Chapter 17

“You’ve got everything you need in the diaper bag, right?” The guys all smirk at Aiden freaking out over leaving Talia with Leila’s mom for the first time. “And the milk. It needs to be at—I know you’ve taken care of babies before, I just wanted to remind you.” A sigh leaves him and he closes his eyes. “Okay. Fine. I’m sorry. Tell my daughters I love them.” He hangs up the call and he wipes a hand down his face, clearly exhausted.

“Breathe, man,” Grayson says, tapping him on his back. “She’ll be okay.”

He twists his head to look at him. “It’s only been two days since she was born,” he says, with a slight shake of his head. “It’s really fucking hard being away from her.”

“Gabi made it clear you guys could stay home with the baby, she understands it’s a big deal,” Chris says, understanding flashing in his eyes.

Gabi talks a big talk about being cutthroat but when it comes to her friends, she’d do anything. She was even considering changing her wedding day altogether, which gave Madi a mini heart attack, but Leila and Aiden refused to be the reason she delayed her wedding.

“You know we weren’t going to miss your big day,” Aiden replies with a smile. “Besides, Leila’s mom is right. She’s taken care of babies before. Talia will be fine. ”

Grayson lifts his chin toward Chris. “How are you feeling? Nervous at all?” he asks.

Chris’s lips curve into a smile as he shakes his head. “Not really,” he replies with a shrug. “I’ve been ready to marry her for as long as I can remember.”

Grayson nods, a smile creeping up on his face. “I know how you feel,” he says, no doubt thinking of Rosie.

“I can’t fucking wait to call her ‘my wife’,” Chris replies, tugging on the lapels of his tux in the mirror before he runs a hand through his hair, smiling at his reflection. “I remember a time when I’d give up my life for this to happen, and now it finally is.”

Aiden lets out a chuckle. “Trust me, I know what you mean. I abuse that phrase very chance I get. In interviews, I never fail to mention my wife , whenever Leila’s acting up, I make sure to remind her she’s my wife .” He shakes his head, a stupid grin on his face. “I really fucking love saying it.”

James lets out a scoff. “I swear that’s the only reason you got married so quickly.”

Aiden chuckles. “You might be onto something,” he says, before he shakes his head. “Mostly I just wanted to see my ring on her finger, to know she’s mine and I’m hers, to be owned by her, and I wanted it to be legally binding so she could never leave me,” he adds.

“She will never leave you,” Grayson reassures him. “You’ve been hers since the day you guys met.”

Aiden’s face twists into a wince. “Not quite,” he says. “I had to work for it, pretty hard.” He looks into space, probably remembering when they first got together. “Worth it, though. ”

My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out, seeing my wife’s name on the screen.

Aiden’s right. I love saying my wife .

Princesa: Have you told them yet?

Lucas: Not yet. I’ll tell them now.

Princesa: Good luck. I love you.

Lucas: I love you.

I pocket my phone, and my jaw tightens before I lift off the couch, and let out a breath, everyone’s eyes on me when I do. “I have something I need to tell you guys.”

I catch James’s brows shooting up, knowing about mine and Madi’s decision to adopt, and probably wondering if that’s what I need to tell them.

I clear my throat, pulling on my shirt collar, suddenly feeling very fucking hot in this tux. “As some as you might now, Madi and I have been trying to have a baby for quite a while,” I say, seeing Grayson’s apologetic look. “We’ve uh… been to a lot of doctors, and done a lot of tests and…” I shake my head. “It hasn’t happened yet. ”

Aiden’s brows shoot up with understanding. “You guys can’t have kids?” he guesses.

“I mean, it hasn’t been confirmed,” I tell him. “The tests come back fine, and the doctors tell us to keep trying, but it’s been three years,” I admit. “And if I’m honest, we kind of ditched the condoms and birth control before then, and yet…” I shrug.

“Fuck,” Aiden replies, swallowing hard, his face turning pale. “I’m so sorry. All those times I asked… Is Madi okay?”

“Yeah,” I confirm with a nod. “She was a little upset about all the questions, and seeing a new baby, but she’s okay.” Fuck. This is it. “We actually have some news.”

“Wait. What?” James asks, confused since I haven’t told him this yet.

“Madi and I decided on adoption a while back,” I tell the guys. “We wanted to give a child a loving home, and this morning,” I start, unable to keep the smile off my face. “We received a call letting us know there’s a baby waiting for us.”

“Holy shit,” James says, his eyes widening. “You’re serious?”

“Yep,” I affirm with a laugh as the guys all smile.

“You’re going to be a dad,” Aiden says with a grin. “Join the fucking club.”

I let out a laugh, nodding. “If everything goes well, then yes. It’s a long process, and things could still fall apart and—”

“Hey,” Grayson cuts in, tapping on my shoulder. “Don’t say that. Everything is going to go perfectly. You guys were meant to be parents. ”

A weight lifts off my shoulder and I smile at the guys. “Thanks, you guys.”

“Holy fuck. I can’t believe there’s going to be another baby around here,” James says, sounding a little shocked, and a little scared, too.

“You’re going to be an uncle,” I say, pulling him in for a hug.

“I’m too young for that,” he cries out.

“We need a drink to celebrate,” Chris says, heading out into the hallway.

I pull away from the guys to reach into my pocket, typing out a text with a smile on my face.

Lucas: I told them.

Princesa: I figured. We heard loud noises.

Lucas: Have you told the girls yet?

Princesa: Not yet. I’m nervous.

Lucas: There’s no reason to be. They’re going to be supportive, baby. Good luck. I love you.

Princesa: I love you too.

I pocket my phone when Chris walks back into the room with champagne glasses, and one filled with what looks like orange juice for Aiden.

“Congrats man,” he says, handing me the glass.

“To Lucas and Madi,” Grayson says, raising his glass in a toast.

I let out a laugh as the guys toast, and cheer, and I smile, looking around at the amazing friends I’ve managed to gain.

I can’t wait to introduce my baby to their amazing uncles.

And I can’t wait to build a family with my wife.