"You know I've been thinking," Lailah said.
"About what?" Spencer wanted to know.
It was a few days since the two of them had visited Lailah's parents to tell them the good news.
"I was thinking we could wait a few years to have children depending on how many we want. I mean we're both still young and if I only get pregnant once so we can afford to wait," Lailah told her mate what she had been dwelling on the last few days.
"I've been thinking the same thing, but didn't want to mention it," said Spencer. "If we wait a couple of years at least that'll give us time to have a house built it we need to."
"Give me time to finish up my internship. I only have a couple more years to go," Lailah added.
"That's probably the sensible plan," Spencer admitted. "Give me time to grow my business. My business is growing quickly as I started it as soon as I graduated within a few months and I am nearly 26. I certainly have enough to afford some children if we want them.
"But having a house built would strain finances," Lailah said. "Right now, we're debt-free and I would prefer to remain that way. How many people can claim they're absolutely debt-free?"
"Maybe 15 to 20%," Spencer said, "and that's not many at all."
"If we do want children with my next heat it might be wise to borrow money from either my parents or your parents," Lailah added having been constantly thinking about it for the last few days. "They both offered and it's better than having to get a loan from a bank."
"True," Spencer said. "I don't think we'll go into as much debt as you believe, as we won't need the borrow more then a few thousand. My question is though, is alpha within you OK with borrowing any amount, even though it's from one set of our parents?"
"The alpha in me seems rather resigned to it," Lailah said. "I won't say I'm 100% OK with it, but I do trust your parents and mine. They won't even charge us a ridiculous amount of interest like the bank will."
"Dad won't charge you any interest, which leaves us just paying back the money we borrowed," Spencer corrected.
"Neither will mom and dad," Lailah agreed.
"The question is do we go ahead and do it, as we haven't been able to find a house that suits us both as I've been househunting while you've been working," Spencer said.
"No, we haven't," Lailah agreed.
Spencer had taken plenty of photos with his phone for each house that the realtor had shown him and Lailah had looked over the pictures as soon as she had gotten home or on her break since Spencer had sent them in a text.
Most of the houses didn't have enough bedrooms considering that their kind always had multiples and while the children could share if they had more than one set then none of the houses was suitable.
"Well, we could only get you pregnant once and then not again Spencer suggested. "If we do it that way we can afford to wait five or six years.
"What you want is important to," Lailah told Spencer. "So what do you want Spence?" Lailah asked him.
"Well, I say getting you pregnant once will be fine with me so long as we have a combination of boys and girls like dad and Alex did. I always wanted a sister growing up but it was just me and Julio and Kade at least until dad mated with Alex and I got the sisters that I always wanted."
"A combination of sexes is the most common type of multiple," Lailah told Spencer who nodded.
"I know," Spencer agreed. "Still, it's possible, even likely, to get all of one sex."
"I'll agree to twice depending if we get all of one sex the first time," Lailah finally decided.
"We should buy one of the houses I saw and then just build on if necessary," Spencer suggested.
"What about that one that came with a few acres of land?" Lailah suggested. "We would then have plenty of room to build on."
"That was the old Swanson place," Spencer said immediately. "It comes with 10 acres of land and part of that is forest, so there's certainly room enough to build on if we have to. It has four bedrooms so if we have triplets we won't have a guestroom but that's hardly a reason not to buy the place."
"You're eidetic memory sure does come in handy when you can reel of the facts like that without even really having to think about it," Lailah said with a twitch of her lips.
"We also have childcare options in my father and Christian, the nanny that's looking after my younger siblings and I'm sure your parents will do their part as well. We won't have to worry about sending them to a daycare, which can be expensive, especially since our kind always has at least twins."
"That's a good point. Something I hadn't considered," Lailah said. "My parents will be happy to have them a few days a week since both of them are retired."
"My father will be happy to help out where he can while Alex is working, except on the weekends. Also, my siblings are old enough to help out just as they do for their younger siblings."
