Tommy’s smile widened. “Hon, are you serious? I’ve been thinking the same thing, but I didn’t know if you were ready yet. Are you sure you don’t want to wait?”
“I wish we would have had Lucas a year ago. We’ve missed out on so much love. He makes my heart bloom, and I’m so happy all the time. We all are. I don’t want to wait.”
He pinned her to the pillow with a hug and she let out a happy laugh, but nerves made her tense up. She waited until Tommy and Angel settled from their excitement before she continued. “I have something else to say.” Her eyes drifted to Angel. “I want you to father the child. I want to have your baby, Angel.”
His face went slack. He opened his mouth and then closed it, and moisture filled his eyes. It took him a full minute before he regained his composure. When he spoke, his voice wasn’t much more than a whisper, and his hands were balled into fists and pressed against the center of his chest.
“Thank you.” He swallowed hard. “It’s been my dream for a very long time. I’ve fantasized about it since we went to Asia. Remember when we spoke on the phone? When I called you because I missed you in the middle of the night?”
She remembered it well. There had been a strangeness about the melancholy in his voice, and when he had come home their bond was strengthened, even though they had their differences at the time. She reached out and took one of his hands away from his sternum and held it between her palms. “I remember. I also remember our conversation about starting a family before we even approached Tommy with the idea. I always planned on giving you a child, Angel. I want your baby just as much as I wanted Tommy’s.”
Angel squeezed his eyes shut, and his smile quivered. The joy she just brought into his heart was overwhelming. She never expected him to be so touched, and she felt the emotion rising in her throat . . . until she realized that she never discussed it with Tommy. Technically, Tommy would have no parental rights to the new baby, but it was exactly the situation Angel had with Lucas. And weren’t they both her husbands now? This triad had so many complications, she couldn’t foresee them all. Just when she thought everything had been worked out, that all the wrinkles had been smoothed to perfection, another kink twisted a knot in her stomach. She cautiously turned to Tommy. His face was blank. It was probably the first time in their lives together that she couldn’t read his reaction.
He slowly shook his head. “I can’t believe you sometimes, Jessi. You continually surprise me with how much love you have in your heart and how much you give, not just to me and Angel, but to everyone around you. What did I ever do to deserve such an understanding and loving wife?”
He kissed her. He slipped his hand behind her neck and gently rubbed it with his thumb while he pressed his lip to hers. It wasn’t filled with passion, heat and desire. It was pure love and affection that penetrated his kiss, and it left her breathless. “I thought you were mad for a second.”
“I could never be mad for the way you love Angel. His child will be no less my child, the same way Lucas is no less Angel’s son than he is mine. We are all parents. We are all married to each other.”
Emotion crept back into her throat, and she smiled through a watery haze. “I’m so happy.”
“Can we start right away?” Angel was beaming. The sparkle in his eyes and smile on his face was contagious, and Jessi found herself giddy.
She hadn’t thought about how they were going to conceive and wondered what he had in mind. Undoubtedly, there was a plan behind those mischievous dark eyes. “I’m ready,” she countered. “I didn’t go back on birth control yet, since I’m still pumping breast milk for Lucas, so there’s nothing stopping us from trying right now.” She looked to Tommy. “But, you’ll still—”
“I know. I’ll still have to wear a condom so I’m not the one who gets you pregnant.” He flashed his eyes up to the ceiling and groaned. “I thought I was just about done with those damn things.”
She laughed and placed the palm of her hand on his cheek.
“Hopefully my Latino seed will be fertile enough to impregnate you immediately,” Angel joked.
She stopped laughing and made eye contact with Angel. “How do you propose we do this?”
He lowered his eyes to the sheets and paused. “I want to try . . . Maybe we could . . .” He looked up, directly into her eyes. “I want to make a baby with you. I want to make love to you and make a baby. At least—”
Her breath caught. She had waited years for a physical relationship with Angel.