Page 146 of Golden Ruin

He smiles and the sight of it makes warmth flow through me. I thought I’d known contentment over the years, thought I was living the best possible version of life, but being at his side, being his girl… it’s taught me otherwise.

This is what it feels like to be where I belong.

“Can I have everyone’s attention?”

We turn toward the sound of West’s voice, staring as he stands proudly beside Blue, one arm around her while she beams. Those who hadn’t already moved closer begin walking toward the patio, tightening the crowd.

“Before I say anything else, I want to thank you all for coming,” he says. “As many of you know, our road to parenthood took a little longer than we wanted, and it was a bit more complicated than we wanted, but… you can’t convince me our timing wasn’t perfect.”

Sterling’s arm tightens around me, and I glance toward our son, still perched on Uncle Dane’s shoulders.

“But we didn’t invite you all here to listen to me ramble about how much I love my wife,” West teases as everyone laughs quietly. “I’m sure you’re all dying to know whether we’re expecting a little version of Blue, or a little hellion like myself.”

We all laugh again, and I’m dying of anticipation. All I want to know is whether I’ll have a niece or nephew showing up in a few months.

“So,” Blue says, holding a black balloon in one hand and a toothpick in the other, “allow me to let you all in on the big secret.”

My heart’s racing, and I’m practically shaking as she lifts the balloon higher, finally pricking it.

My mouth falls open when a cascade of confetti bursts into the air, falling to her and West’s feet.

Blue…. And pink.

“Shit! Twins?” I say with a gasp, staring with blurred vision now, because of course I’m crying.

These two deserve everything they want in this world, because they always put each other first.

Always put love first.

In my peripheral vision, I see Dane lowering Jax to the ground, and because I’m his mom and know he can get into all sorts of trouble in zero seconds flat, my eyes are on him. He doesn’t walk toward me and Sterling. He walks toward West and Blue instead, which has me thinking I need to intervene, because I’ll be damned if my son’s gonna be the one to ruin such a big moment.

But then I see West hold his hand out, taking Jax’s.

“And I’ve invited a little helper up to let you all in on one last secret.”

I glance toward Sterling, but when he shrugs, I realize he’s just as clueless as I am. We stare straight ahead together, and I’m certain our mouths fall open at the same time.

As Jaxon holds up another black balloon.

“No fucking way,” I gasp.

“As it turns out,” West starts again, grinning like he won the lottery, “we’re not getting double for our trouble… because we’re getting triple.”

The crowd gasps, then it’s a mixture of excitement and utter shock.

West picks Jax up, and my little showman makes a huge deal of popping the second balloon directly over his head, covering himself in a storm of blue confetti.

And there we have it, a glimpse of our crew’s future. Ricky and Dez’s gorgeous girls, West and Blue’s triplets, our little secret-keeper Jax, and God only knows how many more.

I lean into Sterling, thinking of how our family just keeps growing, getting better and better, and I’m so proud to be a part of the legacy.

Joss steps up beside us. She’s smiling about the big announcement, but there’s something else. Something that has just a hint of tension etched across her face, concern behind her eyes.

“Mind if I steal you for a sec?” she says to Sterling.

His eyes flit toward me, waiting for me to respond. “Oh! Of course. Go.”

He kisses my temple as his arm slips from around me, then he’s gone.