MARCH 4

I quickly got Stryker buckled into his booster seat. Alex and I had just gotten off work when I got the phone call from my mom. "Alexander!" I called. "Hurry up!"

"I'm coming." He came out of the house and locked the door before getting into the car. "Has she actually had the baby yet?" he asked, starting the engine.

I shook my head, getting into my own seat. "No, but I guess the labor is progressing pretty quickly. We've got to hurry, or we'll miss it." Alex pulled out of the driveway.

"Miss what, Mama?" Stryker asked.

"Aunt Maddie is having her baby right now. You're going to get a cousin today."

"Baby Nathan?" he asked. Maddie and Sammy had decided the name for their son about two months earlier. And Stryker had been talking about his new baby cousin since he'd found out about him – when Maddie was about three months along and starting to show.

Which, of course, had led to the how-did-the-baby-get-in-there talk.

Not. Fun.

But we'd gotten through it. And we'd decided not to lie to him about it. We'd given him a very simple explanation of the process, without going into any kind of detail. Luckily, he wasn't too curious. He knew that the Mommy had special eggs, and the Daddy had special seeds, and when the two were put together, they made a baby inside the Mommy's tummy. That had been good enough for him.

"Yes, Baby Nathan," I said, in answer to his question.

"Can I pay with him?"

I shook my head. "Sorry, little man. He's not going to be big enough for you to play with. Not yet. You'll have to wait until he's older."

"Aw. That no fun."

I chuckled, shaking my head. Yeah, he was ready for a playmate. It was too bad that he'd have to wait a few years for Nathan to be big enough for that. But he was starting kindergarten in September. I was sure he'd make some new friends pretty quick. He was a sweet kid, and he loved people. And he had some friends at the daycare that he went to during part of the week. My little boy didn't have any problems making friends.

"Daddy, Mama," Stryker said. "How come we don't have a baby, wike Aunt Maddie?"

I looked back at my son. "Well," I began. "A baby is a lot of work. It takes a lot of time to take care of a baby. Daddy and I haven't been married for very long, and I don't think we're ready for a baby yet. Do you want a baby brother or sister?"

"Yeah! A bwothuh!"

I laughed. "Well, at some point, we'll probably get a baby. Just not yet, okay? You'll have to wait."

He gave a long-suffering sigh. "Okay."

Only a few minutes later, we arrived at the hospital. Alex got Stryker, while I rushed into the hospital. I asked for Maddison du Lac's room, and then hurried in the direction I was told.

Oh, I hoped I hadn't missed it. When Mom had called me, she'd said that the labor was progressing very quickly. Of course, it had taken us a little while to get there, because we'd already settled in for the evening. It had taken some time getting us all ready to go again.

I groaned as soon as I got to the room. Most of my family and Sammy's family was gathered around, which meant…

"I missed it," I said.

"I'm sorry, Mac," Maddie told me. "He wasn't going to wait any longer. But you get to be the first one to hold him, other than me and Sammy. Get over here."

Mom gave me a teasing smile as I approached my twin's bed. "She won't even let me or Gwen hold him first."

"She's my twin," Maddie said defensively. Then she smiled at me, holding up her baby boy. "Nathan Jonas du Lac."

"Oh," I said, looking down at my nephew. "He's adorable." And he was. He looked a lot like Sammy, but his skin was much lighter. He had a full head of hair, almost as curly as my son's.

"Where's your husband and son?" Dad wanted to know.

"Behind me. I rushed ahead, trying not to miss the actual birth of my nephew. I guess I didn't rush enough." And just as I was saying that, Alex and Stryker came in.

"Mama!" my son said, seeing the baby in my arms. "Mama! Can I hode him?"

"He's too little, Stryk. You're not quite bit enough to hold him yet."

"Oh, you can let him hold the baby," Maddie said. She was smiling down at my son. "As long as you're right next to him. And he's sitting down. There's a small couch right there, Mac. Stryker, you have to be extra careful with him. He's very fragile."

Stryker nodded, moving to the couch and sitting down. I sat next to him, and helped him hold Nathan in his lap.

My son beamed, being very careful not to move much. He was being so gentle. "He so cute."

I looked at and smiled at Alex. Stryk was going to make such a great big brother, when we eventually decided to have a baby. We weren't quite ready, but I didn't think it would be too much longer before we were ready.