Chapter 72 Epilogue Part III

Chapter 72 Epilogue Part III
“Oh, my God!” I turn to look at Poppy with an accusatory look. “And you kept this from me?”
I’m not mad. I’m not even the slightest bit angry at them. I’m finding this so funny, and I’m so happy for them that whatever is going on between them can wait to be explained. I had given up on waiting for them to realize they liked each other, but not in a million years would I have imagined they were just getting on with it behind our backs.
“I-I…that’s not what it seems, Hays, I…” my friend stammers, and I turn to look at Chad, who’s stood from his chair and looks like someone who just got caught doing something they shouldn’t be doing. A giggle bursts out of my lips, and suddenly, I can’t control myself anymore. My head tilts back, and I need to hold onto my stomach, trying to keep it from hurting as I’m laughing so hard.
“Don’t you guys have anything to say?” Lauren presses, clearly enjoying the embarrassment from our brother and my best friend.
“Don’t be mean to them, Lauren,” Alice chimes in, but her tone also indicates she’s enjoying this more than she’d like to admit. “They obviously didn’t want to get caught. Maybe the thrill of hiding their relationship excited them.”
That makes me laugh even more when I see how Chad opens and closes his mouth, trying to decide whether he should reply to our sister-in-law or not. He opts against it, but I can tell he would have reacted completely different if it had been me saying that.
“We should have made that bet when we had the chance,” Ryan notes, bringing up a conversation we had a long time ago when we were discussing our opinions on Poppy and Chad. They weren’t present, of course, and my oldest brother had suggested that we bet on it, but Lauren and I just thought Chad was too scared to try anything with her, so we ended up not doing it.
“I would have lost it anyway. I never thought our brother would finally make a move,” I say, breathing slowly so I can compose myself after bursting out laughing.
The look on my best friend’s face is priceless and the one on my brother’s even more so. 
“I would have bet on you, man,” Spencer points out with feigned support, teasing Chad, who flips him off. 
Then his eyes dart to Poppy for a split second, as if he’s trying to check on her and see if she’s all right. It’s so cute that he cares for her like this, and I don’t know if I should tease them or just feel happy for them.
“Can we shut up about it and talk about something else?” Chad protests, turning to our sister. “You should be worried about your reputation, sis, or are you going to pretend you weren’t sneaking around with James during lunch break the other day? I saw you getting in his car while I was on patrol." 
Lauren shrugs, not the least bit bothered about his revelation. “At least it didn’t take me thirty years to make a move on someone, unlike other people.”
Everyone around reacts with audible ‘oohs’ after hearing her roast Chad. Sensing this might get ugly, I interrupt, raising my hand and deciding to change the subject.
“Okay, guys, I do have something nicer to talk about. I have some news to share too,” I begin, glancing at Spencer to make sure he’s paying attention to me. I was going to wait until I shared this, maybe tell him when we were alone, but I just feel so comfortable and happy right now that I can’t wait any longer. It’s a pity Mom and Dad are not here, but I can tell them later. It’s not like it will remain a secret for long, anyway. Not after everyone here knows about it.
As if on cue, Aubrie and Thomas approach our table.
“Oh, it’s great that you guys are here too,” I add, waving at them.
“What’s going on?” Aubrie asks curiously, looking around the table as if trying to understand what she’s missed.
“Hayden is about to share something important, apparently,” Lauren explains, turning in her seat to face me.
I swallow, preparing myself to share the most important news I have with my family. 
I reach for Spencer’s hand under the table, squeezing it slightly as I look at him.
“We’re having a boy,” I finally announce.
Everyone around me erupts in screams and claps, too much excitement for me to make sense of. Their celebration fades to the background, though, as I stare into Spencer’s beautiful eyes that are shining with so much love and appreciation that it takes my breath away. 
“We’re having a boy?” he repeats in a whisper, leaning in and bringing our foreheads together.
I nod, too emotional to speak. The tears are blurring my vision, my throat is starting to burn, and I feel like I might explode with happiness at any moment now.
"I was thinking we could name him Ben, after your dad." The thought occurred to me as soon as I found out the sex of the baby, and I figured Spencer would love the idea. 
And I was right.
By the way he’s looking at me, his smile so wide I fear it might split his face in half, I know I was right to think like that.
“That’d be really nice, baby. I love you,” he adds, kissing my lips, barely containing his elation. “You make me the happiest man alive.”
I giggle, too overwhelmed to think of what to say.
Chad is yelling at our parents to share the news, but I can’t bring myself to look at them. All my focus is on my husband, the man I chose to love, to share my life with, and to build a family together.
Surrounded by the people I love the most in this world, I feel like I’m the happiest human alive.
“I love you too,” I tell Spencer. “Thank you for making all of my dreams come true.”

Author's note:
Thank you to everyone who read Hayden and Spencer's story. Hope you liked it as much as I liked writing it! <3