I kissed the tip of her nose and looked down at Walker before turning my eyes to hers. “That’s a promise.”
Five Years Later
“Ava Grace! Do not bite Gracie’s ear,” I said.
Reed, Walker, and Jase ran by, yelling, “Tackle, Uncle Layton!”
Whitley laughed as she walked up and gave Taylor and Ava each a cupcake. “I can’t believe Walker and Taylor are five. Time has just flown by.”
I smiled as I looked around and nodded. “And Ava and Jase are just turning four. It’s unreal.”
Whitley let out a laugh. “You know what’s unreal is both pregnancies, we were just weeks apart from each other.”
I giggled and nodded my head. “That’s because you and Layton didn’t wait your full six weeks!”
Whitley turned and looked at me, mouth hanging open. “Excuse me. You had Ava a week after I had Jase. Who didn’t wait her full six weeks? I wouldn’t doubt that y’all were having sex a few days after Walker was born.”
“Pesh. I wish, but Reed did make up for it in so many different ways,” I said as I wiggled my eyebrows up and down.
“Please. Layton wrote the book on how to make me feel good and—”
“Girls, please. After all these years, you would think you’d remember when y’all are in public and not to talk about your sex life,” Mimi said as she walked by and scooped up Ava before heading toward the swings.
“Me, too, Aunt Mimi! I want to swing, too! I get to go first! It’s my birthday, y’all!” Taylor yelled out as she took off after Mimi and Ava.
I sat down and let out a sigh. “Y’all still talking about another one?” I asked as I looked over at Whitley.
She shook her head. “No. I think Taylor and Jase are enough. I mean, how lucky are we that we had a girl and a boy? I love our little family, and I am perfectly content with it just how it is.” She glanced over at m
e and gave my shoulder a push. “What about you?”
“Nope. Reed already has an appointment to get the old balls snipped.”
“Yuck. I didn’t need that visual,” Whitley said as she made a gagging sound.
We sat there in silence as we watched our little world playing out in front of us. Reed, Layton, and Kevin were playing tag football with the boys while Mimi, Melanie, Jen, and Kate played with the girls on the swings.
I couldn’t help but notice how Kevin and Jen kept looking at each other. They had been dating for the last two years, and Jen didn’t know it, but Kevin was going to pop the question tonight. I smiled, thinking about it and how happy Jen would finally be. We all knew Mike was the love of her life, and Kevin had spent a few years letting guilt get in his way of pursuing his best friend’s girl. But when Layton had told him that Mike would want Jen to be with someone he had trusted and loved like a brother, Kevin had finally given in and asked Jen out.
“Hey, Whit?” I asked as I watched Reed running after Walker.
“Yeah, Court?”
“Did you ever imagine your life could be this happy?” I asked.
Reed happened to look up, and his eyes caught mine. I sucked in a breath of air and placed my hands on my stomach. He still had the power to make me feel like a teenager in love.
“Nope, not until the first time Layton made love to me. I think I knew in that moment that everything was going to be okay.”
I nodded as I smiled at Reed.
He gave me that crooked smile of his and then mouthed, I love you.
I bit down on my lip and mouthed it back.
“What about you?” she asked.
We both turned and looked at each other.