I love writing the baby cute stuff :)

"You are the most handsome little guys in Chicago," Erin cooed, rubbing Ryan's tummy gently. She beamed when he cooed. "Hi, bubba. I love you. I do." She turned to meet Liam's wrinkling features. "Oh, I know you're jealous, my little lion. Mama loves you too." She lifted Liam out of his bassinet and kissed his forehead. "Your big sister is going to be home from school soon and then Mama is going to have all her babies together again. And that makes her the happiest."

Erin turned her head when she heard Jay chuckle. "You can't tell me you haven't been staring at the clock all day," she told him, bouncing slightly with Liam in her arms, "Do you do this at work too?"

"Every minute from the moment I give her a kiss goodbye," Jay replied. He reached into Ryan's bassinet and lifted his son up. "You're getting some big guns there, Ry-Guy. Can you put up your dukes?"

"We're not raising fighters, Halstead," Erin quipped, kissing the top of Liam's head again, "No boxing for any of our kids. And no fights on the playground."

"Pipes already checked that box," Jay reminded her, "Are you gonna take after your big sister, bubba?" He glanced over at the clock on the oven. "Hailey should be here right now with her. School is eight minutes away."

"Your daddy loves his little girl," Erin told Liam, "She's our first baby and we don't get to see her all day while she's at school." She paused, realization hitting. "She's going to Taylor's tonight for that sleepover."

Jay grimaced. He'd honestly been putting it out of his mind. After a week in the hospital, their first week at home had been a blur. A good blur. With one week of furlough left, he and Erin were adjusting to life with newborn twins, which was difficult, but also incredible. Their boys were like magic.

And their little bug was the best.

Two infants would be a difficult adjustment for anyone, but Piper had experienced years of trauma and neglect. Jay and Erin had been consumed with worry about how their little girl would take to their sons and how their lives would adjust to being parents of three kids. Piper took everything in stride, from being woken up several times a night due to her hungry brothers to spending time with Hank, Will and Hailey instead of her parents so that they could focus on the boys.

Suddenly, their little girl wasn't so little. She was a huge help with the boys and was doing her best to make her parent's lives a little easier. Piper was impossibly sweet with her little brothers and loved them so much that it brought tears to Erin's eyes. Watching her little girl love the newest additions to their family had her feeling all the feelings.

And now their little girl was slated to go to her first real friend sleepover. It had been weeks in the making and Piper was as prepared as she was going to be after two sleepovers with Hailey Upton. She was cautiously excited but it didn't stop her parents from being incredibly hesitant to let their first baby grow up.

"I know it's a good thing," he mused, "She's supposed to do normal kid things but also-"

"It also makes you want to stop time, throw up, wrap her in a blanket and hold her until she's thirty?" Erin supplied, "Same." She wiped Liam's lips with her sleeve. "You guys aren't growing up, that's for sure. No sleepovers, no girlfriends. Just Mama, right?"

Jay snorted. "I'd stop time if I could," he said, "Because when they don't smell like poop these guys smell like heaven in a freakin' bottle." He kissed the top of Ryan's head. "Oh, I think he's getting hungry, babe."

"Right on schedule." Erin handed Liam to her partner so that she could take Ryan. "Your turn first today, Ry-Guy. Gentle with Mommy's boobies, please." She leaned down to kiss his head. "He does smell good. I could eat you for a snack." Erin widened her eyes. "Noodle needs a snack, babe."

"Already set," he promised, "I cut up all sorts of stuff last night." Jay glanced out of the kitchen window. Adjusting to newborn life was tough for all of them and had caused breakfast for Piper to slip both his and Erin's mind one morning. After that, Jay was sure to set reminders on his phone and do as much prep work in advance as possible so that it wouldn't happen again. "They're here."

"Hi Liam," Piper greeted when Jay opened the side door, immediately offering a big smile to her little brother, "Wow! He's not crying."

"I think it's because he knew you were coming home," Jay replied, leaning down to kiss the top of Piper's head, "How was school?"

