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“Yeah?” she answers, climbing out of bed and slipping on the T-shirt I just tossed her way.
“In case my confession of love and what we shared last night wasn’t enough, I want to make myself clear in the light of day.”
“O-kay,” she says cautiously.
“I love this little girl.” I kiss the top of Madeline’s head. “I love you. You both are mine. From this point on, you’re mine. You and Maddie.”
I see her shoulders relax. Was she worried I would take it back? There are no take backs in love. At least not my love. “Go see Mommy,” I tell Madeline. I hand her over to Wren and wrap my arms around both of them. “Love my girls,” I whisper. Reluctantly I pull away and force myself to walk out of my bedroom to go make them some breakfast.
Once in the kitchen, I pull the high chair that I keep for Carter and Roan out from under the island. It’s the kind that folds up and you strap it to a chair. I’ll need to get a real one, full size for Madeline. I never have Carter or Roan for more than a night or a few hours, so this works, but I hope Madeline will be spending a lot more time here, and I want her to be comfortable and feel at home. It’s important that babies have stability. I’ve learned that from my brothers and their kids.
I’m just pulling the scrambled eggs off the stove when Wren and Madeline appear in the kitchen. “Hey, I made scrambled, thinking Maddie might want some.”
“That’s perfect.” Wren smiles at me.
“I have her seat all set up.” I point to the high chair. “Go ahead and get her settled, and I’ll make our plates. Coffee and orange juice okay?”
“Yes, please. Do you need any help?”
“No. You just take care of our girl and I’ve got the rest.” I get busy making us both a plate of eggs and toast and fill the small rubber Blue’s Clues plate that I keep for Carter with eggs. I use a fork to cut them up in tiny pieces so she won’t choke, and like an experienced waiter, I carry all three to the table.
“Look at you. Were you a waiter in college?” Wren teases.
“No, but I could have rocked that sh-stuff,” I say, catching myself.
“I’m sure you could have.” She laughs. Her laughter follows me as I grab our coffee and orange juice before sitting opposite Madeline.
We dig into our food while we laugh at Madeline. She loves her eggs, but she’s wearing more than she’s eating. The entire morning is very domestic, and I don’t hate it. In fact, I want this feeling. I want these two with me every morning. Hell, I want them every minute of every day.
“So, Wren,” Sawyer says. We’re all sitting in the living room at Mom and Dad’s. The afternoon rain has us all holed up inside. The rain didn’t stop Mom from making a huge pot of spaghetti and meatballs with salad and garlic bread. I assumed we would be having sandwiches since we’re all tired from being at the hospital, but Mom pulled off a win. I ate way too much, but my mom is the best cook out there. Well, Aspen and Aurora have the dessert side covered, but Mom can give them a run for their money. “I have something to run by you.”
I know what’s coming, but I keep my face neutral. My brothers and I have been working on a plan that my sisters, their wives, and our parents were on board with. It worked out for me because I need her to make more money. I need her to find a better place if she’s not willing to move in with me. I get the keys to my new place tomorrow, and I want them to move in with me, but I know she’s going to argue.
“What’s that?” Wren asks her. Madeline reaches for me, and I take her into my arms, tossing her gently into the air, making her giggle.
“Well, how happy are you with your job?” Sawyer asks.
“Um… I mean, it pays the bills,” Wren says.
“I was hoping you’d say that. How would you feel about a change?”
“What kind of change?”
Sawyer looks over at Royce, and he nods. “Well, we’re opening a day care at Riggins. The entire second floor is going to be a day care. We know Lena and Stanley have things they want to do, travel and whatnot. They can’t do that if they spend their days watching our kids.” She motions around the room. “Not only that, but we all love the idea of being able to drop in and see our kids anytime during the day.”
Wren nods. “I can see the appeal. What does that have to do with me?”
