“And you still are. So get in the shower, missy. Then you can go back out and visit with the twins before I take them to the ferry terminal in a couple of hours.”
I give her a grateful hug. “Thank you, Fi. You’reincredible. For organizing this with the twins, and just, well, everything.”
“Just cementing my place as best auntie ever. Although, I might be generous and share the title with Blair, she’s cool.”
I laugh. “She is. They’re both great.”
Fiona pushes me toward the shower. “I know. Now, shower.”
Twenty glorious minutes later, I walk back out into the living area to see Brady gently bouncing up and down, Ivy cuddled in his arms.
“Oh thank God! We didn’t want to bother you, but Miss Ivy is about to blow,” Blair says dramatically. “She’s starving and so are we, so we ordered some pizza.”
I hurry into the living room and sit down on the couch, pulling a pillow over before gesturing to Brady. He walks over and hands me my infant daughter like he’s transferring a ticking time bomb.
“Sorry, Hurricane, we wanted to give you longer, but I didn’t want her to start really crying, either.”
“It’s fine. Can you pass me one of the thin muslin blankets?”
I drape it over my shoulder, then get Ivy latched on.
“Damn, you’re a pro already,” Fiona remarks, sitting down next to me.
“Not every time,” I say with a shake of my head. “But sometimes.” Looking up at the twins, I give them a smile. “She won’t take too long, and then you can cuddle with her if you want, she tends to fall asleep after feeding.”
Poor Barrett looks terrified by the idea, butBlair drops down on the floor by my feet. “She’s so tiny. Like,sotiny.”
“Yeah, but she’s not breakable,” Brady comments, coming over next to Barrett. He drapes his arm over his brother’s shoulders and continues, “You can hold her. It’s pretty hard to screw that up.” He winks at me.
When Ivy finishes nursing, as I predicted, she’s back asleep. With Brady’s help, I manage to pull up my bra before handing her to Blair, who’s still seated in front of me.
“Here, in case she spits up.” I drape the blanket over her shirt. “Keep her upright a bit. Yeah, like that.”
Blair looks at me, a mixture of horror and wonder on her face. “It’s kind of wild to think she was inside of you yesterday. But also? If she barfs on me, I’m not gonna be happy.” She looks down at Ivy, and then back at me. “I’ll still love her, but I won’t be happy.”
I hide my amusement and nod. “Got it.”
Barrett slides down to sit beside his twin, cautiously reaching a hand out to touch Ivy. “You sure I can’t hurt her if I hold her wrong?”
Brady sits next to him, and the sight of the three siblings in a row warms my heart. “Yeah. Some smart lady told me that we’re definitely going to screw up parenting more than once. But I promise, I’ll help you hold her safely if you want to try.”
Barrett nods, and Blair gingerly hands him my baby girl. Brady helps adjust her slightly, and from beside me, I catch Fiona with her phone out, snapping some photos of them all. I lean into her side when she lowers thephone and whisper, “Thank you.” I know we’ll be incredibly grateful to have these moments captured.
She squeezes my thigh in response. “You did good, Sage. Really good.”
All too soon, it’s time for the twins to get going, so they can catch the ferry home to the mainland. Brady offers to drive them, but Fiona insists.
“You need to stay here and have some quiet time, just the three of you.”
Reluctantly, he nods. “Thanks, Fiona.”
I step away to change Ivy’s diaper, and when I come back to the living room, everyone is standing, ready to go. There’s a round of hugs for everyone, Fiona included, and then the three of them move to leave. But at the door, Blair stops and whirls back around before throwing her arms around me and squeezing tightly. “I just realized we’re a family of five again,” she mumbles into my shoulder. I feel my shirt grow damp and realize she’s crying. “That’s just really cool.”
I hold her tighter and let my own tears fall. “Thank you for letting me be a part of your family. Ivy and I are really lucky.”
She pulls back and glances at her two brothers. Taking a step closer to Brady, who’s holding Ivy, she gives him a shaky smile before leaning in to kiss Ivy’s head.
“Love you five-ever, Ivy.”
