Waves of Hope
Chapter Seventeen
Edward
It's scorching hot as I stick my hands in my pockets and stroll out of the air-conditioned hospital onto the sun-warmed asphalt at the front of St. Joseph's. Sliding my sunglasses from the collar of my tee, I settle them over my eyes and look up at the sky. It's a gorgeous cerulean, not a hint of a cloud anywhere to be seen.
What a beautiful day to be born.
My face splits with my grin when I hear a quick trio of beeps. Looking toward the noise, I spot a familiar SUV heading my way. The boys wave madly as they sail past; even Angela offers me a silly smile and a wave before turning into the parking lot.
My heart thumps with anticipation as I wait for them to park up and join me. It's a little before noon, the sun is high in the sky and everything is right in my world now the babies are settled, Bella is fine, and the boys are here.
I can't wait for them to meet their brothers and sister.
We've prepared them the best we can, using pamphlets and an online virtual tour of the NICU. We've explained that the babies are very small and need quiet and time to grow. When the boys meet them, they'll be allowed to put their hands through the holes in the sides of the incubators to touch their new siblings and start bonding with them.
My fingers tingle as the memory of River holding the tip of my pinky finger clouds my mind. Both Bella and I got to take turns stroking the babies' miniature hands and feet, basically the only areas not covered in wires and sticky pads monitoring everything from heart rate to oxygen to temperature.
"Dad!" Arlo yells, snapping me from my reverie.
For the briefest second, I picture myself having to do this differently. I picture myself having to kill the boys' great mood by telling them that we have our babies, but we lost Bella.
Then Arlo slams into me and I remind myself not to go there. It didn't happen and it won't happen.
Grinning, I crouch to hug him against my chest, yanking the twins—the big twins—in for a group hug as Angela speed-walks toward us, balloons in one hand and a little hamper in the other.
"Congrats, EC!" she beams, dumping the hamper and the weighted balloon to give me a squeeze once the boys have wiggled free. "I can't wait to meet them!"
Huffing a chuckle through my nose, I hug her back before offering the boys a wink. "Well, you'll have to wait a bit longer. We promised the boys they'd be the first to meet the babies."
Thankfully, not one person has bitched about it. Not that we expected them to, necessarily, but everyone's been here for so long that we started to feel bad keeping them away, but a promise is a promise and the boys deserve this.
"We get to be the first ones?" Arlo asks, his big grin giving away his pride.
"Absolutely, bud."
"Can we go now?"
Jaxson is already walking backward toward the door, so I laugh and take the hamper from Angela, thanking her as she explains it's full of goodies we might want while we're here visiting. Bottled water, cereal bars, a couple crossword books...things that will come in handy while we're visiting the babies in the hospital for at least a couple of months.
As we walk through the corridors, the boys edging ahead, I fill Angela in on the babies' stats and how Bella's doing. After a couple hours in her bed, she managed to get into a wheelchair and is still enjoying a lack of pain courtesy of the many drugs she was given during surgery.
"She's not countin' on it lasting," I admit.
Angela hisses sympathetically. "I remember my C-section with Freya. I was fine for the first day, but it was when the drugs all wore off that I really felt it. " She aims her dark eyes and bright smile at me as we approach our room where our family is still gathered. Apart from Everly, who had to leave to get back in time for her swim school students, everyone is still here. "Still, she has you and a team of nurses to help her, plus meds on tap all the time she's here. I'm sure she'll be fine."
The boys are restless, so we drop Angela off, then I lead Jaxson, Finley, and Arlo to the NICU. They're uncharacteristically quiet as I show them the way, the corridors familiar after going back and forth a handful of times already today.
"Will they know who we are?" Jaxson asks. Finley's lip is between his teeth and Arlo is eyeing me with curiosity as I smile and nod.
"Of course they will. You've been talkin' to them ever since they can remember. Just because they haven't seen your faces yet, doesn't mean they won't know you're their awesome big brothers."
Mollified, the boys pepper me with more questions.
What do the babies do all day? Can we touch the babies? Who gets to hold a baby first? Will they think we're funny? Why can't we take them home today?
And the one that hits me right in the chest and momentarily steals my breath.
Will they ever get to come home from the hospital?
Finley hangs back as we approach the NICU, his question heavy in the air. Glancing over my shoulder at him, I almost smile at the way he chews his lip and frowns at the big double doors. He got the lip-chewing from his mom. Stopping just short of the NICU, I drop to a crouch and wave all three boys closer. They come to me with varying degrees of nerves and anticipation on their faces. It's Finley I concentrate on first.
