38. Zoey

Chapter 38

Zoey

As soon as Colt pulls in the driveway, I'm rushing out the door and meeting him at his truck. I'm smiling ear to ear, more than excited to spring this surprise on him.

"What's going on, baby?" He chuckles at my excitement.

"I have something to show you." I'm bouncing on my toes. It's been so hard for me to keep this a secret and now that I can finally tell him, I don't want to keep it any longer.

"I don't think I've ever seen you so excited." The grin on his face has mine spreading even wider.

I take his hand in mine and lead him through the grass towards the house next door. Colt glances at me a few times with a furrowed brow, but doesn't say anything. When I push open the front door, he tugs me to a stop.

"Are we breaking and entering? I need to know before I enter since I'm the sheriff. "

"If I was going to break into someone's house, do you really think I'd bring a cop with me?" I arch a brow.

"Well, I mean I'd hope you're not breaking into any buildings at all. That could give me a really bad reputation."

"We're allowed to be here, Colt. I promise. Now, will you go inside?" I motion to the door and wait for him to enter first.

He's hesitant and that makes me chuckle. Sometimes I wonder how he was the town's troublemaker when he seems so nervous about entering a house when it's unlocked.

"What are we doing here? I'm sure Mrs. Geralds doesn't want us in her home."

"Go into the kitchen."

"Ok…" he trails off and slowly walks towards the kitchen.

The house is set up just like ours, but it's not nearly as renovated as ours is. Colton put a lot of time, money, and work into our house.

The kitchen is in desperate need of a facelift. Some new cabinets and counters, a fresh coat of paint, and better lighting would transform this room. The wooden floors are all scratched and scuffed up. I'd love to refinish them, but I think we'll have to wait a while to do that.

Colt stops at the island and stares down at the paper on the counter. He slowly picks it up and his eyes scan the writing.

"You bought a house?" He blinks at me.

"You said you always wanted to buy one of the properties next door to you. I thought this one would be nice to start with and maybe we could buy the other one if it ever goes up for sale."

"But this property wasn't on the market."

"It wasn't, but I saw Mrs. Geralds a few weeks ago. She was having a hard time getting around and told me she didn't think she could live alone much longer. Her daughter offered for her to move in and she said she thought she was going to take her up on it, but she was worried about selling the house. I kind of offered to buy it and she accepted!"

"What are we going to do with a second house?"

"I can't tell if you're happy or mad." I frown at him. I really thought he'd be happy about this.

"I'm happy, but you're crazy, baby." He chuckles and shakes his head. "You bought this because I mentioned it a few times? "

"You said you wanted a farm. This way you could have one."

"You're the best wife in the world, do you know that?" He sweeps me into his arms and kisses me.

"I have another surprise for you," I whisper when he pulls back.

"What could possibly top a house?"

"Go into the master bedroom."

"Are you going to take advantage of me, Mrs. Brown?" He wiggles his brows.

"Maybe if you're lucky." I chuckle and nudge him towards the hall.

He intertwines our fingers, making sure I'm at his side the entire way. When we step into the bedroom and his gaze falls on the furniture sitting in the middle of the room, he freezes.

"Zoey…" His voice is barely a whisper as he stares with wide eyes. He walks right up to it and peers down at it. "Are you serious?" The awe in his tone brings tears to my eyes.

"You're going to be a daddy!" I nod my head as the first tear trickles down my cheek.

"You're going to be a mommy." He returns to my side and places his hands on my stomach. "Is that a picture of our baby in the crib?" He motions towards the crib with his head.

"Yeah. I wasn't feeling too great and I realized I haven't had my period in a while. I went to the doctors yesterday and it's been killing me to keep this secret."

"How'd you get a crib already?"

"Well, I stopped at the baby store on the way home from the doctors and they had this beautiful crib in stock. I loved it and couldn't imagine a more perfect crib. They delivered it about two hours ago." I grin, loving how he hasn't stopped touching my stomach.

Colt slips his hands under the hem of my top and he's running fingertips over my skin. He drops down to his knees and pushes my shirt up until it's resting under my breasts. He presses one soft kiss after another on my small belly. It's barely changed, but there's the smallest baby bump.

"How far along are you?" He murmurs between kisses.

"Nine weeks."

"Do we get to find out if it's a boy or girl?"

"We have a few more weeks before that, but yeah, I'd like to find out. "

"I can't believe you're having my baby." He peers up at me with so much love swimming in his gaze. "I can't wait to meet this little one."

My stomach lets out a loud growl, making both of us chuckle. Colt stands to his full height and wraps his arms around me.

"I think Mama needs to eat. Holy crap. You're going to be the sexiest mama this town has ever seen. All those little teenage boys are going to be drooling over you."

"I'm sure." I roll my eyes. "You know I work at an elementary school, right? All of the kids are under twelve."

"Yeah, but the high school is next door and I've seen the way some of those boys watch you. You're going to be a total MILF."

"Oh my gosh, Colt!" I groan, dropping my head to his chest.

"What? I'd definitely love to fuck you. That's how this happened to begin with." He places his hands on my stomach, covering the entire thing with his large palms. "But I think it's time to get you fed, Mama. Your Mexican food and desserts are in the truck."

"Good, I'm starving."

We head back to our house and Colt grabs dinner. As soon as I'm sitting at the table, he places my dinner in front of me and grabs us some drinks.

"So, what are we doing with the house? That crib is coming here, right? You're not making the baby live in the other house, correct?" He eyes me with concern.

"No, the baby will live here." I chuckle and shake my head. "But I was thinking maybe we could fix up the house and keep it for our family to stay in when they visit. I know my family hasn't really visited yet, but once this little baby is born, I know they're going to come."

"I think that's a great idea, Zoey. That way they can stay as long as they want, but they won't be in our house. It won't disrupt our day-to-day life."

"Exactly."

"Did you tell your parents yet?"

"No one knows except you." I grin. There was no way I was telling another soul until Colt knew.

"I think it's time we share our news with the world, sweetheart. I'm not sure I've ever had anything this exciting to tell people. Hell, I'm not sure I've ever been this happy in my entire life. You've given me everything I've ever dreamed of having and more. Thank you. "

"Thank you , Colt. You've given me an amazing life and the freedom I've been missing for years. Without you, I'd still be hiding from my past and going through the motions without actually living. You not only gave me a future, but you gave me a present and I'll never be able to thank you enough for that."