"Make sure you check with your father and Alex, make sure they are willing to look after whatever we have for a few hours a few days a week and I will check with my parents before I agree," Lailah told Spencer who nodded.
"Will do," Spencer agreed cheerfully. "I can tell you right now that both dad and Alex will be delighted to have their grandchildren staying so often. Still, I'll ask just to make sure."
With the decision made Lailah and Spencer relaxed into the couch simply cuddling together until it was time to crawl into bed.
~~~Spencer and Lailah~~~
"I'll be happy to look after my grandchildren when you and Lailah are working," Dave told his son with a smile. "Alex will tell you the same if you bother to ask her. They can play with ours though the playroom really isn't big enough for anymore children unless they're doing something like a board game. Still, I'm sure I can arrange to take them somewhere for a few hours every day they're here a museum or the park."
"We might have to split them up between here and Lailah's parents but that's doable," Spencer said.
"So you're going to go ahead and have children then instead of waiting a few years?" Dave asked.
"So long as we have somebody to watch him when we're working," Spencer said.
"Did you think about daycare?" Dave asked.
"Yes, we did think about daycare. However, for more than one child it's cost prohibitive and our kind always have at least two," Spencer said. "Lailah and I are actually debt free and we'd like to stay that way."
"I can't blame you there," Dave agreed.
"We could probably handle the cost of daycare but it would likely put a strain on finances, even though my business is going very well. There is after all bills that must be paid, employees checks and everything else that goes along with owning a business. If Lailah was a full doctor instead of just a trainee, she be getting a lot more money, but since she's still doing her residency she doesn't make as much as she will once she's an accredited doctor."
"Doctors make a lot of money, but you're also just starting out," Dave said. "If you waited three or four years to have children then that likely wouldn't put a strain on finances."
"Lailah and I certainly talked about that option," Spencer said, "and it's still a possibility."
"Both of you really want children now," Dave guessed and Spencer nodded.
"It would be wise to wait we both know that," Spencer said. "Let us build up our finances, even though Lailah is not fully accredited yet she's still making a hefty sum for a trainee but she'll get nearly double that once she's fully trained. While both of us make quite a bit, we're also saving for our futures, putting some aside every month, which cuts into how much we can spend."
"Well, Alex and I will do our parts and look after our grandchildren. We'll be happy to," Dave said.
"I knew you would be," Spencer smiled kissing his father on the cheek. "I'll tell Lailah and see what she says."
"You'll let Alex and I know when Lailah's pregnant," Dave asked Spencer who nodded.
"Of course, I will. I'll be so happy I'll probably shout it from the rooftops," Spencer said smiling hugely. "I'll certainly be a much better father than the one that I share DNA with."
"That's a given," Dave agreed soberly. "You have your priorities straight. For one thing, you'd never abandon your mate or your children like William Reid did you and your brothers. He might've been present in the home, but he certainly wasn't a positive influence, even before your mother's death."
"That is so true," Spencer agreed wholeheartedly. "I will never abandon Lailah. I love her too much. Any children we have will just be an extension of that love."
"So are you going to have as many as Alex and I did?" Dave asked his son.
"It really depends what is sex we get the first time," Spencer said. "If we get a combination of sexes that first time then Lailah and I agreed that first pregnancy would be it. If we get all of one sex though, we agreed we'd try again a few years down the road."
"So have you found a house yet?" Dave asked.
"We did, it has four bedrooms, which means we won't have a guestroom if we have triplets, but that's OK, as I doubt we'll have many guests. If we do they can stay in a hotel. It also comes with 10 acres of land, which gives us room to build on if we have to, though part of that is forest."
"You were the lucky to find a place with four bedrooms, especially in New York. I hope you've had the entire house inspected to make sure there are no problems."
"Not yet, but we will," Spencer promised, "as a lot of times realtors don't always reveal what the facts like they should, because that want you to buy."