"Talk to me, buddy."
His eyes are just as expressive as his mom's. The gray in them catches the fluorescents above us, shining silver as he blows a big breath through his nose and shifts his feet. "Are the babies sick?"
We've been as honest as possible all the way through this. We've told them that the babies will be small, fragile, and will need to stay in the hospital for a while. I guess intuition and maybe overhead conversations have clued them into the gravity of the situation. The babies are doing great now, but we've been warned over and over that things can and do change fast in the NICU.
So, instead of making promises I may not be able to keep, I reassure Jaxson, Finley, and Arlo the best way I can for now. Pursing my lips, I debate the best way to answer, finally deciding honesty is the best policy here. "Yeah, bud, they are, but only because they were born so early. You remember Mom and I told you that babies usually take nine months, or around forty weeks, to grow?"
"Uh-huh," he nods, big, solemn eyes intent on me and so trusting that it takes my breath away. Reaching out to brush a lock of unruly hair away from his face, I grin ruefully at his grimace.
Right, you're a big kid now.
"The babies were born ten weeks early. That's a quarter of their cookin' time, so they're only three quarters done."
Arlo and Jaxson snort at my analogy while Finley fights a smile.
"Do you remember when Aunt Ange brought Freya home from the hospital?" The boys all nod, so I continue, "Right. And you remember how small she was, how light she felt when you held her? Our babies are even smaller than that, so they need a little help to get bigger and finish learning how to do the stuff newborns need to do, like breathe by themselves, drink milk, keep their temperatures steady...a bunch of other things, too, but those are the main ones. Does that make sense?"
The boys nod again, and I might be imagining it, but I feel like they look a little bit lighter, a little more relaxed.
"Do you have any other questions before we go in there?"
Arlo cocks his head. "Can we hold them?"
"Not just yet, bud. Hopefully in a week or so, maybe sooner if the babies are doing well."
He sighs, pursing his lips in a great impression of me when I'm thinking. "Okay, well can we at least find out all their names? You and Mom said we could once they got here."
Finley and Jaxson chime their agreement as I chuckle before lifting myself out of my crouch, groaning softly at the pop of my back. I'm no spring chicken. At forty-two, nearly forty-three, I'm probably crazy for starting out this parenting gig all over again, and with six infants, no less.
The boys are excited, but they're also daunted by the unfamiliar environment and all the sights and sounds they've never had to deal with before. They listen and watch attentively as I show them how to properly wash their hands before leading them further into the NICU to our babies' room. Their eyes are wide as they take everything in. I don't blame them for being wary; this is a busy, emotional environment. I have no doubt that they can feel that.
Still, there's no stifling my grin as I tell the boys they'll find out the babies' names when we introduce them, or when I finally walk them into the sixers' room. Bella beams from her spot over by the window between Caben and Mackenzie.
The boys don't know how close they came to losing her today, but they do know she's recently had surgery, so they're gentle when she calls them over for hugs.
My eyes get a little misty watching her cradle each of their faces in turn, peppering their smile-stretched cheeks with kisses and holding them a few seconds longer than usual.
One day, when they're older, all of our children will likely learn how courageous their momma really is. They'll know that she fought for them every single step of the way. I'm just the proud, lucky fucker who gets to stand by her side.
"So, big brother," Bella sings, reading the words printed on Arlo's shirt as she lightly chucks his chin before addressing the twins, too. "Would you like to meet your little brothers and sister?"
"Yes," Jaxson grins, looking around with something like wide-eyed wonder. "Which one first?"
Looking at me, Bella smiles. "Shall we go in birth order?"
"Sure, sounds good."
Guiding her wheelchair over to the first incubator, I lift the edge of the blue blanket up and tuck it out of the way so the boys can see in.
"Boys, this is River Jack."
Arlo's grin melts away a little as he peers in at River draped in tubes and sticky pads. He leans into my side, so I draw him further in and squeeze him to me. "What are all the wires for?"
Bella and I have had a crash course in what all the different things are, so we give the boys the simple version, pointing to the ventilators, the heart monitor, the thermostat that tells us what the temperature inside the incubator is, then we shift their attention to their brother's tiny feet, his miniature hands, and the barely discernible wisps of hair on his head. We don't want them to remember the medical equipment in the years to come. We want them to remember River's face as he scrunches it up and lets out a mighty squeak, his fingers closing around Finley's thumb just as Bella snaps a photo.
