DISCLAIMER: Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga. I own nothing and profit nothing from this story.
Five years had passed, and life only got better with each new day. You would think after a while you couldn't love another person more than you already did. But each day made me love Bella more.
Our wedding was one of the best days of my life, but it didn't take long for an even better day to occur. Jared Brandon Mahan, or J.B. as we called him, was born nine months on the dot after the wedding. Our honeymoon baby as the joke went.
The family and pack came together for J.B.'s fourth birthday party. From the back porch, I could see the kids enjoying a game of hide and seek, though only J.B. and Levi, Sam and Emily's three year old son, were really old enough to know how the game worked. The three two year olds tended to follow their older brothers' directions blindly. Sam and Emily had a daughter named Harper, who was only two months younger than Bella and my twins. Parker Elijah and Camille Alexis followed J.B anywhere he went and did anything he told them to. Something my oldest had shamelessly already learned to take advantage of.
I walked over to the group of women that my wife was talking to. I came up behind her and wrapped my arms around her, resting my hands on her round stomach. She turned around to look at me, and the other imprints migrated away from us.
"Hey," she said softly.
"Hey, baby. When do you want me to bring out the cake?"
"Let them play a bit more. That way they'll be exhausted and after eating cake and ice cream, all of them will be ready for nap time." I grinned big. I loved nap time. Nap time equaled mommy and daddy alone time. With three kids, it seemed like one of them always ended up in our bed at night. I loved my kids more than anything, but I needed alone time with my imprint every once in a while. And sharing a bed with one of them cramped things majorly.
"Get that stupid grin off your face, Jared."
"What stupid grin?"
"The one you make when you think you're getting lucky."
"I love nap time," I said, wiggling my eyebrows.
"Yeah, well, today's nap time equals clean up time for us. I want to get all the party stuff cleaned up while the kids sleep." My grin fell.
"But nap time is supposed to be our time," I whined.
"Maybe tonight if you get lucky."
"Baby," I griped. That was an empty promise, and she knew it.
"Excuse me? You're the one that wanted a house full of kids, Jared Mahan. Having kids means less time for sex. Just wait until this one arrives," she said, rubbing her belly. "We'll have even less time to ourselves. So are you seeing why I think this should be it?"
Bella swore we wouldn't have anymore more after this one. Leila Marie would be the last Mahan born if my imprint had her way. But I loved our kids, and I wanted as many as she could give me. More kids did mean less time for us, she was right. Though, as an only child, I'd always imagined having a lot of kids, and five seemed like a good number.
"We'll decide for sure in a few years. Let's just take the time to reflect on how we create such beautiful children, and we owe it to the world to bring as many beautiful people into it as possible."
"Jared," she said, clearly annoyed and not seeing my reasoning as a good one.
"So, wait on the cake then?" I asked, trying to change the topic.
She rolled her eyes. "Yes, for another hour or so."
"Okay. I'll just go play with the other guys then."
"Don't get into to trouble."
"Yes, Mom."
She turned and walked back to where the other imprints had moved to. I watched her for a minute before heading over to the guys. They all stood around, nursing beers and joking.
"Jared, tell Paul that sex changes after marriage," Jacob told me. Paul finally got Leah to agree to marry him six months prior. The wedding would take place in two months.
"Mm, your sex life doesn't change so much because of marriage, but definitely after the kids arrive. You get it less, so you do get a little more creative."
"And expect a schedule," Sam offered.
"A schedule?" Paul asked, confused. "A schedule for what?"
Sam explained, "For sex. Generally, you don't get as much spontaneity. You plan it out. Kids go to their grandparent's house for a couple of hours on Sundays. Play dates rotate on Mondays and Wednesdays. If you don't plan time, then you won't get time."
"That doesn't sound appealing. I love spur-of-the-moment sex. It's my favorite," he grumbled. Leah and Paul were known for their spontaneous, outrageous sex adventures. Any place, any time. No place was safe from one of their escapades.
"No more kitchen sex. No more anywhere sex. You get restricted to a locked bedroom most of the time unless you get extremely lucky," I told Paul. I turned to Sam, remembering something, "By the way, we got to add another day now that Sarah's getting old enough to hang out with the other kids. I don't want the three of us sharing only two days. We each need our own." Jacob and Kim had a little girl, Sarah, about a year before. She hadn't participated in many of the play days since she wasn't really big enough to play with the others, but she was getting there.