"Exactly," Dave agreed clapping his son on the shoulder. "I hope you told your brothers the good news about your mating."
"Of course, I did and they like Lailah a whole lot after they met her," Spencer said.
Father and son chatted for awhile but Spencer knew he should be getting home as Lailah was going to be home from work soon.
~~~Spencer and Lailah~~~
"Dad was agreeable to watch whatever child we have and in fact, was very much looking forward to it," Spencer told Lailah as soon as the had started eating dinner, once she had gotten home from work. "I figured that would be his answer when we talked about it. You know the playroom is too small for anymore children once they get old enough to use it, but there's the nursery, which is bigger."
"I'm surprise your parents haven't converted the nursery into something else considering they're not gonna have anymore children," Lailah said.
"They just never got around to it," Spencer shrugged, "and it's a good thing don't you think? Maybe they thought they would need it again, not necessarily for their own children but their future grandchildren."
"Yes I'm glad they never converted the nursery into something else," Lailah agreed, "that they just, as you suspect, never got around to it. Much like you and me they both have busy lives, even if your father doesn't work anymore."
"It's true that dad is mostly retired, but he does have a business meetings every once in awhile. He does invest some of his money sometimes, which is what the business meetings are all about. That's one of the reasons he's so wealthy, as he has people that research what would be a good investment. I won't say he doesn't make a bad investment sometimes, but it doesn't happen hardly at all really. Still, nobody has a perfect track record."
"My parents of course, were eager to look after their grandchildren when they came," Lailah said, "so it looks like we won't have to go to the expense of daycare."
"Which is good," Spencer agreed. "We might need to send our children to daycare every once in awhile depending on what's happening, but it probably won't be very often. Things can and do come up, appointments, with the doctor for instance."
"It'll be cheaper just to hire a babysitter if that does happen," Lailah said. "Especially if it's only for two or three hours. I don't think we need to worry about that right now, though as I'm not even pregnant yet, though I soon will be."
"So you've decided to get pregnant as soon as you go into heat," Spencer asked Lailah nodded.
"We have childcare in both sets of our parents and that's mainly what I was worried about," Lailah said. "I wanted to make sure we had someone we trusted to look after the children were going to have in less then a year."
"Family is all about helping look after the children when they're too young to be left on their own for even an hour much less longer. I'm sure Julio and Kade will help out occasionally and it might encourage them to find mates."
"And Landon," Lailah agreed. "Landon definitely won't mind helping out with his niece and nephews sometimes. I'm sure he'll be over here a lot playing with them once they come."
"The same can be said for Julio in Kade," Spencer agreed.
The two continued to talk softly, but finally, headed for the bedroom to make love before going to sleep.
~~~Spencer and Lailah~~~
Epilogue
"You were so lucky Spence," Kade told his brother as the three of them hung out watching Spencer's children play on the floor of the house that Spencer and Lailah had bought.
"I know I am," Spencer said smiling. "I might've met Lailah totally on accident, but I'm thankful that I did."
"Perhaps, it was fate brother," Julio suggested.
"Yes, I know you've never believed in fate," Kade added before Spencer could respond. "But think about this. Our mother would want us to be happy considering she's no longer around to give us advice or even a hug and a kiss."
"So what if she's watching over us from heaven and guided you to Lailah when the time was right," Julio added.
"You're the one that needed mom the most Spence. Don't deny it. She was a loving, steadying presence in all lives before she died," Kade added. "She helped boost your confidence, which neither me or Julio could accomplish. We did try you know."
"Kade and I tried our best to help you once mom died but since we were all the same age it's not like we could be of much help," Julio said. "Kade's right, we tried our best to help you with your confidence issues, but it didn't do much good as it's like it went in one ear and out the other."
"Our adoptive father also tried to help you with your confidence, but it also didn't have any effect. It's only after you met Alex that started to change," Kade said.
"I have a feeling that mom will be waiting on William Reid when he finally dies and she'll have a thing or two to say to him about how he treated us, but especially you," Julio added.
