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Even though I don’t feel like talking about it, I tell my cousin about the fire the other day. As I talk, he listens to me with a serious, empathetic expression.
“That’s really tough, man,” he says when I’m finished. “Trust me, I’ve been there. But you can’t blame yourself. You did all that you could.”
“That’s what I keep telling myself,” I say.
We continue to talk for a long time after that—about our fire stations, the world at large, our lives. It’s really great to catch up with my cousin like this. As we part ways, I wish him good luck with everything going on in his life.
“Hope you enjoy the mayhem of four kids,” I tease him.
“Oh, I will,” Matt says, grinning. “And you know what, Thorne? I’ve got a feeling you’re going to end up having a bunch yourself.”
I laugh at his comment, but as I get into my truck and drive home, I think more seriously about it and realize that he could very well be right. Sunny and I have joked many times about having tons of kids, but beneath all that kidding around, there’s an intense longing within me to raise a big family with her. I want a house full of chaos.
I park my truck in front of my place and jingle my keys in my hand as I head up the walkway. After we got married, we moved Sunny out of that tiny, crappy apartment of hers and got her settled here at my place. Pretty soon we’ll be moving into the dream home we just bought. I basically had to drain my savings for the down payment, but I know it’s going to be worth it.
I unlock the door and walk in, kicking off my shoes inside the door. I call out to Sunny that I’m home, and she echoes my hello from our bedroom. When I go in there to give her a kiss, I find her leaning against the dresser, her eyes closed.
“Hey, you okay?” I ask, rushing up to her.
She nods, takes a breath, and opens her eyes. “Yeah. Just another contraction.”
I shake my head. “Sunny, I don’t like this.”
“It’s just false labor,” she says.
“Even if that’s all it is, I hate seeing you in all this pain,” I say.
She gives me a weak smile. “You might want to stay in the other room when I’m actually in labor, then.”
“Don’t even joke about that,” I say. “I’m going to be by your side the whole time. Every damn second.”
“Even if I’m screaming at you?” she teases me.
“Yeah, even then,” I say. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Well, that feels good to know.” She blows out a breath and straightens up more. “Okay. It’s over. I’m fine now.”
“You sure?” I ask.
Sunny nods, then smiles at me, as if that will prove it. But I know my wife, and I know she doesn’t want me worrying about her.
“Hey, how was coffee with your cousin?” she asks, reaching up to brush something off my shirt.
“Matt’s good. He and Brooke are expecting another baby.”
“Aw. That’s exciting.” Sunny gets a twinkle in her eyes. “Do you think we’ll ever have that many kids, Thorne?”
My chest warms. “I was thinking about that as I drove home. I hope so.”
“Me, too.” She tilts her head up for a kiss, and I dip my mouth to meet hers. Between kisses, she smiles and says, “Can I tell you a secret?”
“Of course, sweet cheeks.”
“I’ve always wanted to have twins.”
“Mmm.” I wrap my arms around my wife and pull her in closer to me. “Well, I’ll see what I can do about making that dream come true.”
That night, I’m dreaming about Sunny telling me that she’s pregnant with twins when I’m torn out of the dream by a hand gripping my arm.
