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“Hey, Mom. Hey, Dad.”
“Hi!” I give his mother a hug. She’s so sweet, and I’m lucky to have a good relationship with Connor’s parents.
Kenzie and my mom greet me as soon as we walk inside. I take a look around and am in awe at how adorable everything looks. Maize baked a chocolate cake with pink sprinkles for Olivia and matching cupcakes for everyone else—horse-themed, of course.
“Is that the birthday girl I hear?” Grandma walks out of the kitchen wearing the biggest smile. “It is!”
Olivia rushes forward and wraps her arms around her waist. “I love everything!” she gushes.
“You really didn’t have to go through all this,” Connor speaks up. I know he still struggles with accepting that we Bishops don’t do anything small.
“It was no trouble at all!” Grandma scolds. “Why do you think I wanted so many grandchildren? Spoiler alert, it’s for the bonus of having even more great-grandchildren.” She winks at Olivia, then glances at me. “Now, if you want to give me more—”
“Oh look, took her less than five minutes to bring up having more babies,” Maize interjects, carrying one of the twins. “It doesn’t even matter if I gave her two. Grandma’s greedy.”
I chuckle as she waves her off, then holds out her arms. “Speaking of, give me my baby.”
Maize gently hands her over. Madison Bailey and Mila Rose were born just two months ago. They were a few weeks early but were healthy enough to go home only a week later.
“Can I hold one?” Olivia asks.
“Of course, sweetie. Gavin has Maddy. Let’s go find him, okay?” Maize holds out her hand, and Olivia excitedly takes it.
It doesn’t take long before the party’s in full swing. Music blares in the backyard, and it’s mixed with kids laughing. Between grabbing food and playing horseshoes by the bouncy house, everyone seems to be having lots of fun.
The pony rides are a huge hit, and the line is long. Knox and Kane make sure all the saddles are adjusted correctly for the kids before leading them to the corral. Once it’s Olivia’s turn, she tells Kane she wants to ride Jasmine.
“You got it, kiddo,” he says.
“So it’s your birthday, huh?” Jackson walks up. “What are you now? Twenty-two?”
“No!” She giggles. “If I was that old, I’d buy my own horse.”
“Is that so?”
“Yep. I’d have a hundred horses!”
“Wow, that’s a lot. What would you do with that many?” Jackson muses, grabbing Jasmine’s lead rope from Kane.
“Well…they’d sleep in my room with me. Then we’d go for walks every morning. We’d eat a big dinner on one of the hills, then we’d take a bath before bedtime.”
“Sleep and eat, sounds like Knox’s schedule,” Kane mocks with his brother near.
“Oh gimme a break. Who’s up every mornin’ at four while you sleep in?” Knox shoves him as he walks by.
“Yeah, it doesn’t count when you’re awake from the night before,” Kane retorts.
“Boys,” Jackson says in his deep warning tone. “Shut it.”
Connor helps Olivia into the saddle, then makes sure her feet are in the stirrups before Grayson leads her to the corral.
We watch as Olivia’s face lights up, and I know she’s going to freak out when she gets her birthday gift from us.
“I think you have a future vet on your hands,” my mom says as she walks up. “She adores horses.”
“She really does,” I agree.
“Three generations of doctors,” my dad adds. “Finally, my legacy lives on.”
I chuckle as I watch Olivia riding Jasmine and having the time of her life. Once she’s done, we take her to the bouncy house to play. Growing up on the ranch was an incredible experience, and being able to give Olivia a part of that makes me happy.
As Olivia plays, I spot Rowan and Diesel with their son, Rory. He turned one last month and just started walking. Their oldest son, Dawson, is now five. They have shared custody with Dawson’s mother, but she lives locally.
“There’s my favorite little boy!” I scoop Rory into my arms. “And my other favorite little boy.” I give Dawson a side hug.
“You should look at Rory’s cool shirt.” Dawson points toward it.
I set Rory down, then kneel so I can take a look. In big black letters, it reads BIG BROTHER. Glancing up at Rowan, my jaw drops.
“Are you serious? You’re pregnant?” I stand, immediately giving her a hug.
“She couldn’t keep her hands off me,” Diesel gloats.
“Oh be quiet.” Rowan rolls her eyes.
“Does Grandma know?” I ask.
“Are you kiddin’ me? She knew before I did.” Rowan smirks, and I laugh.
“I’m so happy for you guys. Are you so excited, Rory?” I put him on my hip and tickle him. He’s too young to understand, but he will once the new baby is here.
“With Maize having the girls and you popping another one out, you’d think Grandma would leave me alone.”