"Me and Hailey went to get coffee after she picked me up 'cause I told her the boys did a lot of crying last night," Piper said, holding out a paper bag to her father, "We got you and Mommy each a special muffin."

Jay smiled gratefully at his partner who was carrying a tray with two coffees. "I think you're Erin's new favorite detective," he joked, "You knew exactly what we needed."

Hailey glanced over her partner's shoulder to see the little girl amble over toward Erin who was seated on the couch. "Figured you could use it," she remarked, "I've heard your offspring have some strong lungs."

"Mm-hm," he nodded, "Thank you for getting her." He shifted Liam carefully in his arms, "How's everything going down at the district?"

"You don't need to think about work," Hailey said, setting the coffees down on the kitchen counter, "One week left of furlough and you've got your hands full enough over here. Bring Erin a coffee. I'll take the little dude off your hands for a bit. C'mere." She lifted Liam gently. "Your big sister says you're the wiggly one."

"He also screams the most," Piper told her, carefully stroking Ryan's back as he rested on Erin's shoulder, "But Ryan does the most throwing up on Mommy." She wrinkled her nose. "Ew."

"Aw, bubba," Erin grimaced, patting Ryan's back carefully, "It's okay."

"I can hold him so you can change," Piper offered, holding out her hands to take her little brother, "Hailey brought you and Daddy some coffee. And I'm not gonna get to see him tonight because of the sleepover."

Erin placed her son in her little girl's arms carefully. "Daddy's going to take you to Taylor's at five," she said, willing her voice to remain steady. Just thinking about a night without her little girl had her stomach in knots. "Are you excited?"

Piper nodded slowly. "Me and Hailey talked about it on the way home from school. She said if I get worried at night, she could come get me."

Erin gave a grateful look to her partner's partner. "And she brought coffee? I think I know who my new favorite detective is." She accepted the coffee cup from Jay. "This place makes the best coffee."

"Hailey is Liam's favorite detective as well," Jay told her, pointing to his partner, "Hasn't fussed yet. Two minutes when he isn't eating or sleeping. That feels like some kind of record."

"How soon can you move in?" Erin asked Hailey seriously, "A baby whisperer and you know how I take my coffee?"

Piper swallowed the lump in her throat, doing her very best to be brave.

Taylor had been talking about her sleepover party for months and as skeptical as Piper had been, she was looking forward to it. Hailey told her all about how fun sleepovers could be and Piper knew that it was something that older kids did. She wasn't a baby anymore and she was excited to finally have friends.

Her daddy drove her to Taylor's house. It was the first time Piper had actually been alone with her daddy since he came back from the hospital a week ago. She missed him so, so much when he was at the hospital with the boys, but Piper realized that even though he was home now, she still missed him. Because the boys were little and fussy, he and her mommy were always with one of them. Piper understood that babies were a lot of work, especially when there were two of them, but it didn't stop her from missing her parents.

Before going up to Taylor's house to say hello to both of her mommies, Jay gave her extra kisses and told her that he loved her and that he was really proud of her for trying new things. Piper held really tight because she didn't want to let her daddy go. She wanted to sit with him on the couch and listen to his heart while he held her close. She wanted to hear him tell stories and give kisses on the top of her head because he knew it made her feel safe. She wanted to be home with both her mommy and daddy.

But she was a big sister now. Her mommy and daddy needed to take care of the boys and Piper wanted to do normal kid things – which meant being extra brave and going to the sleepover even though she just wanted to be home.

Piper swallowed again when she watched the front door close to Taylor's house. If she needed him, her daddy would come back. That was a promise he made and Piper believed him. She could also call Hailey too, because she said she would come get her if she needed her. There were a lot of people who loved her and wanted her to feel safe.

The sleepover party was supposed to be fun. Taylor invited Maddie and Julia too, and they were going to paint some mugs for an activity. Piper took a deep breath. It was going to be okay. One of Taylor's moms was going to order pizza for dinner and then they were going to watch a funny movie. She could be brave.

