Lexi rolled her eyes.
“I don’t know why we’re going to the zoo if we live in one.” Curtis slipped on his shoes, ignoring the giant hole in the wall by the front closet. How the boys caused so much destruction was beyond him.
Lexi rolled her eyes again. “You’re the one who suggested it.”
He winked back. “Only because I thought we could leave a few of these monkeys there.”
“Thank goodness your sister is joining us. I could use the extra set of hands.”
“I can’t wait for them to start sports. That’s going to be a great use of energy.”
“They’re already in swimming, football, and gymnastics,” Lexi groaned. “What more is there?”
“I don’t know, but I’ll find it.” Curtis plucked his daughter from Lexi’s arms and planted a big kiss on both her cheeks. She screamed in delight and grabbed his face.
“Is four too young to sign them up for a job? Maybe they’d like to work at the zoo,” Lexi offered.
“I want to work there!” Bryce yelled.
“Me too!”
“It’s settled then.” He shot his wife a private smile. While their friends and even his sister admitted they had their hands full, they wouldn’t change it for anything. Not the holes, not the spills, not the breaks, not the screams and shouts and the running and the yelling and the constant living life at full blast, high speed, burning the candle at both ends and then some.
He loved every single second of every single minute of every single hour of every single day. This was his life. It was his and Lexi’s life. It was the life they’d created, worked hard for, cried and laughed and loved and lived.
“When can we talk about having another?” he whispered in Lexi’s ear as she helped the boys out the front door.
“Are you crazy?” She didn’t bother turning around and the boys gave cheers of affirmation as they jumped down the steps and raced each other to the garage where the SUV was waiting. “If we have another, we’ll have to get a van. You hate vans.”
“What are you talking about? I love vans. I’ve always wanted one. I’ll give up the dream of an eight seater SUV in favor of a van if that’s what it takes.”
Lexi shot him a look before she stepped into the garage, which was echoing with the cheers and yells of two very eager, excited little boys. Izabella stirred in his arms. He glanced down at her chubby cheeked, blue eyed, babyface.
“I love you.” He nudged her nose with his and she let out another toddler cry of delight. He turned his face to the side and grinned at his wife, who was, he could tell because he absolutely knew her better than anyone in the world, melting inside. “And I love you.”
“Van,” she shot back. “It’s like a three-letter swear word.”
“I still love you.”
Lexi strolled over the SUV and opened the door. Getting the kids in was always a sport in and of itself. It didn’t stop her from pausing and giving him a private look, the ones she saved just for him. The look that told him no matter how crazy it got, no matter how hard and hairy and wild, she was in it for life. Just like he was.
I love you, she mouthed back wordlessly before she called Jace and Bryce’s names to load them in first. She was going to be a scruffy, wrinkled, out of sorts mess long before they got to the zoo. He knew it. She knew it. He knew he’d fare no better. The boys probably wouldn’t either. They’d be lucky to all get there in one piece, minus spilled snacks, the kids trying to take their clothes off for god knew what reason, shoes misplaced, meltdowns… the list went on and on.
He freaking loved that list.
So did Lexi.
That day in the parking lot changed everything. It was their fresh beginning. They stood together that day and never looked back. Bumps, growing pains, tears, trials, it didn’t matter. Because there were laughter and joy, smiles and tender little hearts. The entire world thought he had everything when really, he’d had nothing. Nothing that mattered. His family was his everything. They were his whole world. They were his real trust fund, as Lexi liked to lovingly say.
He’d never been prouder to be a TFB, as she jokingly still liked to call him in her texts, emails, and sometimes even out loud. He had all the money in the world, but he was never happy until he had love. Love, the real currency. The only currency that meant anything. It overflowed his heart and life… it turned out that all the pieces he’d doubted and feared for so long fit perfectly. Yeah. Life was pretty darn amazing after all.
The End