"I have all the baby sitter I need right here," Jacob said, putting his arm around Seth.
That was a tricky time in the pack. The morning after Kim gave birth to Sarah, the pack all went to see the new family at the hospital. One look from Seth and Jacob about killed the boy. Instant imprint. It took Jacob a while to accept it, but now he had no problems handing Sarah off for the occasional alone time with Kim. Not instant imprint, more like instant babysitter.
I envied the built-in babysitter part, but not the whole already having to share my daughter with her future soul mate. No thanks. I didn't want to share my Cam-Cam with anyone, even someone as good as Seth. Though, I have to admit, if you had to share your daughter with someone, Seth was definitely the one you'd want. They don't come any better than him. The kid doesn't have a mean bone in his body. He cherishes Sarah like a princess.
"I love you, Seth, but I'm glad I don't have to worry about anyone imprinting any girls Talise and I have." Embry imprinted on Talise, a girl a year younger than him, only seven months earlier. We all knew he feared imprinting on one of the pack's future daughters after Seth did on Sarah. Embry didn't want to imprint on a baby, so it thrilled him to no end when he laid eyes on Talise while visiting his mom's family on the Makah reservation.
"You never know, one of their boys could phase and imprint down the line," Seth commented.
"Maybe, but at least it won't be until I've had my own time with my daughter."
Seth rolled his eyes before finding where Sarah sat in her mother's lap across the yard.
"Daddy!" My head snapped to find Camille. I saw her running toward me with tears in her eyes.
"Baby girl, what's wrong?" I asked, scooping her up in my arms.
"They won't let me play, Daddy," she cried into my shoulder.
"Who?"
"J.B., Park and Levi." I looked over to where the boys played. Levi and Parker played with their trucks, but J.B.'s eyes met mine with smidge of fear in them. Birthday boy knew he was possibly in trouble.
"Why won't they let you play, Cam-Cam?"
"Levi said girls can't play with trucks. He said I go with Claire and Harper to play with Barbie. I don't like dolls, Daddy. I want trucks." Ah, my little tomboy.
Claire had always enjoyed being doted on like a princess by Quil and playing dress up, and she found a partner in little Harper. But my Cam-Cam loved doing whatever her brothers and Levi did. As far as she was concerned the dirtier the better.
"Levi told you that, Camille?" Sam asked beside me.
My daughter looked up at Sam with the wide, doe eyes she inherited from her mother and nodded. "Levi mean, Uncle Sam."
Sam sighed and looked toward his son. "Levi!" he yelled. Levi's head popped up and his eyes went wide, with a different reason than Camille's. Sam may have given up Alpha to Jacob two years earlier, but he didn't lose that Alpha voice entirely.
"Yes, Daddy?" Levi asked meekly.
"Come over here, son."
Levi slowly made his way over to us. I observed J.B. as he watched his best friend make the walk of being in trouble. J.B. caught my eye and quickly ducked his head and continued playing with his younger brother. He didn't want any part of what Levi was going to get.
When Levi finally made it to us, the little boy stared at the ground.
"Yes, Dad?"
"Did you tell Camille she couldn't play with you?"
Levi through the corner of his eye peeked at Camille, before answering his father. "Yes, sir."
"Why?"
"Girls aren't supposed to play with trucks. They play with dolls and other girly things."
"Who told you that, Levi?" Sam questioned.
"Claire."
Sam let out a long breath. "Levi, cousin Claire likes the more girly stuff, as does your sister. However, that doesn't mean that all girls like that stuff. Camille can play with whatever she wants, even trucks. Girls can play with boy toys and boys can play with girl toys."
"I would never play dress up, Dad."
"Uncle Quil used to play dress up with Claire all the time," I said.
"Still does," Embry laughed. "I caught him in a tutu just last week."
"Oh shut up," Quil grumbled. "I can't wait for Sarah to torture Seth. Then you guys can harp on him instead of me."
"I don't care what Sarah says, I won't wear a tutu," Seth claimed.
"We'll see about that," Jacob snickered.
"See! Uncle Seth won't play dress up," Levi pointed out.