"Alrighty Miss Piper, this mug is for you," Taylor's mom said, "You each should have one. I'm going to be just in the kitchen over there if you need anything."

Piper gave Taylor's mom a small smile. She was a nice lady and it made Piper feel better to know that she had her parent's phone number as well. "Elliot, go with Mom," Taylor said to her little brother, "We're painting our pottery in here."

"I wanna stay," Elliot begged, "Please Taylor, please?"

Taylor huffed and shook her head. "It's okay," Julia said, dipping her paintbrush in the cup, "He's not doing anything."

"He's just my little brother," Taylor said, pointing for Elliot to leave the room, "He's going to be annoying."

Piper watched as the little boy's face fell. "I can watch him," she offered, giving her friend a small smile, "Don't worry. I have two little brothers now." She extended her hand to the younger child. "You can help me with my pottery, Elliot."

The little boy beamed excitedly and took a seat next to Piper. "You can use this color," Piper instructed, handing him a blue paint brush, "Do you think you can help me do some stripes?"

"Try this, babe," Jay said, carefully placing a heating pad across Erin's torso, "Internet said it may help." He dropped a gentle kiss on her temple. His girl was lying in bed on her side in an attempt to quell some of the post-pregnancy cramps she'd been experiencing intermittently.

After dropping off his little girl at her first-ever friend sleepover, Jay expected that returning home would mean a quiet and empty house. There had only been two nights that he'd spent without his little bug in their home when his partner graciously offered to take Piper for the night, and both of those nights he and Erin had missed the energy their first baby bought to their home greatly.

Instead of the silence he was dreading, Jay was met by two screaming infants and an exhausted and overwhelmed fiancé. It felt like hours before his ears stopped ringing from his sons' wails and could breathe again. With both boys snoozing, he could focus on his partner.

"Mm," she murmured gratefully, "Thank you." Between two newborns and a ten year old, Jay was realizing just how much of his attention had been on the kids and not on Erin. His girl was still recovering from a major surgery just over two weeks ago. Erin let out a breath when she heard a fuss from the bassinet beside her. "Who is it?"

"Ryan," he replied, reaching down to lift his little boy, "Hey, bubba. You hungry?" He examined his diaper. "He's dry."

"I feel like they just ate." Erin gingerly pushed herself up. "Alrighty, little man. Dinner time for you." She held out her arms for her son. "Any messages from Abigail or Ruth?"

Jay took his phone out of his pocket to check for any texts or calls from either of Taylor's moms. "Nope," he confirmed, "No news is good news though, right?" He took a seat on the edge of the bed while Ryan nursed hungrily. "They're good parents. Taylor seems like a well-adjusted kid and they were the ones who recommended some of those adoption books."

Erin nodded. Taylor's moms did seem like good parents and she was as confident as she could be in the safety of her child. She'd already gone through a list of questions over email and was fairly confident that both of Taylor's moms thought she was an insane helicopter mom despite their assurances that they were glad to see how loved Piper was and how protective her parents were of her. "You know, Noodle doesn't talk about school at all anymore," she said thoughtfully, "I'm pretty sure I've asked every day this week and she hasn't said anything."

"I think she's more excited to hang out with these guys than talk about school," he replied, leaning forward to kiss Erin's forehead, "Little bug loves her little brothers. Liam got a hello before I did today."

"She does love them," Erin murmured, "She really is such a great big sister." She exhaled softly. "I don't want to jinx it or anything though. I feel like I've just been waiting for the other shoe to drop."

Jay raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean?" He stood to take Liam out of the bassinet when he heard a cry. "Shh, buddy. Mama's finishing up with your brother and then it's your turn."

"She's ten," she said with another exhale, "And she's incredible and mature and smart and so perceptive but she's also a ten year old. And she's a ten year old who has been through way more than anyone should ever have to, and we've basically asked her to change her whole life over again after already doing it once before." Erin lifted Ryan onto her shoulder after accepting a cloth from her partner. "I guess I'm just waiting for her to freak out."

