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“Well, ould I do a silly thing like that?”

“Beats me”

Taking his hand in hers, Toni said, “Coo home”

Hoood

And hopefully soon, Lindsey would feel the same

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

COPPER

Copper stared at the black and white ie in his hand He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the tiny curled up bean in the center of the paper

His baby

His and Shell’s baby

Christ, the thing was beyond tiny So vulnerable and not even recognizable as a child yet But it would be That little ball would grow and change into a child One Shell would protect and carry for the better part of the next year Then their lives would change yet again as the baby joined their little family

The weight of responsibility nearly crushed hiht he protected each h they were his own But now, he knew different Shell, Beth, and the little bean actually were his And the need to keep them safe and happy felt different Vital I happen to any of theh they hadn’t been together that long in the grand scheme of life, Copper had no doubt he’d self-destruct should any harirls Or his baby

“Well, she’s finally down,” Shell said as she padded into their bedrooray hoodie, and wooly socks She looked fucking adorable Like a cute little stuffed animal

After being treated foran ultrasound confirone to pick up Beth The little girl had chatted al events of the day The distraction had been welcome, but her incessant chatter left little time for him to talk to Shell

For hiize

And, Christ, did he need to apologize

“She ound up tonight”

With a small chuckle, Shell nodded “Happens every Christmas Kids become crazed for a few days It’s fun to see her so excited, though”