Trouble Me Read Online Free

Hunter was a little, little boy. Beau’s got a lot more awareness than a toddler.
    “No, no, it’s not. I don’t need a younger brother. I like the way things are right now.” He runs out of the room to his bedroom.
    I start to get up, but Andrew puts a hand on my knee. “Give him a minute.” He turns to look at Hunter. “What about you, Hunter? How are you with this?”
    Hunter shrugs. “I don’t know. I think I like it. I’m happy for you guys.” Something dawns on him. “You’re not married. Do you need to get married? Wait. This means—never mind.” He grins for a second and then picks up his plate of eggs. “I’m not thinking about that part—more than I need to know about my mom.” He gives me a peck on the cheek and offers Andrew up a fist bump. “I’m going to eat in the TV room.”
    And he’s gone.
    “Andrew, poor Beau.” I feel confused and cloudy, and tears threaten to choke me up.
    He pats my leg. “Change is hard. This is huge. He doesn’t have to love it right now. Don’t push him. We’ll just love him up, and when the baby comes, we’ll love him up then too. It’s going to be different. I promise I won’t sugar-coat it for him. But I suspect when there’s a little somebody who worships the ground he walks on, he’ll start to feel differently about it.”
    “That could be true.” Beau will be a spectacular big brother. I can see him now, doting on the little one. It’ll be amazing to watch. “He’ll love having a little brother.”
    Andrew chuckles. “A brother, huh?”
    “Just a hunch.” I feel a smile forming at the thought of another little guy toddling around.
    “Or, an assumption. So, on to Hunter’s question.” Andrew looks at me, steady and clear blue eyes searching mine.
    “What?”
    “Do we need to get married?” He holds my gaze.
    “I hadn’t even thought about that. I don’t know, Andrew.”
    “Well, just for the record, I’m game.” He leans forward and kisses my bottom lip, gives it a little nip, sending a shiver down my spine.
    “Actually, I do think I know what I want.”
    “Yes?” He’s curious.
    “I want to call a time out on this discussion. I want a real-deal proposal. I want it to be a surprise, and I want it to happen when we have time to plan whatever amazingly cool kind of wedding we want.”
    “If we’re having this conversation, you’re not going to be very surprised that I propose. Clearly it’s something I want, and you don’t seem opposed to it, either.”
    “I know that. But when Peter and I decided to get married, we had a very similar, very practical discussion, and then he took me to pick out my ring. This time, I want you to surprise me. Nothing practical. So, time out. This conversation never happened.”
    “I can get on board with that. I will hunt down the Eye of the Tiger and give it to you while we are in a hot air balloon above an active volcano. When you least suspect it. We’re going big. Very big.”
    “The baby takes first priority right now. You’re not allowed to propose to me while I’m huddled over the toilet, sick as a dog. And no proposing while I’m in labor. I will kill you if you do that. I guarantee.”
    He gets up to go do the dishes the boys have left. “I promise. None of that. Now leave me to my creative thoughts. I’m thinking about a trained monkey or possibly Donald Trump. Maybe a marching band.”
    I stick my fingers in my ears. “Not listening. We’re not having this conversation. You’re going to surprise me.”
    He laughs and kisses me on the forehead as he heads for dish duty. “What were we talking about? I’ve forgotten.”
    All this change coming at me so fast, and just when we were settling into being a family. It wasn’t until after Andrew’s rehab that we were even officially and publically a couple. That’s only been about a year. So much for a nice boring stretch of just living and existing and enjoying the status quo. But I can’t help but smile. Nothing ever