"I get that," Jay agreed, swapping Liam for Ryan so his other son could have his dinner, "She's been really good though. And I think we know our kid well enough to try to anticipate some of those bigger triggers, right? We've already got a good routine going and I think that's helping."

Jay couldn't believe how lucky he was.

He'd had those moments over and over again after Piper came into his life and Erin returned, when it was him and his girls. Nothing made him feel luckier than having both ladies in his life in his arms.

But now he had two more incredible additions to his family. Liam and Ryan were having tummy time in the middle of their bed while Erin and Jay marveled at the two tiny humans that they had created.

It had been a long night and the first night where neither Will nor Hank was asleep in their house as well. Their extended family had truly put their own lives on the backburner to help with the twins and Piper, but with Piper at a sleepover, Erin insisted that both men take the night off as well.

She hadn't realized just how much they missed the extra sets of hands. Especially Piper's.

With two baby boys who hadn't figured out how to share, Erin was practically nursing around the clock. She was exhausted. And Jay could tell how much she was feeling it all.

"You are so beautiful," Jay murmured, running his fingers across the top of Erin's head, "Can't take my eyes off you."

Erin turned her head to meet her partner's loving gaze. "My hair's a greasy mess," she mumbled, kissing his fingers lightly, "And I've got baby puke on this shoulder, and breastmilk over here. I love you for thinkin' I look pretty though."

"You always look pretty to me," he replied, "Especially when you're wearing the mommy badges of honor." He glanced down at both of his sons. "Don't you think your mama is the most beautiful woman in the world, guys?"

"They like me because they like my boobs," Erin said dryly, "They are their daddy's boys, after all."

Jay snorted. "I do love your boobs," he teased, "My boys have been hogging 'em." He brushed some of her hair back. "How's your stomach doing?"

"Kind of itchy," Erin sighed, "I'm not bleeding so much anymore, which is good. And my blood pressure was steady last night when I checked." She offered a tired smile. "I'm healing up slowly. Trying to be patient with myself."

He nodded in understanding. "You're my hero," he whispered, carefully pulling up Ryan to rest his son on his chest when the baby fussed, "Our hero, babe. C'mere, bud. Let's give Mommy a break." He expertly lifted Liam and rested him on the other side. Both of his boys settled against his bare chest immediately. "I can handle these two for a bit. You want to try to get some peace and quiet? Maybe a long shower?"

Erin widened her eyes. "Really?"

"Of course. I've got 'em." Jay patted Ryan's back. "We've got some time before we can pick up Pipes."

"I love you," she said seriously before quickly vacating their bed, "I won't be long."

Jay shook his head. "Your mama is the queen of long showers," he informed his boys, running his thumbs across their tiny backs, "She loves the hot water so much that sometimes she accidentally takes it all herself. But I'm okay with that because sometimes it means your daddy gets to shower with her. Now you're a little young to understand what I'm saying, but when you're old enough, you'll get it." He frowned. "It's a really good thing you don't understand those words yet, because Daddy shouldn't have been talking like that. I wouldn't talk about that kind of stuff with your big sister and just because you guys are boys doesn't mean I should talk like that. You're going to be very respectful of all the ladies in your life, got it?"

He smiled when Liam lifted his head slightly. "Good. We'll have those talks when you're a little older. And I'm going to have your mommy talk with your big sister because I don't think I can do that." Jay kissed the top of Ryan's head. "She's my girl. She's your girl too, but she was mine first. Same with your mommy."

"Piper, your mom is here."

Immediately, Piper looked up in surprise. Her daddy was supposed to be the person who was going to pick her up from Taylor's house after the sleepover because her mommy was supposed to be home with the boys. She glanced into the kitchen, wide smile spreading across her cheeks.

"Hi sweetheart," Erin gushed, offering a smile to her baby girl. She blinked quickly, hoping to keep the tears at bay. One look at her grown up little girl had her heart in her throat. "Did you have fun?"

