Epilog

"But I don't want to.I want to stay here," stated a four year old Jenny.

"Bunny we have to go. We're meeting Auntie Haley and Uncle Nathan and Sawyer at the park and they'll miss you if you don't come," I said encouragingly, kneeling down awkwardly to the size of my four year old daughter.

"Is Daddy coming?" she asked suspiciously. I slipped a white sunhat over her brown curls.

"Yes. And if you ask nicely, I'm sure he'll take you on his shoulders," I said. I felt only slightly guilty for bribing her. Her eyes lit up-ever since the birth of her sister, she'd been a sucker for any attention.

"DADDDY!" she screamed, turning to run toward the stairs. I caught her arm with my free hand.

"No sweetie, he's busy with Callie," I explained. She pouted.

"Duh. Like always," she said. I smiled, reached down and pulled her into my arms, holding her over my slightly pregnant stomach.

"You know we love you as much as we love Callie?" I asked her. If I'd given birth to Jenny like I had to Callie, I couldn't have loved her more.

"Not true," she insisted.

"True. You were just as much trouble as Callie is now when you were her age. I remember," I said, my eyes glazing over.

"Was not. I'm a good girl, right?" she said.

"Right," I said, setting her on her feet and taking her hand.

Jake was putting a diaper on a wriggling, protesting two year old Callie. When I entered with Jenny, the distraction bought Jake enough time to fasten the diaper on a set her on her feet as I straightened her pink sun dress. I fondly touched one of her white blonde curls.

"Okay, we set to go?" he asked.

"Yeah, we're good. How are you?" I asked.

"I'm fantastic. Now how are you, my beautiful wife?" he asked, stepping closer and folding his arms around me. I threw back my head to look up into his eyes.

"I'm fine. You worry too much," I said. He scoffed.

"Too much? May I remind you what happened last time you were at five months?" he asked. He tenderly placed one of his hands on my rounded belly. With one of my hands I covered Callie's eyes as he covered Jenny's and we leaned in to kiss.

"Gross!" protested Jenny as Callie giggled adoringly at her big sister.

Jake lifted Jenny onto his broad shoulders and I took Callie's hand. The four of us walked outside of the house into the June sunshine.

"Nathan we got to go!" I said in irritation, wrapping my last sandwich and placing it neatly into the wicker basket. I glanced over to the television-an NBA game was on, his eyes fast on it.

"It's almost over Hales!" he responded.

"But we'll be late," I protested.

"Come on. When in her life was Peyton Sawyer ever on time? They have two kids to get ready, we've only got the one," he reminded me. I rolled my eyes at his back.

"Who, by the way, isn't ready," I reminded him. "Sawyer, we have to get you changed. Come on."

My son turned around to face me, clad only in a diaper. I wilted at the sight of his blue eyes, so like his father's. And his dark hair. He'd be Nathan when he grew up.

"Not yet," he said impatiently.

"Sawyer Brian Scott!" I scolded.

"Haley let him watch, it's almost over," said Nathan distractedly.

"Not close enough. Come on," I said to my son. "You can see Callie and Jenny."

"It's just ten minutes! This is important."

"Is not," I said to my husband. "Dan Scott."

This caused Nathan to laugh and finally turned around and leapt over the back of the sofa toward me.

"Oh yeah? Can Dan Scott do this?" he asked, pressing me up against the wall and kissing me deeply. I closed my eyes, opened my mouth and relished the feel of him.

"You know, on second thought, ten minutes is just fine," I said. He smiled.

"I love you. Come on," he said, taking my hand and leading me to the sofa, where he sat me on his lap. Sawyer crawled over and leaned against his Dad.

"We have to be more gentle," I reminded him. He glanced at my stomach.

"Yeah. Hey, maybe this one will take your sides in arguments," he said playfully.

"She better," I said.

"He better."

"She."

"He."

"She."

"He. My decision, right?" he said.

"Unfair. Okay, game over! Sawyer, go get changed. Nathan, go shower," I ordered.

"Aye aye Captain Scott," he said as I got off and took my son to his bedroom.

The blast of the shower could be heard as I changed his diaper and put him in a pair of overalls and a red shirt and sneakers. It had taken a lot of practice for me to even do that-Peyton and I had done it together, sharing everything we learned along the way with Callie and Sawyer.

I remembered I'd said to Peyton once, years ago, that we'd do it together again. I'd be joking, she'd been scornful. But here we were, two years later, pregnant together again. She was only a month and a half ahead of me, and again it was a complete coincidence. But in this case, in both cases, it was planned.

As I finished combing his hair I kissed it and inhaled his scent. I hugged my son, and he put his small hands on my neck. For one of the few times since he'd learned to walk, I put him on my hip and we walked back to the main room together where Nathan was waiting, his hair still wet.

Nathan pushed Sawyer along the sidewalk in his fold up stroller as I carried the lunch and the diaper bag of his stuff. My hair blew around my face in the summer wind. As we walked, I briefly rested my head on Nathan's shoulder.

Nathan and Haley were noticed first by Jenny.

"UNCLE NATHAN!" she called. Callie retaliated in her baby voice:

"Auntie Haley!"

The three of them approached us and the four of us exchanged hugs before greeting each other's children. Jenny quickly took charge and herded her sister and Sawyer toward the sandbox. I dropped onto the wet grass, and Haley carefully joined me. As Jake say, I leaned onto him.

"They're huge," I remarked.

"Yeah. Remember how tiny Cal was?" asked Jake.

"She's still the smallest," said Haley, referring to my daughter's five pound birth weight.

"What I don't get is how she's blonde," said Nathan.

"I was natural when I was little, but never that blonde," I said.

"Jenny looks exactly like you, Jake," said Haley. I glanced at her, and shivered despite the warm air. Sometimes her dark, dark almond eyes made me fear something I could place."

"I can't believe I'm going to be a father of three," said Jake ruefully.

"Hey, your fault," I said.

"Planning. Takes two," he retaliated.

"You don't say-I thought I could just blame him," said Haley. Her new pregnancy was harder on her than her first had been-I hoped mine would be easier.

"Sure, if it makes you feel better," said Nathan.

The three of them continued to verbally spar as I laid my head on Jake's lap and looked at the cloudless blue sky and then around to the other families. To them, we looked like two families. But really, in the truest sense, we were one.