"He's cute," Arlo finally decides, offering me a careful grin that I return with another gentle squeeze. He's looking for reassurance I'm happy to give, and he sticks with me as we shuffle over to Oakley.
"Do they have to stay in these pods until they come home?" Jaxson asks.
"No, buddy," I chuckle. "Just until they're bigger and they can handle being in the normal cribs. Their temperatures are kind of up and down at the moment, so the incubators—ah, pods, help fix that."
"Right," Jaxson mouths, his attention drawn to Oakley as he stretches out his scrawny arms and legs. "This is Oakley, right? Oakley Aspen," he turns his eyes to me, "for Willow."
Nodding, I swallow the lump that tries to lodge itself in my throat. "For Willow."
The boys fuss over him for a few minutes, taking it in turns to lightly stroke his skin as Bella snaps pictures. Arlo thinks it's hilarious that the babies 'are kinda furry,' his words. We explain that it's the lanugo, the soft hair that protected the babies in the womb, and it's common for preemie babies to be born with it.
They cackle and call their new siblings 'puppies' and I bite my cheek as I look at Bella. There's no doubt in my mind that she's remembering Sullivan's flippant 'you're having a litter' comment. Rolling her eyes, she refocuses the boys and guides them to the third pod in the row. The sun is streaming through the window, so I have to adjust the blanket draped over the top of the pod to keep the light out, but let the boys see in.
Caben is sound asleep, his eyes closed, lips slightly open. If it weren't for the very obvious rise and fall of his almost translucent chest, I'd be panicking.
"This is Caben Fox," I murmur, slipping my hand into the incubator to touch his tiny palm. His fingers slowly close around the tip of my finger, his eyes sliding open. The doctor told us that the babies won't be able to see all that well yet, but it's nice to imagine that when his eyes wander toward me, he can see the proud smile on my face.
"He's the smallest of the boys," Bella says.
Jaxson puffs his chest out, tapping it with a closed fist. "I'm gonna feed him up, don't worry. He'll be big and strong soon. We need him to make up our soccer team numbers."
Bella snorts and shakes her head with a soft, indulgent laugh. "Of course." After taking a photo of the boys and I gathered around the pod, Bella leaves me with Caben, who seems pretty intent on hanging onto my finger, his grip barely strong enough for me to feel. She lets Jaxson push her over to the twins—the little twins.
"Okay, that's kinda freaky," Arlo breathes, looking between Mackenzie and Asher, then Jaxson and Finley.
Bella shoots me a wink and a grin before explaining, "It's going to take all of us a little while to be able to tell them apart easily, just like it took a while for me to be able to tell you two apart when you were babies."
Jaxson and Finley couldn't be smiling wider as they share a fist-bump. "We can teach them how to trick people."
Arlo groans, rolling his eyes. "Great."
Reaching up to gently tug his ponytail, Bella reminds him that the twins are still outnumbered, which temporarily wipes the smiles from Jaxson's and Finley's faces until Bella asks them to each pick a little twin and hold their hand for a picture.
From across the room, I feel my heart expanding with a love I never thought myself capable of. These boys aren't my blood like the babies in the incubators, but there's no difference in the way I feel about them. As they quietly laugh and try to pick out non-existent differences in Mackenzie's and Asher's faces, I watch them, I breathe them in, I soak them up.
Back when Kate was pregnant with Willow and I was getting nervous about becoming a first-time dad, Dad gave me some great advice that I've never forgotten. At the time, I don't think I realized it, but looking back now it's obvious he was drawing on his experiences of co-parenting Sullivan from a different state while raising me and Jasper under his own roof.
"When that little baby is placed in your arms, you'll feel it. The connection might not be as strong right then as it certainly will be, but it'll grow, with time and with all those firsts you'll get to share. And the ones you won't, of course. You're bound to miss some things, but there'll be so many more firsts as you grow together."
I didn't get those moments with Jaxson, Finley, or Arlo. I didn't get the first time they opened their eyes, their first steps, or their first words. I didn't get to see their first haircuts or the first time they saw the ocean.
But I get this.
I get their proud, adoring smiles and their hopes and dreams for their little brothers and sister. I get to see their awe as they move to the last pod over on the right, the one containing their baby sister—the lone girl in a pack of boys. I get to see their determination as they promise to always watch out for her and keep her safe.
Rylee will never want for anything with eight big brothers to protect her, and neither will I, now that I have the love of my life and our nine amazing kids.