After emerging from a long and much-needed shower, Erin's heart melted at the sight of all three of her boys asleep on the bed. Jay had Liam and Ryan directly atop his bare chest and was snoozing deeply, snores intermittently escaping his lips. Even when she tried to insist that he sleep while she handled the middle of the night feeding, Jay was adamant about staying up to accompany her.

When she checked her phone to see a text from Taylor's mom that the girl were up and could be picked up, Erin decided it would be better to let her partner and boys sleep rather than rousing all three of them. Plus, it gave her the chance at some special time with her little girl.

Wordlessly, Piper hurried over and wrapped her arms carefully around her mommy's waist. She missed her so much. "I missed you," she whispered, looking up at her mommy, "Where…where are the boys?"

"They're home with Daddy," she said, smoothing her daughter's hair back, "All the boys fell asleep so I thought I would come pick you up." Erin beamed when Piper's smile widened. "Plus, I missed you too much to wait another second."

"Piper was an absolute pleasure," Taylor's mom Ruth said to Erin, "She's welcome back any time."

Erin couldn't keep the proud smile off her lips. "Thank you for having me," Piper said politely, "I had a fun time."

"Did you guys stay up late?" Erin asked as she pulled out of the driveway, her little girl in the backseat. It had been weeks since she'd actually been in the driver's seat. After the placental abruption, her OB had cautioned against driving and Erin could honestly barely reach the steering wheel with the size of her baby bump. At almost three weeks postpartum she was finally feeling steady enough to reclaim her rightful spot.

Piper thought for a moment. "I fell asleep during the movie," she said, rubbing her eyes tiredly, "Julia said I missed all the scary parts, so that was good. And I didn't have any dreams at all. No bad ones."

Erin glanced into the rearview mirror. Taylor's mom Abigail had mentioned that Piper fell asleep not ten minutes into the movie. She was fairly confident her little bug had actually been able to sleep because she wasn't being woken up by screaming infants at all hours of the night which had her feeling guilty and grateful all at the same time. No nightmares was a huge win. "I'm glad you didn't have any bad dreams," Erin said, "You're feeling okay?"

Piper nodded. "I was just really tired," she replied, letting out a breath, "But I slept the whole night. And I only got a little sad from missing you and Daddy and the boys."

"We missed you so much," Erin whispered, "I'm so proud of you, Noodle. That was your first big kid sleepover and Taylor's moms both told me how great you were with Elliot."

"Taylor didn't want him to be with us because it was her party and her friends," Piper explained, "But I said I would watch him because he just wanted to hang out with us. And I didn't want him to be alone." She looked up at Erin and gave a smile. "It made me feel better to help him feel better, kind of like when one of the boys are crying and I get to give them snuggles." She paused. "But even though I had a good time I still want to stay with you and Daddy forever."

"Us too," Erin said quickly, "We missed you too much, Noodle bug." She turned onto another street before glancing in the rearview mirror again. "What do you think about a special trip to the coffee shop, just the two of us?"

Erin ran her fingers through Piper's mussed hair as her sweet baby leaned into her side while they stood in line at the coffee shop. It had also been weeks since she had real one-on-one time with her little girl and she'd been craving it desperately. And so had Piper.

"One hot chocolate, one regular americano with an extra shot, and one latte half decaf," Erin ordered, "And maybe a few of those pastries. Which ones do you think, Noodle?"

"Daddy likes that one," she said, pointing to one of the confections in the case, "And he always gets that one over there because you like it."

"Perfect, we'll take them," Erin determined, handing over her credit card to the barista. She held Piper's hand in her own as they waited for the drinks. Her little girl's fingers felt so tiny grasping hers. Her sweet little girl had clearly been craving connection with her, as evident by the fact that she didn't want to let her go. "You okay?"

Piper nodded and leaned into Erin's side. "I just missed you," she whispered, resting her head on her mommy's hip, "Sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry for missing me," Erin managed, resuming the motions of stroking Piper's head, "It's been a while since we had time just the two of us, hasn't it?" She swallowed when Piper nodded slowly. "I've been missing you too, baby girl. I know it's been busy with the boys, but-"

"I love the boys," Piper interrupted, "And they love you a lot too." She smiled up at her mommy. "We have the best mama." Piper rested her head back against Erin's hip. "Do we have any more coming? More babies?"

