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Stella
I’m so close to my due date that I’m pretty sure I’m going to burst wide open when this baby decides to come out. My feet feel heavy, my ankles swell if I stand for more than five minutes, and I’m constantly hungry and full at the same time. I sleep more, and I spend most of my day with Lucas and Ava at the Elizabeth. But I am happy. I’m so happy I sometimes worry I’ll wake up one morning and realize it was all a dream.
It’s not, though.
It’s real, and it is strange and beautiful. We are making it work. It’s a team effort, of course. Only Theo knows about us, and we intend to keep it that way for as long as possible. She comes down to Cape Elizabeth once every two weeks, and we get to sit down and eat great food and catch up on everything we’ve been doing.
Her TV show’s first season recently got its release on streaming services worldwide, and it’s an absolute hit. She’s also a fan favorite, which has promptly translated into a surge of other TV and movie offers. Her career is taking off in a big way, and I’m so thrilled for her. After all these years, after the hard work and sacrifices, Theo is finally thriving and living in the limelight, performing in front of the cameras and enjoying every damn second. I’m pretty sure there’s a beau in the picture, but she isn’t sure about him just yet. She’ll tell me when she’s ready. Theo has always been the more cautious one.
On the other hand, I’ve managed to get some work done before my men promptly declared I should take some time off. They’re more than happy to cover for me while I prepare to deliver their baby. We agreed we wouldn’t do a DNA test unless a specific medical reason is invoked. It’s their baby, not just one man’s. And Isaac has also filed all the appropriate papers in a district court to adopt Lucas and Ava officially. My children will carry the Kendrick last name, and that comes with some extraordinary benefits. They will be well taken care of, no matter what happens.
I’m not used to not working, though, so more often than not, I end up sneaking into my office on the ground floor to catch up on orders and emails. Noah frequently catches me and kisses me until I’m bright and pink before he practically drags me back upstairs. He and the guys take turns spending time with Lucas and Ava, too, and it’s always such a joy to watch them together. My children are so lucky—I will never tire of saying this. The little one on the way will be just as fortunate with four doting and loving fathers looking out for him.
“We’re here,” Isaac announces as he pulls up outside a massive brick and wrought iron fence. “Everybody ready?”
We left the kids with Bella, who has been more than happy to resume her babysitting duties, while Isaac drove the five of us two miles south of town to see “something wonderful.”
My heart is thumping out of my chest because I’m sure I know what this is about. It’s the moment I’ve been waiting for, the moment I’d hoped to see happen sooner rather than later.
Once we get out of the massive, black SUV, Levi and Beau flank me, making sure I’m okay. I’m way heavier these days, and my movements have become slow and clunky. The pregnancy is progressing perfectly, but it has become a question of physics at this point. This kid’s gonna pop out big and strong, obviously.
“Are you okay?” Noah asks, concern etched into his handsome features.
“Yes, my love. Just… huge,” I reply bluntly, then gaze past him at the brick fence. “Wow, it’s pretty.”
The fence surrounds a large property, though I can’t see past it just yet. I can only see the yellow and orange oak crowns exploding above. A clear blue sky is a beautiful backdrop, and I’m thankful for the autumn weather we’ve been having. I need warmth and sunlight for my baby and my soul. We make our way toward the front gate, and as soon as Isaac opens it with a remote control, I’m treated to a most stunning view.
There’s a gorgeous mansion at the end of the alley, with white French windows and a reddish brick façade. The front garden is a sprawling paradise of cherry and magnolia trees that’ll bloom splendidly next spring, ancient pines and oaks guarding the outer borders of the property. I can hear the sound of running water, and my gaze is immediately drawn to a gushing fountain made of white marble—the star of the show, so to speak. It was built in the middle of the garden, and the stone paths were laid around it before they were allowed to stretch outward so visitors might enjoy the deeper, wilder parts of the property. Blankets of fallen leaves in shades of burnt red, brownish gold, and soft amber cover the ground.
“Oh, my God, it is spectacular,” I manage, my jaw dropping.
“Right?” Isaac replies, definitely proud of himself. “It took us a while to get it ready, but it’s ready.”
“How long have you been working on it?” I ask.
Beau smiles as he takes my hand and guides me through the wide open gates. The pebbles on the driveway crunch under my boots. It’s a pleasant sound. I’m going to enjoy getting used to this. “We’ve had architects and engineers in here every day for the past couple of months,” he says. “All we did was oversee the whole project, making sure you’d love it.”
“I already love it.”
“Wait until you see the inside of this place,” Noah says. “It used to belong to some English aristocrat when the first rich settlers sailed across the Atlantic in the late 1700’s. They built it in their English style, hence the sturdy structure and sumptuous architecture. Frankly, the designers were the happiest I’ve ever seen when they first saw the mansion and were told they’d have to spruce it up.”
“It’s been owned by the same family ever since,” Isaac adds. “But the last descendant passed away last year, and the house became part of a charitable trust. Given the fluctuating economy, the trustees decided to sell the place, and here we are today.”
The closer we get to the front steps with its elegant port-cochere, the harder it gets for me to breathe. “It’s just so beautiful. This is too much, guys, way too much.”
“There’s no such thing as too much for our woman and our children,” Levi declares. “It has everything we’ll ever need. Privacy, most of all. Beau had a top security system installed, with cameras and sensors everywhere, and the private security firm in charge can get here in a matter of minutes. Not that we’d really need them. I mean, we’re in the middle of nowhere here, in the heart of the woods. But we had to think ahead for when Isaac starts running for office.”
I nod slowly. “Yeah, the press and his opposition will be getting busy, doing research, investigating, looking for dirt. I get it.”
“But we’ll always be safe and happy here,” Isaac assures me.
We take a moment to simply admire the front of the mansion. The original brickwork has been repainted in a shade of red that likely matches what it used to look like when they first built it. The porte-cochere is held up by four tall columns, each decorated with sculptural leaves that remind me of ancient Greek colonnades. Above, a generous terrace opens up to give a splendid view of the fountain and the front garden. The porch is ginormous, the floor made of thick reddish stone tiles and fully furnished to fit the five of us plus our children.
“Come on, let’s go inside, and then we’ll check the back,” Noah says, leading the way.
As soon as the door opens and I go in, I can feel my heart fluttering with awe and wonder. It’s so beautiful, I could cry. I really could cry. The attention to detail is astonishing. The flooring is all soft, cream marble with gold veins, while the walls rise in warm whites. Every piece of furniture was carefully selected to evoke harmony and comfort—most of it walnut or old oak with a smooth polish and bronze-brushed knobs and handles. There are flowers everywhere. Marigolds, lilies, hydrangeas, roses, tulips, dahlias… everything autumn has to offer was brought in and stuffed into precious porcelain vases. There are paintings on the walls. Some of them are older, Modernist works, while others clearly belong to the past couple of decades.
It's a superb mix between the past and the present.