Sam turned a glare on Seth. "Seth, tell Levi that dress up is okay for boys. Then stay quiet."
Seth rolled his eyes before following orders. "Levi, boys can dress up, with dolls or whatever else girls play with. Girls can play with trucks, Nerf guns or any other typically boy toys."
"Then why won't you wear a tutu, Uncle Seth?" the little boy questioned.
Seth glanced around for help, but we all looked at him expectantly. "I, uh, um, I don't think I'll look as good as Uncle Quil, and so I don't want to look silly compared to him."
Levi looked at him for a few moments before answering, seemingly satisfied. "Oh, okay."
Sam spoke up again. "So, you see that Camille can play with you and the boys?"
"Yeah, I guess so," Levi said. He then turned to look up at Camille. "I'll let you play with my blue monster truck, Cami. I know it's your favorite."
"Really?" She asked, hopefully.
Levi kicked the ground a little. "I guess so."
"Thanks, Levi," my Cam-Cam exclaimed. She looked back at me. "Daddy, you put me down now," she told me.
"Okay, baby." I set her down, and the pair went off running back to where J.B. and Parker had stayed and played.
"I can't believe you want more, Jared," Paul said, while we all watched the kids go back to playing.
"Why do you say that?" I asked.
"One is more than enough trouble. I don't know how you handle three in one house and one more on the way."
"You teach them right and you don't have any major issues. Sure, little things happen, but overall, they're all good kids."
"I don't know. I think Leah and I have decided on only one."
"You say that, but once you hold that first one in your arms, you'll be ready for the next one. And if you're not, Leah will. Kim wanted to start trying again almost immediately. I had to convince her that Sarah should be at least a year old before we try again."
"Times coming up then," Embry noticed.
"Yeah, and Bella being pregnant isn't helping. So thanks, Jared."
"What did I do?"
"You've gotten Bells knocked up three times now. Every time you do, it gets the rest of the women wanting the same thing."
"I have to agree with him," Sam said.
I looked at them both confused. "What?"
"Did you never figure out that we got pregnant with Levi a month after you announced Bella was pregnant with J.B. and that Harper came only two months after the twins? Emily gets the pregnancy itch every time Bella does."
"Is Emily pregnant now?" Quil asked.
"What? No. God, I hope not. I love my kids, but they exhaust me. I'm getting old, and I don't have the energy like I used to. Jared, I'm with Paul, I seriously don't know how you do it."
"Yeah, and Kim started to talk about kids when the twins came. Hence, Sarah came not too, too long after them and Harper."
"Well, I hate to tell you guys, but if I can get Bella to agree, I want at least one more."
"What, you want a whole sports team or something?" Paul questioned.
"No. I just– I don't know. Five is the number that's always been in my head."
"Give it up, man. Don't do that to us," Jacob pleaded.
"Whatever. Like you guys get any say on whether or not I have another baby with my wife."
"I do," a voice behind me said. I turned around to see my imprint with her hands on her hips.
"Hey, baby," I cooed.
"Don't 'baby' me, Jared. No more. Four is more than enough. Our kids make up more than half of the pack kids."
"Yeah, right now, but what about after Jake and Kim have another, and then Embry and Talise, and Paul and Leah. I'm not even including Quil and Seth in that count, because, well, that's still far down the line. Anyway, we need one more to ensure we stay in the lead."
"It's not a game, Jared. The only way we're having another is if you're the one to carry him or her for the nine months."
"You know that's not possible, Bella."
"Then I guess you'll have to settle with four."
"But–"
"No buts. Go get the cake and ice cream. The kids look about worn out," she said before walking away.
"No nap time for you," Sam snickered. He shared my love for nap time and understood how it worked.
"I already have no nap time. Bella told me that I get clean up time today."
"Sucks for you."
"Shut up, Sam."
"Jared!" Bella yelled from across the yard. She raised an eyebrow.
"Shit," I muttered under my breath. "I gotta get that cake pronto if I want nap time any this week." I quickly made my back into the house.
As I walked away, I heard Paul ask, "What the hell does 'nap time' mean?" Only Jacob and Sam laughed.
I loved my wife, my kids and my life. I didn't think it could get much better, but like I said, each day somehow got better and better.