Erin nearly choked on the breath she'd drawn in. "More babies?" She cleared her throat, "I don't…I don't know. Daddy and I haven't talked about it and it wouldn't be for a long while, but I really don't know." She gave a gracious look to the barista who passed over a tray of drinks, "I'm sorry Noodle. Your question kind of caught me off guard. I don't really have a good answer for you, but right now, we don't have any plans for more babies. It's going to be you, Liam and Ryan for right now."

Piper was quiet for a moment. "Taylor doesn't like her brother," she whispered, "And she isn't nice to him even though he's only four years old." She took a breath. "And when he had to go for his bath, Taylor told us that she overheard her mom and her mommy talking about Elliot's biological brother. That his biological mommy had another baby after him and now her mommies ae trying to get his biological brother to come live with them so Elliot can be with his brother."

Erin widened her eyes, some of the pieces of Piper's original question falling into place. "Wow," she mused, "That's a big change for Taylor and Elliot."

The little girl nodded. "She doesn't know if her mommies can get him but she said she doesn't want him because she said she doesn't want another brother." Piper looked up at Erin with worried hazels. "Maybe he could come live with us instead, so he isn't alone. Someone should want him."

"Sweetheart," Erin said, sinking down to meet Piper's gaze, "You are the sweetest kid in the whole world, you know that?" She tucked some loose hair behind her ears. "I don't know all the details about Elliot's biological brother, but I'm sure that Taylor's moms are working hard to do whatever they can for him." She kissed Piper's forehead gently. "Maybe I can send them an email when we get home to check in?"

Piper shook her head. "Taylor's not supposed to know," she rushed out, "Because Elliot doesn't know that he has a brother." She swallowed, tears filling her eyes. "And Taylor said that it would be the worst news he would ever get."

"I think Taylor might be feeling a lot of big emotions," Erin said carefully, "It's really big news to hear." She stroked Piper's cheek lightly. "You're right that someone should want that little boy, but I bet that Elliot wants his little brother. And it sounds like Taylor's moms want him too. And we don't know the whole story. His biological family may want him too. It could be very complicated."

The little girl sniffed. "Did you…did you have big emotions when you found out about me?" she whispered, "Like Taylor?"

Erin wiped a tear away that had slipped down Piper's cheek. "I had a lot of different emotions. I was really, really angry. Not at you, but at Bunny. And the system that didn't keep you safe." She wiped a tear off her own cheek. "And I was sad. Sad because I missed so much time with you. Sad that I wasn't there for you when you were little. I was scared, because I didn't know what was going to happen next or how much my life would change. And I was also really happy because I knew that if I had you, I wouldn't ever be alone again." She took her baby girl's small hand in her own. "It was a lot of emotions but it was so, so worth it because you are so worth it, Noodle bug."

Piper leaned into her mommy's arms. "I think Taylor is sad and angry and scared," she said softly, "I don't think she's happy yet."

"She'll get there," Erin assured her, rubbing Piper's back gently, "It might take some time, but I have a feeling that she'll be happy eventually. And I also have a feeling that Elliot's little brother is loved and wanted, just like you are."

Jay exhaled when he saw that both of his boys' eyes had closed. The chill Saturday that he had hoped for after Piper returned from her sleepover was turned on its head when neither of the boys wanted to settle. When all three Halstead boys woke up from their mid-morning nap to a missing Erin, Ryan and Liam were beside themselves. Saturday came and went in a blur of diaper changes, spit up and screaming babies.

Come Sunday, Erin was exhausted after feeding at five in the morning and in the hopes that she'd at least get a few hours, Jay took his boys to the couch to introduce them to hockey.

Neither of them were interested and thankfully fell asleep on his chest, unbothered by any impressive save or good goal.