Holy shit. We have nine kids.
I'm never going to sleep again, am I?
~ oOo ~
We're halfway through reiterating to the boys that the babies will need to stay here for a while when there's a soft, but familiar, triple tap on the door. Lifting my gaze from the boys clustered around Bella, I feel a grin spreading across my face.
"Dr. Biers, come in."
His crows feet deepen as he steps in. He's changed out of his scrubs and is back in his usual attire—suit pants, a pale pink shirt, and a funky tie. Today's has ocean waves on it.
Standing, I cross the room in four easy strides. His eyes get glassy when I shake my head at his extended hand, pulling him into a heartfelt hug instead. Huffing a chuckle, he pats my back and makes no move to pull away until I'm ready. When I let him go, a little embarrassed at my own, tear-filled eyes, he smiles wide and squeezes my shoulder. "I understand, son."
"Thank you. Thank you."
He nods, understanding and pride shining in his eyes. "Thank you for putting your faith in me." His attention turns to Bella, who complains that she's too sore to get up but she wants to hug him, too. Laughing quietly, he kisses her cheek and ruffles the boys' hair. "I'll cash in later, don't worry. Now, are you going to introduce me or do I need to do that myself?"
"Oh! We'll introduce you!" Arlo volunteers, leaping up with his brothers close behind him.
"All right," Dr. Biers claps his hands quietly, following the boys over to the first of the babies.
"This is River Jack," Arlo declares, lifting the edge of the blanket hanging down over the sides. Twisting, he shows off Oakley, too. "And this is Oakley Aspen. Mom and Dad let us pick his name."
Dr. Biers nods appreciatively. "And what a fine name it is, too. Good choice, fellas."
Bella is close enough to Caben to introduce him. Dr. Biers lingers by his pod, marvelling over how strong he's been from the start. He's still fighting, still struggling with his oxygen levels although he's stable right now. "Caben Fox, you're a miracle," Dr. Biers breathes before the big twins excitedly pull him over to the little twins.
They each take one, Jaxson saying "This is Asher Maddox" seconds before Finley adds, "and this is Mackenzie Brooks."
With a chuckle, Dr. Biers shoots us a wink. "Good luck with these four when they get older."
Bella snorts, leaning into my side as I stand next to her chair. "Two sets of identical twin boys exactly ten years apart. You couldn't make it up."
There's no more procrastinating. The boys seem to sense that we want to be the ones to share our daughter's name with Dr. Biers, the man responsible for getting them here safely and seeing Bella through life-threatening complications. They take a backseat as I push Bella over to Rylee, Dr. Biers beside me.
"Ah, and this must be the lone little girl." Turning to the boys, he quirks an eyebrow. "Are you boys up to the task of looking after her?" They nod seriously, and he offers them a bright smile. "Good. I'm glad to hear it." His eyes fall on me, then. "So, I assume she has a name worthy of her special position in the family?"
Squeezing Bella's shoulder, I give her the go ahead. She flashes me a shaky, somewhat nervous smile before looking up at the doctor. She doesn't need to be nervous, I don't think. At the very least, he'll appreciate the sentiment behind our choice of name.
"Actually, she does. Her name is very special." Reaching up to move the blanket on top of Rylee's pod, Bella lets out a gasp, hissing and snatching her arm back. While I rush to check she's okay, Dr. Biers grabs the blanket before it can fall onto the floor.
"I'm okay, I'm okay," Bella breathes, shaking her head and looking up sharply when Dr. Biers sucks in a big breath.
He's staring at our girl's name written on the card taped to the outside of her pod.
Rylee Eden Cullen
"We thought it would be fitting…" Bella murmurs, chewing her lip as Dr. Biers purses his, his expression unreadable.
Finally, just when I think he might be able to tell us we shouldn't have done this, a delighted laugh rumbles out of him. I've never seen him smile so big or so genuinely as he does when he turns to us, taking one of my hands and one of Bella's. "I've delivered a few Rileys in my time, all of them boys. It's an honor to have my first little lady Rylee belong to you."
Sniffling, Bella beams. "She's named after one of the best men we know. It'll be our honor to make sure she knows that."
~ oOo ~
Over the next few hours, we slowly introduce the babies to some of their immediate family.
The boys begrudgingly head back out to join the troops so we can show the babies off to their grandparents, aunts, and uncles.
