AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She raises a brow before I pat my lap and understanding floods her features. Carefully standing up from the chair, she tightens her grip on Maddox and walks over to me, slow and steady in hopes of not waking him. Soon she's in front of me, turning around so she can sit down. I reach forward and wrap my arms tightly around her waist and pull her towards me, sucking in a greedy breath when her back rests against my chest.
I feel Oakley's beady eyes on me and turn to him, the left side of my mouth lifting. It doesn't take long for Ava to reach over and smack him on the arm.
"Leave them alone," she chides, swatting at a spark that flies from the fire towards her newly dyed, long auburn hair. It's a new look for her, compared to the short chestnut brown we're used to seeing but it looks good.
Oakley throws his hands up in front of him. "I didn't say anything!"
"You forget how well I know you," Ava teases, smiling deviantly. Oakley rolls his eyes dramatically before copying me and patting his own lap.
"Well?"
"Well, what?" Ava feigns ignorance, shrugging.
"Oh, you know what. Don't make me put you here myself."
"Was that supposed to be a threat?"
Oakley's Adam's apple bobs as he leans over the side of his chair and mutters something under his breath that I'm thankful I'm too far away to hear.
I rest my chin on Gracie's shoulder and shove my face in her neck, laughing against the warm skin. "What an idiot."
"Oakley or Ava?" She shivers against me.
"Your brother."
"You're just figuring that out?"
I pull away from her neck and look down at the button-nosed boy wrapped up in a Vancouver Warriors blanket, laying in Gracie's arms, dead to the world around him. I can hear his steady breaths falling from his tiny mouth and I feel the corners of mine tugging.
"How many kids do you want?" I whisper, knowing I took her by surprise when she gasps, turning her head to look at me.
"Since when do you want to talk about kids?"
That's a good question, baby. I shrug. "Since now, I guess."
She nods once. "I think two. Both boys. I know how much trouble girls are."
I half-expected the idea of having two mini-versions of myself running around to make me want to throw up. But the warmth whipping around in my veins makes my smile spread far enough that I wonder if it could rip my cheeks.
"Then two boys it is."
She giggles. "That's not how it works, babe. You don't get to pick."
"Too fucking bad," I scoff and my connected hands break apart as I slide one under her baggy sweatshirt and place it against her stomach, palm warm against the soft skin.
"What's up with you tonight?" she asks and leans her cheek against the side of my head.
"Nothing. I just love you."
She blows out a slow breath. "I love you too."
"Good," I reply before tilting my head and placing a soft kiss under her jawbone. "Because you can't get rid of me now."
"Is that a threat or a promise?"
"A promise," I mutter. I know my tone is pin-straight and determined. "Definitely a promise."
The sound of the patio door sliding open captures our attention as four heads snap in the direction of the house. I can nearly feel the tension rising like air in a hot-air-balloon when Adam steps outside, a miniature version of himself gripping his hand for dear life. It doesn’t take long for Adam to speak just one word that falls as heavy as a bed of bricks, cutting through the cool night air.
