Page 3 of Kylie

Travis was exaggerating, but not by much.

“Wait for it,” Gage said seconds before the numbers on the clock changed and the grandfather clock in the living room announced the hour.

As soon as that first chime sounded, Kade shouted, “Daddy-O! It’s time! It’s time! Let’s go-o-o-o!”

I glanced over to see Travis smiling as he pocketed his cell phone and grabbed the key to the Escalade.

“I’m comin’,” he called back, hefting the duffel bag onto his shoulder.

While he herded them, Gage and I headed upstairs to get Maddox and Haden. I passed Kate and Avery, who were racing toward the front stairs, clearly worried they might be left behind.

“Hurry! Hurry!” Kate chanted, as excited as her brother.

I laughed as I headed for Maddox’s room while Gage went to Haden’s.

“Hey, there, sweet boy,” I crooned, smiling. “Did you get a good nap?”

Just shy of twenty months old and as independent as they came, Maddox stood up in his crib, tiny hands clutching the rail as he bounced up and down to relay his excitement. It wouldn’t be long before that crib wouldn’t be able to handle him any longer, but we were pushing it, hoping to keep him confined for a little while longer. If he were anything like his brothers and sisters, once he was out, there would be no keeping him under control.

Unlike my other kids, who rambled incessantly, Maddox was quiet. It had nothing to do with his cognitive abilities. Oh, no. He could carry on a conversation using only one- and two-word responses for as long as his brothers and sisters would pay attention. He’d grown up in the thick of their interactions, which had catapulted his learning curve. He could say plenty, and he would when he felt it was necessary, but for the most part, he kept quiet. Probably because he was too busy checking out everything that was going on around him.

“All right, little man. Let’s get dressed so we can get those heathens to the park where they want to be.” I chuckled as I picked him up.

“Park,” he muttered softly.

“Exactly.”

I was now a pro at the mom thing, so it took only a few minutes to get him ready—diaper changed, clothes, shoes, coat, hat. As I was propping him on my hip, I heard Travis’s voice booming up from below. “Kylie! Baby, you ready?”

“We’re comin’!” I leaned into Maddox. “Aren’t we, sweet boy?”

“Comin’,” he crooned quietly, grinning wide and slobbering on the blanket he clutched in his little fist thanks to that tooth he had coming in.

Gage was already downstairs by the time I got there. When he held out his arm, I passed Maddox over, and then he had two kids propped on his hips. I was pretty sure beneath that T-shirt, there was an “S” on his chest. Then again, I’m not sure Superman held a candle to Gage.

“You get the bags, I’ve got the babies,” he said, his tone smooth, unrattled.

I laughed as I tugged on my coat before grabbing two more bags that I’d hidden from Travis, not wanting to hear him give me shit for being overprepared. With five kids, I tended to account for everything when it came to field trips. And since the kids wouldn’t be happy if we called it short due to needing something we left at home, I often went a little overboard.

After locking the house, I followed Gage down the steps.

Travis was moving toward us. “Y’all good if I go? I’m gonna swing through and pick up Pop.”

Gage nodded, Travis waved, and our field trip was officially underway.

Ten minutes later, we were pulling into the parking lot of the Double R Retreat—the quaint bed and breakfast owned by Rex Sharpe, one of Travis’s many cousins. Rex had offered up his parking lot to family. I was grateful because otherwise, we would be hoofing it for at least five blocks. With five kids in tow. Not an easy feat.

It felt like winter today. The sky was overcast, and the wind had a little bite to it. I’d been hoping for spring-like weather, which wasn’t unheard of for January in Central Texas. We were lucky in that it had been a mild winter up to this point, but based on the temps hovering in the low forties, I wasn’t sure it was going to remain that way.

Even with the chilly wind, I found myself looking forward to some time outside. More specifically, spending some time with my sister. I loved my kids and my husbands with all that I was, but every busy mom/wife deserved a little downtime, and I intended today to be mine.

And because I’d learned to pick my battles, I had yet to reveal that little tidbit of information to Travis or Gage.

I had good reason.

For months now, Travis had been keeping a watchful eye on all of us. I didn’t blame him one bit, but I could admit that it had gone on a little long at this point. After Kate was kidnapped by a crazy bitch hell-bent on punishing Travis for her husband leaving her, he’d been on high alert.

In the beginning, I had understood his reasoning. Supported him even. It wasn’t every day that a scorned ex-wife set out to punish the man whom she blamed for the entire ordeal. But Juliet Prince was more than a little warped and twisted. Evidently, her prize of a husband met a younger woman during one of their visits to Alluring Indulgence Resort and decided to trade her in for that younger model. Due to the aforementioned warped and twisted, Juliet held Travis responsible because he owned the resort.