“Yes,” they answered in unison.
Damien snorted. “Locke doesn’t wake up at night; I wonder what you’ll both get up to.”
Kane smirked; Aideen deadpanned.
“We’ll be sleepin’,” she said with authority. “Don’t let ’im fool you either. He’ll be out cold before I am.”
Kane shrugged, not denying the charges against him, which made the rest of us chuckle. We all kissed and hugged Branna and Ryder, congratulating them once again. Each of us cooed over the sleeping twins once more and mentioned how much they looked like Ryder. Everyone agreed they had to keep the different coloured bands on their ankles because none of us could tell them apart.
They were identical.
Kane and Aideen took both the kids in their car because it seemed pointless to put Jax’s car seat in my car when we’d all be driving to the same building. Bronagh went home with Nico and Georgie and Alec left with Keela, which left just me and Damien to climb into my car. I was buckled up before I realised that he was in the driver’s seat.
“Is this a thing now?” I said. “When did you take me keys?”
“They were hangin from your back pocket. I picked them easily.”
I shook my head, smiling. “I’m datin’ a thief.”
“I walk on the wild side, freckles.”
I tiredly chuckled, before I yawned.
“Why did you suggest taking Jax if you’re tired?”
“Because I love ’im,” I answered. “And he goes asleep pretty easily for me.”
“Does he fall asleep on your chest?”
“Yeah, why?”
Damien grunted. “I’d be snug enough to sleep if I was lying on your chest for a while, too.”
I snickered as he backed out of the car park. Damien beeped as we passed Nico, who was loading Georgie into her car seat. He looked over his shoulder, waved at me, then stuck his middle finger up at Damien. Damien returned the gesture without blinking.
“You’re not the only twins in the family now,” I said as we merged into the traffic. “How do you feel about that?”
“Awesome because they aren’t mine.”
My lips twitched. “Could be one day.”
“Then I feel sorry for you since you’ll be the one carrying them.”
My heart stopped, and so did the conversation.
“Lana,” Damien said, giving my knee a pinch. “Don’t freak out on me, please? I didn’t mean to say that out loud.”
I looked at him. “But you meant it either way?”
He glanced at me, then the road.
“We shouldn’t talk about this,” he said. “It’s way too early for that. I don’t want you any warier than you already are about us.”
“Damien,” I said, tilting my head as I looked at him. “You just said I’ll be carrying your babies … that’s not somethin’ we should sweep under the carpet.”
Damien swallowed, and his Adam’s apple bobbed.
“Okay.” He licked his lips. “When I think of having kids, you’re automatically the person I picture as their mother.”
My stomach fluttered with butterflies.
“Really?”
Damien nodded, his hands tightening on the steering wheel. “Are you freaked out?”
“No,” I answered honestly. “I’m pretty touched, though, that you’d see me in such an important role.”
Damien shrugged. “I told you that I want to do this for real with you. I’m not looking for a fling, or a half ass relationship. I’m looking for my wife, Alannah, and I know that’s going to be you someday.”
My mouth dried.
“Damien.”
“It’s crazy, I know,” he said. “But don’t you think that we could get there, even a little?”
I pondered this, but only for a moment because the answer was a no-brainer.
“I envisioned meself marryin’ you a few seconds after I clapped eyes on you in school, so what d’you think?”
Damien looked at me, to the road, back to me, then back to the road.
“Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack,” I answered.
“Fuck, baby, you’ve made an already incredible day so much sweeter by telling me that.”
I lifted my hand, ran it up his arm, and rested it behind his neck as he drove.
“We’ll get there,” I said. “I know we will.”
“Slowly, but surely?”
I smiled and looked out the window, the city passing by in a blur of activity.
“Slowly, but surely.”
“Babe?”
I looked up from changing Jax’s nappy, and just for a moment, I had to remind myself that Damien was talking to me. Hearing him refer to me as a pet name was still very surreal, and I couldn’t imagine myself getting used to it.
“Yeah?”
“I won’t be back until this evening, I’ve to work through my lunch hour and two hours after I normally finish to pull up the slack of Ryder not being there.”
“Okay,” I said with a nod. “I’m gonna make a roast for dinner; do you want me to dish you a plate for later?” I paused. “Do you even like roast dinners? It just occurred to me that I have no idea what your food preferences are. I mean, if you’re gonna be ’ere, I might as well feed you, so this is information I need to know.”