"You might be right," Spencer said, as he thought about it. "I felt an instant connection to Lailah as soon as we introduced ourselves. I don't usually believe in something so unscientific as fate, but if there's one thing I've learned over the last few years is that they are many mysteries in the world that science can't explain. I'd like to think mom is watching over all three of us and approves of David Rossi taking us in and raising us. Who knows she might even have guided him into doing so."
"Well, I expected you to argue with us," Julio told his brother studying him intently. It was like he was studying a puzzle that needed to be solved.
"I do try to keep an open mind fellas," Spencer told his brothers. "You can thank dad for that and you know I don't mean our birth father. It's obvious, something went wrong with our birth father for him to do what he did. It's clear he never really loved our mother which means he never really loved us either, even though we share his makeup. Perhaps, he was always uncaring, but I like to believe that something just short-circuited in his brain when he married mom and then had us. It may simply have been too much stress for example or there could be a totally different reason."
The three brothers watched as Spencer and Lailah triplets laid on the floor on a huge baby blanket.
Lailah and Spencer had gotten their wish for a combination of sexes so they had two boys and a girl, which meant that there would be no more. Lailah was going to have herself fixed so she didn't go into heat anymore though she hadn't had time to get it done yet. The Rossis had very busy lives and they liked it that way. It was something of a rare treat for Spencer and his brothers to get together since they were all so busy.
"It doesn't really matter anymore," Julio suggested. "If something went wrong in our birth father's head I don't really care. Besides, it might not be what happened and he might just be a lousy excuse for a human being, much less an alpha."
"Now if only Julio and I could find ourselves mates," Kade said.
"I have no doubt it will happen," Spencer said. "Probably sooner than you'd expect. You just need to be patient. I mean, look at me as I figured you two would meet some females omegas you wanted to mate with long before I met an alpha, but that's not the way it worked out."
"That's true," Kade agree looking to Julio. "It'll happen when it happens so why worry about it, right now?"
The three brothers sat in the living room and watched as Spencer's children lay on the blanket snoozing away. The triplets that Lailah had given birth to were only a few months old so they slept great deal of the time.
"I hope you meet someone just as special as Lailah," Spencer told his brothers feeling more content then he ever had in his whole life and he knew that Lailah was a large part of the reason he was. Of course, his children could not be discounted in the equation either.
He would do everything possible to protect them as they grow and give them every advantage. His children would also have a loving family surrounding them to give them advice or just to spend time with and that was all that mattered. He wanted his brothers to be as happy as he was with mates and children of their own, but he knew that they would come and he was looking forward to meeting whoever they chose to settle down with.
The future was looking very bright thanks to him meeting Lailah. She was the light of his life and she was well aware of that fact.
His children were now his very reason for existing. His rough childhood no longer mattered and William Reid could go jump in a active volcano and he wouldn't even bother to mourn him. He'd just be happy that he was finally gone and could no longer be like a plague on their lives.
"You know I won't be sorry when William Reid is dead," Julio said after a long silence.
"You know I was just thinking the same thing," Spencer grinned suddenly.
"So was I," Kade agreed grinning. "I know it's a terrible thing for us to think, but then, he was such a lousy father he deserves it and he's lucky we haven't come seeking revenge against him."
"To true," Julio and Spencer agreed.
All three brothers suddenly burst out laughing just feeling so happy to be together and watch Spencer's triplets sleep.
This was definitely the way life should be full of fun and laughter. There was also a time to be serious but life should not be all about work, as there should also be plenty of time for play or at least for enjoying yourself.
Lailah came home just then and observed the brothers as they animatedly but quietly chatted with each other and fell contentment come over her.
"Welcome home honey," Spencer greeted her once he noticed she was there.
"It's good to be home," Lailah agreed, even as she kissed Spencer who kissed her back.
Julio and Kade watched the scene and smiled at each other. It was good to see their brother so happy this was the way life always should be.