Later that night, I wandered the quiet house. I checked on all my girls.
Lucy had fallen asleep with music playing quietly in the background. Her room consisted of posters of her favorite singers and piles of clothes and books now. She still had her fairy bed, as she called it, but the rest of the room was more grown-up, although Mr. Teddy and Fluffy the unicorn were perched in places of honor. I shut off the music and stroked the hair off her forehead, bending down to brush a kiss to the smooth surface.
Across the hall, Shannon was asleep on the end of her bed, the blankets on the floor. She was restless at night, almost grudgingly giving in to sleep. I moved her back up to the pillows and draped the blanket back over her, knowing she’d end up on the bottom again before morning. I kissed her cheek, and she snuffled in her sleep at the touch of my beard on her skin. I left the nightlight on, the stars a dim glow on her ceiling.
Downstairs, Erin was a tight bundle in the middle of her bed. She never stopped all day long and crashed fast at night, barely moving until the morning. Her room was yellow and white, flowers everywhere on the fabric and wallpaper. She was wrapped around a stuffed penguin, her face buried in the black-and-white pelt. I brushed my hand over her soft hair, smiling at my youngest girl. She’d be up early with me tomorrow, anxious to see her flowers and the world.
I stood in our bedroom doorway, smiling at Paige. She was asleep early, her hand tucked under her cheek. She wore one of my T-shirts, liking the loose cotton on her skin. Her hand rested on her stomach, a bump already forming.
Our incredibly busy lives were about to change yet again. Two more babies would be added to our world. Two male babies in a house that had only ever known girl ones. Four girls, three boys.
All living under the same roof. Learning, growing, loving. I could imagine the mornings now. The craziness of dinnertime. The constant running to soccer practices, dance recitals, school functions. We were going to need a lot of help.
Life would be wild.
And I couldn’t think of anything that would make me happier.
I slipped into bed, pulling Paige to my chest. She settled with a small noise, then she was out again.
I laid my hand over hers, knowing underneath them, our children slumbered.
All around me, my family was at rest. What a great future.
I closed my eyes and joined them. I was going to need the sleep.
Tomorrow beckoned.
Ten years later…
Liam
The phone rang and I sat up, startled and rubbing my eyes. I squinted at my watch, seeing it was just past midnight.
A phone call that late never boded well.
“Hello.”
“Son, I thought you ought to know that AJ and Brock are in the pool. Again.”
“What?” I let out a string of curse words. “How the hell did they get out of the house?”
“You’ll have to ask them. They figured it out. Luckily, they didn’t figure out the sensors I had put in around the pool. They went off, and I found the boys floating around like nothing was out of the ordinary.”
“I’ll be right there.”
“Take your time. They’re having fun.”
“Fun?” I hissed. “It’s midnight. They should be asleep.” I hung up and flung back the covers.
“What now?” Paige asked, her voice dry.
I pulled on a pair of sweats. “Your sons found a way around the security system Reid put in, snuck out of the house, and are in the pool.” I yanked a T-shirt over my head. “Again.”
Paige sat up, wrapping her arms around her knees. “Why is it when they do these things, they’re my sons? Other times, you claim ownership as well.”
“Because right now, I want to lock them up and refuse to admit any of my DNA is inside them.”
She burst out laughing. “Good luck with that. Your little mini-mes. They are the nine-year-old version of you, my darling husband.”
“I think it’s Reid’s influence. Ronan’s too.”
She slipped back under the covers. “Okay. Have fun. Make sure to towel-dry their hair, or they’ll get their pillows wet.”
“You’re not coming?”
She snuggled deeper. “Nope.”
“Paige, we’re supposed to be in this together.”
“I’ll withhold dessert. Make them do extra chores. I recall you gloating over having twin boys and how much of an expert you were at boys since you were one and all. You handle it.”
I glared at her, then tugged the blanket over her shoulder and bent down and kissed her. “Once I’m finished dealing with our errant sons, I’m coming back to deal with my cheeky wife.”
“Promises, promises.”
I stomped to the pool, normally a five-minute walk. I did it in two. My dad was sitting on one of the chairs, dressed in sweats and a shirt like me. He had one ankle resting on his knee, leaning forward. “Put some muscle into it, AJ! Brock’s beating you—again!” He sat back, grinning at me.