Charlie, Renee, and Everly cry, Rosalie snaps a billion photos on her super-duper, high-tech camera, Benjamin congratulates me on beating his dad's 'high score,' Angela puts the fear of God in her two-kid-maximum husband by announcing that she's broody, and Little Grandma walks into the NICU on Sullivan's arm with the widest, proudest smile I've ever seen her wear.
"Well, well," she breathes once we've introduced her to all the babies and guided her into a seat by the window. "I knew you could do it."
Bella and I share a grin as Sullivan cheekily tells her nobody likes a know-it-all.
Little Grandma sticks her tongue out at him. "Well, nobody likes a smartass, either, so where does that leave you, Sully?"
"Mean," he mumbles, shooting her a wink as he leans against the side of River's incubator. "So...which of these kids is named after me, huh? You've got enough of 'em that I should at least get one."
Bella barks a laugh, immediately wincing as one of her hands hovers over her belly. Waving me off, she mutters that the painkillers are starting to wear out.
Eyeing her, I tell Sullivan, "Actually, you found him." As his eyebrows arch, I add, "Sullivan Jack Cullen, meet, River Jack Cullen."
"Well, hell." Mouth curving in a grin as familiar as my own, because it's the one our dad gave both of us, Sullivan gives River a closer inspection, finally nodding. "You'll do, little dude."
"You'll do, little dude," Little Grandma scoffs teasingly. "Hear that a lot, do you, Sullivan?"
"Ooh," I hiss, stifling a bark of laughter into my fist as Sullivan's eyes get incredibly wide.
"Did you just...oh, LG, you did not just go there."
"LG?" I mouth at Bella, shaking my head when she just shrugs, leaning into my side on the squeaky faux-leather couch as Little Grandma and Sullivan banter back and forth like pros. As my eyes and mind wander, I can't help but be grateful that the babies are surrounded by people who love them right from the day they've joined this crazy, extended family.
~ oOo ~
The first couple of days with the babies are...surreal.
While Bella is still an inpatient at the hospital, it makes the most sense for me to go to the hotel with the boys so we don't have to rely on anybody else to watch them. It's hard being away from Bella and the babies so soon, but the boys' infectious excitement helps keep my mind occupied when I can't be there. The first night after dragging myself away from St. Joseph's, I lay awake staring at the ceiling until almost three a.m.
The quiet creak of the door opening and brushing against the carpet pulls my attention away from the chandelier hanging above the bed.
"What's up, bud?"
Arlo shifts in the doorway, a silhouette against the soft great room lighting. "I can't sleep. Can I...can I come lay with you?"
My tense spine relaxes a little. "Sure. C'mon."
Arlo is now at the age where he finds giving his parents affection embarrassing as all hell—in public. At home, he's a goofy sweetheart, just like when I first met him. As he drags his stuffed tiger onto the bed, curling up on the other side and snuggling into the spare pillows, I compare this gangly-legged eight-year-old with the cheeky four-year-old who opened the door to me what feels like a lifetime ago.
.
.
"I'll get it, I'll get it!"
The ensuing thuds are, I assume, footsteps, although they sound more like elephants stampeding down the hall than a child.
"Arlo Maxwell Swan, get back here! You don't even have—"
The door flies open and cuts Bella off. I can't help but bark a chuckle when my eyes drop from her frustrated frown to Arlo. It's the first time I've seen him in person, although I have seen photos, but I'd know that he's Bella's kid even if nobody told me.
Back when I first met Charlie and Renee, Bella was seven. She had these long brown curls and a gap-toothed grin I couldn't forget if I tried. Of course, it helps that Renee gets the old photo albums out every time she has a few chardonnays in her. Arlo has those same curls, but shorter and dark blond instead of brown. His hang just past his ears in a wild mess he brushes back from his face to peer up at me. I don't know what Bella's ex looks like, but I can guess he has brown eyes and probably blond hair; Arlo inherited both. I can't help but think it's a shame he missed out on his mom's unusual gray peepers.
Perhaps more noticeable than his similarities to his mom is the fact that he's sans pants, wearing only underwear and a t-shirt with the words 'Chick Magnet' printed across the front along with a magnet and a cartoon chick.
"Hi, Edward."
"Hey, buddy," I laugh, crouching to shake his hand when he holds it up in my direction. The feel of his tiny hand in mine puts a lump in my throat. Swallowing it, I manage a grin. "You must be Arlo?"
.
.
"Dad?" Arlo whispers.
Turning onto my side, I rest my head on my folded arm. "What's buggin' you, buddy?"
