We’d already added onto the house twice since it was finished the year before Darby and I got married.
After Darby had made up with his brothers, life had become something out of a fairytale for me.
Over time, as more children were born, we’d added on again and again.
“I can plan out an addition,” I said.
I’d started working with Candy’s father designing and working up his house plans.
It hadn’t been what I’d expected to accomplish with my architecture degree, but it allowed me to do my work from home, work whatever hours I wanted, and stay home with my kids.
I also continued to manage the Apache. At first I’d thought about leaving after Peyson was born, but Gibson had begged me to stay.
So I had.
“Hey,” Codie said. “If she gets an extra room, I want an extra room.”
“Me, too,” Candy said. “Or two. Maybe just give us all two.”
Georgia snorted. “You’re gonna have as many kids as me if you’re not careful.”
I looked at Georgia.
“I can build y’all into this place,” I said. “Do you want me to?”
“No,” Nico said, having come up silently. “No, I can’t handle it.”
I grinned at Nico’s no-nonsense attitude.
The man loved his family, but he loved solitude, too.
“Are y’all really adding on to the house again?” Nico asked.
I looked at Callum who was talking to a now awake Kendall. He gave her a huge kiss, then climbed the fence and hopped down on the other side.
“Callum is making my ovaries sing right now,” Desi said. “I was thinking that we could have more babies, but then Way pointed out that we didn’t have enough room. So now we’re gonna add two more rooms onto the place.”
“I already texted my dad,” Candy said. “He said he’ll be here Monday with a crew to get started.”
Nico’s lips twitched. “Are y’all going to discuss this with your men?”
“Why would we?” I asked curiously.
“Because they’re gonna want to have a say in their house being ripped apart again,” Nico pointed out.
As it turned out, Nico was right.
The damn man.
“I don’t mind adding on more rooms,” Darby said. “We have plenty of money… it’s just that… are you sure you want more kids?”
I was considering giving up working at the Apache since Kendall was born.
There just wasn’t enough time in my day to love my kids, do my dream job, and work at a drive-in porn theater.
And, as it turns out, I was much happier working from home while my kids played at my feet.
Not to mention Desi always had baked goods of some kind or another for us to snack on.
And my babies got to play with their cousins and find out what it’s like to grow up in a place that they were loved.
Unlike me and my childhood.
“I like the idea,” he continued. “But what are we going to do with two extra rooms?”
His question was followed up with a hand smoothing down the length of my ass.
When he pulled me closer, into his hard erection, I knew exactly where his thoughts were headed.
“I just had a baby,” I said breathlessly.
“That was months ago,” he said. “Your baby weight is already off.”
That was true but…
“I just got her sleeping through the night,” I tried again.
His mouth moved down to my neck, lips skimming over my pulse.
My rapidly beating, only did that for Darby Valentine, pulse.
“I’ll help you, just like I always do,” he growled.
Then I forgot why I was thinking this was a bad idea.
And instead decided to embrace Darby’s idea.
And boy, embrace it I did.
Also, apparently, we weren’t the only ones that had that same thought that night.
Nine months later, four more Valentine babies were born.
Ace and Codie’s little Lara. Callum and Desi’s big Branham. Banks and Candy’s rambunctious Race. And Darby and my sweet Sarahlee.
The Motherfuckin’ End.