The sound of tiny bare feet on the hard wood floors caused Jay turned his head to see his little girl standing beside the couch, unsure of what to do. Immediately, his heart clenched. Slow Sunday mornings were times that he treasured. He loved that Erin could typically sleep in and that he had special time in the morning just with his little girl, usually cuddled on the couch watching Sportcenter. In their time together, Piper had gotten progressively cuddlier and instead of sitting next to him, typically elected to sit right in his lap, her head on his chest.

It was his favorite way to hold her.

But this time he had two other sleeping babies on his chest. It was magical to hold his boys especially when they were sleeping peacefully, but seeing his first baby look somewhat confused broke his heart. "Hi kiddo," he whispered, "Did you have a good sleep?"

Piper nodded slowly and forced a smile. "The boys are sleeping," she replied, "They don't know about hockey yet, I guess."

"Not yet," he chuckled, shifting Liam carefully so he could free up one arm. "You want to sit with us for a little? I think Mommy's still sleeping."

She nodded again. "I checked on her before coming down," she told him, "She was snoring." Piper took a tentative seat on the far side of the couch and pulled her knees up to her chest.

Jay took a breath. His little bug was still adjusting to not being the only child and if he was being honest, he was too. Piper used to consume every thought in his head but now those thoughts were shared with two other tiny humans. He loved all of his kids, but damn if it didn't break his heart wide open to see his first baby reluctant to sit with him. "You a little cold?" he asked after a minute, "I think there's a blanket around here somewhere."

"Liam got sick on it yesterday," Piper informed him, "I put it in the laundry room with the other blanket that Ryan got sick on last night." She shifted back on the couch before offering a small smile. "Babies are messy."

"Mm-hm," Jay mused, leaning down to kiss the top of Ryan's head, "They smell better when they're not wearing poop though. I got both these guys fresh diapers this morning."

Piper smiled wider and shifted over closer to give Liam a kiss to the head. "He does smell good," she said, leaning down to kiss him again, "He smells like love."

Jay beamed. "He does." He kissed the top of Piper's head. "You do too."

She looked up at him teasingly. "I'm not a baby," she informed him, "I smell like shampoo."

"You're my baby," Jay replied, kissing the top of her head again, "No matter how old you get, you're always going to be my first baby. And my best friend." He shifted the boys carefully. "There's always room for you here."

Piper looked up at him. "But you're their daddy too," she whispered, "They should get to have snuggles with you." She rested her head against his arm. "I'm the big sister."

His heart clenched. His little bug was trying so hard to be a big girl and he was so proud of her, but Jay also knew that she needed just as much love and snuggles as his boys did. Erin had briefly mentioned that she had a good conversation with their little girl when getting coffee, but they'd yet to have a moment absent of crying babies to discuss it. "You are the big sister," he said thickly, "But you still can have all the snuggles you want, kiddo. C'mere."

Piper tentatively climbed on his lap and rested her head on her daddy's shoulder. He had the boys on one side and her on the other and even though it was a little more crowded, Piper felt a whole lot better. She put one hand on Liam's back as he snoozed on her daddy's chest. "You're really warm," she murmured, "Even though all the blankets are in the laundry room."

Jay smiled. He had all three of his babies in his arms and it was everything he'd ever hoped and dreamed about. "I think that's why the boys have been sleeping," he whispered, "They're pretty quiet, huh?"

"'cause they feel safe," Piper said, exhaling softly. "I always feel the safest here. And the boys know they're safe here too. With you." She settled further against her daddy's chest. "I missed getting to sit with you."

He swallowed the lump in his throat. He'd been seriously missing his baby girl as well. "Me too. I know these past few weeks have been a little hectic."

Piper nodded tiredly. "I really love them," she said, moving her hand to Ryan's back, "Even when they're crying and smelly, I still love them more than anything."

"You are such a good big sister," Jay praised, "Really, kiddo. Mommy and I are so grateful for you and how much of a help you've been with the boys." He smoothed some of her hair back. "I love you so much."

So I mentioned before this installment is going to be a series of chapters in different parts. My plan is to write these parts chronologically so if you have any newborn requests, now would be the time!