He hesitates for a moment. "When you bring the babies home…"
I wait patiently, knowing it sometimes takes him a bit to get his words in order.
"Will you still want us? I mean, the babies are yours and mom's, but we have the other guy…I mean, sorta."
My chest seizes, my stomach knotting. Without thinking about it, I tug him over for a hug, planting a kiss right on top of his head where his bun usually sits. His hair is a wild tangle around his head as he props himself up on one bended elbow, the moonlight sneaking through the window illuminating his face. Biting his lip, he huffs. "You're still gonna be our dad, right?"
I wish Bella were here.
She'd know exactly how to handle this, how to assuage his fears.
I guess now's as good a time as any to prove that I'm worthy of being a dad to these boys and their baby siblings.
Reaching back for the lamp switch, I grin a little when the sudden light makes Arlo blink fast. "Sorry, bud, but this is important."
Sighing, he shuffles around until he's sitting cross-legged in front of me, stuffed tiger in his lap. His eyes are dark and troubled, which fucking kills me.
"Hey, look at me."
His lips kick up slightly on one side as he reluctantly meets my gaze.
"I love you, Arlo. You're my boy, my little buddy."
A parent should never choose favorites, and I never, ever would, but Arlo was different. Jaxson and Finley were and still are total momma's boys, but Arlo and I bonded so quickly and so effortlessly that I still don't understand it four years later.
When it became obvious that Kate and I weren't going to last, I was content believing I'd still have Willow. I'd never have the son I hoped for, but that was okay.
Then Arlo came along, and he brought two bonus boys with him.
"I just get nervous, you know? That you'll love the babies more 'cause they might look like you and stuff. I don't look like you or mom."
His dark little frown breaks my heart. I had no idea he noticed or cared that he doesn't particularly resemble his mom, though he doesn't resemble me for obvious reasons. As he tugs at the tattered ear of his tiger, Arlo's shoulders droop.
"No, you don't look like me or Mom," I admit gently, coaxing him to look back at me with a thumb under his chin. "But d'you know who you do look like?"
He shrugs dejectedly, but watches with curious brown eyes as I reach for my cell on the nightstand. Scrolling back through some of my older albums, I finally find the picture I'm looking for. Arlo almost sticks his face to the screen when he realizes who he's looking at.
"Is that Pops?"
"It sure is," I chuckle quietly, scrolling through a few pictures of my dad in his hayday. He had shaggy blond hair just like Arlo has now, only he never wore his up, he just let it hang loose around his shoulders. Arlo is no more biologically related to my dad than he is to me, but just the similarities have removed some of the tension in his face. I want him to know that it doesn't matter to me if he has my blood running through his veins. I want him to know that genetics mean nothing to me, because he's mine regardless.
"Oh, boy," Arlo giggles. "Jax and Finn are gonna love that."
Scrolling through a different album, I pull up a photo Renee sent me a year ago. We were at a barbecue with the whole Swan clan, celebrating Little Grandma's seventy-fifth birthday. In the picture, Arlo is playing cards with Freddie. When I pinch two fingers together and zoom in, I know he sees what I'm seeing.
"I have Grandpa Freddie's eyes…" he breathes, looking closely at the crinkly-eyed smile of his great-grandpa.
Technically, he has his sperm donor's eyes; Dick Holder has the exact same dark brown eyes as my son.
The burgeoning smile on Arlo's face, though…
I'm happy to let him believe he sees his beloved great-grandpa's eyes in the mirror every day instead of the gaze of a man who couldn't care less about him.
"Whether the babies look like me, or not...whether the babies are less bratty than you, or not...whether they pick up their own toys and put them away, or not…"
Arlo snorts, then cracks up as I wink and trail off.
"Arlo, none of those things will change the fact that I love you, Jaxson, and Finley. You're my boys, my sons, my babies. That will never change." Tugging him down to gently run my knuckles over his head until he laughs and taps the mattress, pinching my arm with his free hand, I breathe a sigh. "You're stuck with me, boyo."
After eyeing me pensively for a few seconds, Arlo flops back onto the pillows and imitates my earlier position, flat on his back, only his eyes are closed.
"I can live with that, if you can," he finally murmurs just when I reach over to turn off the light, figuring he's fallen asleep.
Grinning, I hit the switch and plunge the room into darkness. "I can definitely live with that," I whisper.
Huge thanks, as always, to each and every one of you for sticking with me on this bumpy ride. Massive hugs to annaharding and maplestyle for being supportive even when I make crazy decisions.
I love y'all xo