I don’t reply because my eyes are glued to my open front door, and the tall, dark-haired man with a little boy in his arms.

“HANNA!” COLLIN calls when he spots her. I put him down, and he scurries across the foyer and into the living room. “How are my sibwings?”

“Siblings,” I correct, but then I close my mouth because Collin’s gently cupping his hands over Hanna’s rounded belly, and the vision brings me more joy than I can fit in my heart. She’s lying on the couch, propped up with pillows behind her head and under her hips, and I want to scoop her into my arms and hold her close.

“They’re good, Collin,” Hanna answers, her eyes on me. “Did Liz call you?”

“No.” I shed my coat and walk into the living room to crouch down beside my son.

“Max?” she asks.

“No.”

Her breath catches as I place my hands next to Collin’s. As if in greeting, a baby kicks, then the other.

“I feel them!” Collin says with wide eyes.

I lift my eyes to Hanna’s and a smile stretches across my face. “Me too.”

“Who told you, then?” she asks. “Why are you here?”

“I’m here because I want to spend Christmas with the woman I love.”

At the sound of a sharp inhale, I tear my eyes away from Hanna’s face and look up at her mother.

“You two need a minute,” she says. She offers her hand to my son. “Collin, is it? You want to see if we can find any Christmas cookies in Hanna’s kitchen?”

“Yeah!” He takes her hand, and Hanna’s mom winks at me as they leave the room.

“I started having contractions the night you left. But I went to the hospital, and they put me on medicine to make them stop.”

Her admission robs me of my breath, and I rest my cheek on her stomach. “Why didn’t you call me?”

“I should have. I’m trying to figure out how to ask for what I need.” She shakes her head. “I’m not very good at it. I’ve spent my whole life trying to make everyone else happy, and I’m starting to think that’s not healthy.”

I raise a brow. “Ya think?”

She shrugs. “The only reason I was in St. Louis the night we met was because I knew Maggie wanted me there. So it’s not a terrible trait.”

I brush her hair behind her ear. I want to kiss her, to hold her until the racing in my chest subsides and I know she’s okay. “Not terrible,” I agree. “But you aren’t always so good at knowing what makes people happy.”

“What do you mean by that?”

I draw a finger down her jaw, count the freckles across the bridge of her nose, memorize the exact shade of the pink of her lips. “You asked me if I would be with Vivian if I’d never met you. And the answer is yes. I’m sure I would be.”

“Oh,” she whispers. “I guess I knew that already.”

“But, you see, you didn’t ask the right question. Ask me if I would be happier if I’d never met you, Hanna. Ask me if a life with Collin’s mother would have made me feel alive the way loving you makes me feel. Ask me if I’d take back our time together, even if you’d chosen Max.”

I lean my head against hers, and she swallows so hard I can hear it. “I only thought everyone would be happier if I married him.”

“Would you have been happier?”

She shakes her head. “No. Anyone paying attention would know you’re the one for me. I gave you what I would never give Max—and not just my body. I trusted you like I never trusted him, needed you like I never needed him. I chose him for everyone but myself, but I wanted you.”

She doesn’t say any more because I’m kissing her—my mouth open over hers, my hands in her hair, my heart hers to keep.

I want to hold her until there’s nothing in the world but us. I want to chase away the ugliness and protect her from any more hurt. But I know I can’t, so I pour all of my love and hope into this one kiss.

She lifts slightly off the couch, her hand grazing my chest. “I feel empty when you’re gone.”

I cup her face in my hand and kiss her again. She’s so damn sweet and perfect, and I love the feel of her tongue against mine, the way she moans into my mouth when I deepen the kiss.

“Hey now!”

Liz’s voice pulls me from the kiss, and I lift my head to glare at her.

“The doctor very clearly said no shopping, no sports, no sex. Orgasms are an even bigger no-no, so stop while you’re ahead.”

I look to Hanna, who nods. “It’s true. No sex until it’s safe for the babies to be born.”

I c**k a brow and say, “Looks like Aunt Liz is going to need to do a lot of babysitting so we can make up for lost time after they’re born.”

Hanna smacks me in the chest, but she’s grinning.

“I’d be happy to,” Liz says.

“Me too,” another woman calls. The petite brunette steps into the room and offers me her hand. “I’m Hanna’s oldest sister, Krystal. Nice to meet you.”

I shake her hand and nod. “Nice to meet you too.”

“Krystal lived in Florida for a while,” Hanna explains, “but she just moved back home, and she’s going to run the bakery for me while I’m on bed rest. Then, when the babies are old enough for me to go back, she’s going to run the front for me.”