Miranda sat on the edge of the bed she had shared with her husband for more years than she cared to admit. She had finally talked Ken into retiring. Between her family fortune and the wealth he had amassed, they had been able to purchase their own small private island in the Bahamas. Her last few bags sat at her feet. Her son and daughter-in-law had just announced to her and Ken that their going away present was the news that they were expecting. She figured she and Ken would be racking up the frequent flyer miles as new grandparents. Ken a grandfather, she had to laugh at how far that man had come.
Ethan and Ginny were also far from the only ones. The compound had become a regular baby factory. Things sure looked different around here. The pool had a surrounding safety fence. A playground that rivaled the best in any park had been installed. Clancy and Suzanne had taken a somewhat early retirement, driving around the country in a souped-up RV, and returning every few months to meet new members of the extended family.
Tumult and Mollie had moved to Vegas to be closer to her niece, who now had kids of her own. She was the Head Manager of Housekeeping for a hotel firm that had three large properties in downtown Vegas, so she needed all the help she could get.
Feeling reminiscent, she thought about the couple that had initiated the changes to the compound. The OB-GYN that had first checked Zia confirmed what Miranda had already guessed. She had more than likely gotten pregnant the very first time she and Phil had been together. Damn good bourbon indeed.
Zia gave birth to an utterly gorgeous baby girl via emergency C-section nine months later. She had never seen Phil look so pale. Fortunately, the hospital staff and NICU had been amazing, and all was now well.
Seal and Shelly had followed with a son less than a year later, and she was due next month with their second son. Her doctor had taken one look at her husband with her first pregnancy and had scheduled a planned C-section.
Jacobs and Amanda had a set of twins, one boy and one girl. Elsie had convinced Jones that his PTSD was healed enough that yes, he could be a father. He still had bad days, but overall was rocking it as a dad to their two-year-old son.
Zackquarius and Randy had adopted a lovely four-year-old girl from foster care and were over the moon. Stevens and Stacy had finally succeeded, with some help from modern medicine, and were also due next month. Stacy was on precautionary bed rest, and Stevens was going out of his mind with last minute preps and nerves. Peters and Marissa, as their youngest couple, were admittedly not quite ready yet.
This morning, at their going away brunch, she had quickly dropped her gaze when she caught Cin rubbing a hand, under her uncharacteristically loose-fitting shirt, on what was the start of an obvious baby bump. She and Collins had been the most vocal about not giving in to the baby craze, but were apparently not immune. She knew her people well and figured that the couple was happy, just not quite ready to share the news. Their outward resistance was understandable. Cin was fiercely independent, and Collins was too much of a wise-ass. Regardless, she had witnessed both of them melt over their colleagues' children on more than one occasion.
The unified board, of the two genetics companies and the military contingency, had hired Owen as the Head Animal Behaviorist for Dinosaur Development, at the combined urging of the O'Neill's and the Wheatley's. With the position had come a lot more hours and a lot more money. Since his kids were older, the timing was right. Gary, and Nora especially, were still active board members, and she and Ken were still on the board payroll to serve as tie breaker voters when needed.
Zia was busier than ever, with Barry's help, now that new pairs or small groups of young raptors came through their facility every few months. They were the starter site per se. Owen split his time between the raptor pen and the genetics lab, so he was still around frequently. Which meant that her husband still had frequent time spent with his other two favorite women.
The compound itself was being left in the collective care of Ethan, Sean, and Phil. The 'trifecta' they had jokingly dubbed themselves. Ethan and his wife were serving as CFO and head of household operations. Seal had taken over Ken's training responsibilities for the men, and Phil was serving as overseer to everything else. She and Ken felt they were leaving things in good hands. It had been the original plan for Gary's sons to take over operations; things had just evolved differently than at least her husband had foreseen. Priding herself on always being one step ahead, she was less surprised. She stood, lightly dusting her pantsuit off out of habit, and moved towards the door. It was time for the next adventure.