely sucked into my own mind, and still unable to wrap my head around the fact I have two babies in my belly.

  Once we’re in the car, Aiden turns on the ignition and looks at me out of the corner of his eye without actually facing me. “Can I drop you off at home? I have...I have some stuff to do.”

  No! It’s absolutely not okay. But of course, I don’t say that. Instead, I nod. “Sure.”

  I don’t know what’s going on, but I suddenly feel like crying. Thankfully, I hold back my tears until Aiden drops me off at home, with only a kiss to my cheek.

  This was supposed to be a great day. A day filled with wonder and excitement.

  Instead, I can’t remember the last time I felt this alone.

  12

  Aiden

  “What on earth are you doing here?” My brother walks up to me while I blink rapidly, trying to adjust to the harsh light that’s suddenly flooding the room. “And why were you sitting in the dark?”

  Shrugging, I take another sip from my liquor bottle before holding it out to Logan in a quiet invitation to join me.

  “No, thanks.” He shakes his head and takes off his jacket before going to the kitchen to get a beer from the fridge. After grabbing some nuts from one of the cupboards, he joins me on the other side of the sectional.

  We sit in silence, the minutes ticking by, as my brother patiently waits for me to elaborate on what’s going on.

  But I don’t. My focus is solely on the bottle in my hands.

  It seems like he’s reached his limit when he leans toward me a few minutes later. “How did you get in here anyway?”

  I shrug again. “I never returned the key you gave me for checking on your place while you were gone.” My voice sounds strange to my ears—rough and distant, almost mechanical.

  “Good to know.” He leans back into the cushions, studying me. “Well, I’m just glad I found you, and not Ember. Thankfully, Mom talked her into seeing a movie together. They won’t be gone forever, though, so can you tell me what’s going on, dude? Is everything okay with the baby?”

  He curses under his breath. “Damn it, the appointment was today, wasn’t it? Did they find something wrong with the baby? Just fucking spit it out already, Aiden, before I have an aneurysm.”

  I shake my head. “The babies are doing fine.”

  Deafening silence.

  Until my brother sets his bottle on the coffee table—rather roughly. “Excuse me, what? Did you just say babies, with an S?”

  I nod.

  “You’re having twins? Are you serious right now? Congrats!” He chuckles. “So why on earth are you lurking around my apartment in the dark when you should be celebrating the news with Stella?” He pauses. “Wait. There’s only two, right? Or are there more?”

  Letting out a long breath, I look at him. “Nope, only two. Boys. We’re having twin boys.”

  He tilts his head to the side, his grin morphing into a frown. “So, what’s the problem?”

  I scratch the back of my neck and avoid my brother’s gaze once more, until the words fly out of my mouth. “What if I suck at this whole thing? I mean, it took a while to get used to the idea of having a baby—as in, one baby—but even that was a terrifying thought.

  “Now there’s two of them. Two. How am I ever supposed to keep up with them? I don’t know the first thing about babies. What if I majorly screw up? I’d never forgive myself, and I doubt Stella would either. And then she’s going to divorce my sorry ass and take the boys away from me, and I’ll never see them again.”

  I take a few big gulps from my whiskey bottle, but I’m barely able to swallow the liquid as the alcohol burns down my throat. It’s slowly starting to show its effects too.

  I mean, for goodness’ sake, my butt is securely parked on the couch, yet I’m starting to feel like I’m on a boat. Everything around me is suddenly moving.

  “Whoa there. Okay, first of all, I think you’ve had enough.” Logan stands up, and I immediately know what he’s after.

  Since I’m already pretty far gone, I take another big drink just because...I don’t even know. It doesn’t even taste good anymore.

  My brother grabs the bottle, easily pulling it out of my hand. It’s not like I’m going to fight him; I’m sure a toddler could push me over in my condition.

  A toddler. Shit. I’m gonna have two of those soon. Well, not right away, of course, but at some point. I don’t even know when they officially become toddlers. I know nothing, except how to make babies.

  “Shouldn’t there be some test that makes sure you qualify as a parent? Because I don’t think I’d pass that.” My words start to blend, at least they do in my head.

  Logan’s suddenly in front of me, pushing something toward my face. I didn’t even notice he left my side, let alone got something. “Here, take these. And then it’s probably best to sleep off all that stupid talk before you see Stella again. I’m guessing you two have to talk and you have some explaining to do?” He nudges my hands with a big cup of water, still holding out two painkillers. “Also, there probably should be some test for new parents, but there isn’t. So, I guess you lucked out after all.”

  “Ha ha, very funny.” Taking the medication from his palm, I swallow them with some water.

  Tastes like rat’s ass. Not that I know what that tastes like.

  The couch dips next to me and my brother nudges my knee with his. “Personally, I think you’re gonna do just fine. You can be a jerk sometimes, but you’re also loyal. You’re there for the people you care about, whether you want to admit it or not. I believe most people don’t know what they’re getting themselves into when they first have kids. It always seems to be more of a ‘learn as you go’ type of thing. Fake it till you make it comes to mind when I think of kids. Plus, don’t forget you’re not alone in this either. We’re all there for you when you need us.”

  With my elbows propped up on my knees, I let my head fall into my hands. “I just dropped her off after the appointment. We didn’t even talk about the news. I was so stuck in my head, I didn’t even think about her. Maybe she was silently freaking out too. I can be such a dick.”

  Of course, my broth
er chuckles next to me. “Yup, we’ve already established that.”

  “I need to call her and apologize.”

  “I’m not sure that’s the best idea right now.”

  “I love her.” My head snaps up as the words tumble out of my mouth, making my stomach groan in warning. I’m just a step away from a bad wave of nausea blasting me, and I’m not sure what’s causing it right now. On second thought, it’s probably a mixture of too much alcohol and the nerves that just hit me with my latest realization.

  Logan claps me on the shoulder, squeezing it once. “Good for you, bro. Good for you. I like Stella, she’s a great woman. And she keeps you on your toes and doesn’t take your bullshit either, which makes me like her even more. Not to mention you were lovesick over her even before she came back into your life.”

  “She is great. I hope I didn’t fuck things up with her. I’d be majorly pissed if I was in her shoes, being abandoned like this.”

  “Only one way to find out. But not today. You’re way too drunk right now.”

  “I need to text her, at least.” I pat my pockets before looking around. “Crap, where’s my phone?” I stand up, then quickly sit back down again as my balance gives in.

  “Did you leave it in the car?”

  I shrug. “Probably.”

  “Why don’t we get your butt to the guest room, so you can lie down? Then I’ll go looking for your phone.”

  I nod, and Logan grabs me by the arm to help me stand. I trip a few times on the way across the living room, my brother the only reason I don’t faceplant on the hard, wooden floor.

  The second we reach the room and stop in front of the bed, I let myself fall onto it.

  “Car keys.” Logan holds out his hand, and after several tries, I finally manage to pull them out of my jeans pocket. “I’ll be right back.”