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So that was that.
Ian pulled the covers over Hazel’s legs and made sure she had enough pillows to prop her up. He’d already set up the comfortable chair he’d bought for her by on the patio so that she could go out and work in the sunlight if she chose. The hard part now was that he had to leave her.
Ian kissed her. Not a light peck, but a long, lingering kiss that she returned in kind. He then gave for little kisses along her belly, which seemed to have gotten bigger even since yesterday. If Hazel could handle the changes, so could he. He rose, then bowed over again to give her one more kiss.
“You need to get to work, Dr. Cartwright.”
“Yes, dearest.” Ian touched the top of her head and steeled himself.
He adored her and their children. From now on, his thoughts were in plurals: what he could do for Hazel and the babies, and how he could make the world better for all of them. And once Hazel had delivered the children, she could rejoin him in that effort. Until then, he knew that she had already done so much, just by being her wonderful self, and teaching him what it meant to live in the world for others.
Epilogue
Dr. Hazel Greenwood-Cartwright perched over her desk, brow furrowed as she typed rapidly. Her newest book was nearly complete, but she was ever the perfectionist, and once the manuscript had all of its chapters, she would likely spend several weeks editing, expanding, and breaking down concepts that she had written about with prose that was too dense. For the latter effort, she could always trust her husband. He didn’t like to write himself and hadn’t published as a single author in years, which had worked out well for him—since each of their books together had made the bestseller list. Regardless, he was always a good sounding board, and Hazel respected his perspective.
It slowly dawned on her that small eyes were watching her with rapt fascination. Hawk was supposed to be watching at least two of the quads, but apparently, some of them had escaped. She turned toward the two girls in the doorway and smiled.
“Hi, sweeties.” Hazel got up and went over to the girls. Emma and Jade remained by the doorway—since it was a firm rule that they weren’t to go into either of their parents’ studies. As a means of meeting the children halfway, Hazel tried to make sure that they never got ignored while she was working, either writing, researching, or heading up the philanthropic division of Cartwright & Benson.
“Uncle Hawk said we couldn’t come with you and Daddy tonight,” Emma complained. “It’s not fair.”
Jade nodded energetically. It was funny how the two of them seemed to get along better than with their other siblings. Emma (and her absent twin, Diana) had ginger hair like Hazel, but Jade had brown hair like her father, as did their brother, Jack. They were all wickedly smart, and Hazel was grateful that she had so much help with them.
“I don’t know about that. I think it would be unfair to you to make you come.” Hazel shrugged and offered her hands for them to take as they walked down the hallway together. “It’s going to be pretty boring, honestly. Old people talking for a long time. And then I have to get up and talk for a long time. Plus, you’ve already heard what I have to say because I’ve been reading it to Daddy over and over.”
“Oh,” Emma muttered.
“But you guys get to stay here and order pizza. I think that’s pretty fun, right?” Hazel watched their faces light up. Jack was allergic to eggs but, thankfully, none of them had problems with dairy. It was one thing for Hazel to go back on her vegan diet after the quads had been born, but it would’ve been so difficult to feed them if they had as many food allergies as she did.
They reached the living room, where Hawk was rolling around like an idiot on the floor. Apparently, Jack had “killed” him somehow. Hazel raised a brow and let the girls run into the fray. She could leave her book until the morning. It would be more fun to watch them all until it was time to get ready for the ceremony. Truthfully, she would have liked to have them there, but four energetic seven-year-olds trying to sit at a fancy dinner was a recipe for disaster. Eating in a restaurant together when Ian hadn’t bought the dining room out for the night might not be something they were up to for a year or so.
Their house was too large to hear the front door open, but Hazel recognized the sound of Ian’s shoes as he came down the hallway. As did the quads, who all rushed him at once. Hazel came out (slowly) to grab one flailing girl off of him. It was so hard when they outnumbered the adults in the house. However, it had always been that way, and they loved their little monsters.
Ian held a squirming Jack to his side as he leaned in to give Hazel a kiss. “You need to go get ready.”
