Chapter 18
Luca
“There’s nothing like cold fried chicken on an afternoon picnic. Don’t you think?”
I looked over at Heath and raised a brow. “Did you utter that sentence unironically? That doesn’t sound like you.”
Heath shrugged. “What? We’re new dads. We’re supposed to enjoy this shit.”
I looked down at the babies in the covered bassinet between us that were sleeping after a lovely afternoon of giggling and screaming their little heads off. Although at three months I didn’t know if it was giggling and smiling or if it was just them filling their diapers. Honestly it could be either.
I had never imagined myself as a father like this. I had never imagined that when we moved from Portland to Denver, this would be my life. We had come here to be with Greer and to start over. Each of us had started over in our way. Greer with her business and her husbands. Heath with his business as well, having wanted to see if he could make it with his friend rather than at the place he had sold out west. And he wanted to start over with all of us as the big brother he was.
I had needed a change when I could start my career as a vet, and I needed to get away from a place that had so many memories. I still thought of Ashleigh from time to time, as she had been my friend and a girl that I loved. But I wasn’t in love with her anymore. That distinction had taken a long time for me to figure out. But it was something that made my love for Addison all the more clear.
You were allowed to have more than one love in your life.
Just because you didn’t have the life you thought you would didn’t mean your life wasn’t worth living. And that had taken me a long time to figure out.
Or at least longer than I had planned.
Now I was a father, in love with a woman I never thought I would have, and damn happy about it.
Yes, I was still working far too many hours, but we knew that would happen as we added more people to the company. It helped that we had a support system here with our family, hence why we had moved here to begin with.
August had started over as well with his career, but running from his problems didn’t seem to be working out the way he wanted.
Especially since Paisley was now part of our daily lives.
Considering that both Addison and Devney worked with Paisley, and their partnership was only growing leaps and bounds as time went on, we knew that she would be part of our lives for a long damn time. And somehow August was going to have to deal with it.
I sipped my beer as I looked over at our other brother and shook my head.
“Still okay?” Heath asked. “I mean, I know that this isn’t what we expected, but I love what we’re doing out here. I love my family. I love my wife, I’m just happy. And yes, that includes eating cold fried chicken.”
“You’re right, cold fried chicken is good. Especially with this beer. And with sleeping babies between us.” I froze and looked down at said sleeping babies, and then over at Heath who scowled at me.
We knew the unwritten rule was that we never woke a sleeping baby, or mentioned a sleeping baby, or they would wake and there’d be screaming and whatever else, like diapers. So many diapers. I didn’t realize babies could have so many diapers, but this whole father thing was a learning curve, and I was figuring it out.
“Who did August bring this time? Jessica? Francesca? Frankie?” Heath scowled and I rolled my eyes.
“This one is Rebecca.”
“Just another of the endless line of women that August seems to be bringing around the family. That seems smart. Really healthy.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know how he does it. But then again, Addison’s only my second girlfriend. I’m really not good at the whole sowing your oats thing he seems to be doing.”
“I did enough of that in Portland, and maybe when I first moved here, but then I met Devney and there was no turning back.”
“Even for the year you didn’t even know you were together,” I teased. My brother flipped me off and I laughed.
“You think this one will stick?” I asked, knowing the answer.
“Considering that he’s glaring at Paisley and Jacob right now? Probably not.”
“You think Jacob’s going to stick with Paisley?” I asked. Then I paused. “Why am I asking these things? Since when am I into relationship gossip?”
“Since you became a happy father and happy boyfriend. And to answer your question, I don’t know but the two of them seem nice together. I don’t know if Jacob fits in with us, though. He’s a little too political. You know, that old money type.”
I nodded. “He doesn’t seem to have a problem with Greer’s two husbands.”
“Good, because if he did we’d have to beat his ass and I’m not in the mood to go to jail.”
“Exactly. Though I’m pretty sure Noah and Ford could kick his ass for us.”
“Either way, Paisley looks happy, August looks annoyed, when he is not hiding his emotions, but our girls out there? They look like they’re having a fucking great time.”
I grinned and followed Heath’s gaze to where both Devney and Addison were running barefoot across the soccer field, playing with the middle schoolers.
“I hadn’t realized how hot playing soccer in a sundress could be,” I said under my breath, and Heath laughed.
“Don’t even get me started,” he mumbled.
When Devney passed the ball over to Addison, and Addison kicked a perfect goal right past the twelve-year-old goalkeeper, I threw up my fist and shouted, waking both babies. Of course, Heath had too, so it wasn’t completely my fault.
Both women heard their babies’ cries, and we waved them off before I picked up Keeley, and Heath picked up Hayleigh.
“You’re okay, you’re okay. Mommy is just kicking ass and I am a jerk for being loud.”
“Stop cursing,” Heath grumbled as he rocked Hayleigh back and forth.
We both stood up, walking the babies around as the women came back to the picnic area.
“Is everything okay?” Addison asked, holding out her arms.
“I’ve got it, just come hold me.” I winked and she wrapped her arms around my waist as I used my free arm to put my arm around her shoulder.
I looked up to see Greer taking a photo of us with her phone, and I rolled my eyes.
“How many photos do you have of us today?”
“I’m sorry, but my brother holding a baby and his girlfriend? It’s going to be a photo that I can frame.”
She leaned into Noah as Ford leaned down to get them drinks. I smiled, watching our family.
Paisley came over as well and started serving more food, because that woman could never stop moving, as her boyfriend stood off to the side on his phone, a scowl on his face. Then he laughed at something on the other end and looked over at Paisley. She glanced at him and smiled, her shoulders relaxing as he winked at her, his smile bright. He worked long hours with his job, but I knew he spent every free hour with Paisley. They seemed a good fit and, while I knew it would be awkward with August around, Jacob was trying and that had to count for something.
August and Rebecca were over by the parking lot whispering to each other. Rebecca looked happy, and August looked lost in thought again. But then he leaned forward and pushed her hair from her face, a small smile on his face.
Maybe this one would stick longer than a week.
I’d gotten lucky with Addison and we all knew it. Against all odds, I was damn happy. And as everyone talked and ate and I handed off the baby to my sister, I held Addison close and wondered how this was my life.
Soon I would propose, because it was time. And it would be a real one, and she would be my real fiancée. But she still wore my ring, the fake one that had more memories between us than I ever thought possible. Soon she would be my wife, and I’d make an honest man and woman out of us both. And we would watch our child grow up, and maybe add a sibling or two along the way. We’d stay here. We’d find roots.
I never thought I’d have roots. After all this time, for some reason I thought Denver would be a pit stop. Between grieving and healing, I hadn’t expected Addison. I hadn’t expected our family.
“What’s wrong?” she asked softly, as Greer walked Keeley around the park.
“Just thinking how unexpected life can be. It’s pretty good sometimes, you know?”
“I do know. I love you.”
“I love you too. Are you ready for work tomorrow?”
She nodded. “We have a huge meeting, and we’re going to take over a new company. I’m excited to take over the world.”
“That’s my girl.”
“And you’re going to go save some kittens and puppies and maybe a ferret. I’m pretty sure we have the best jobs.”
I rolled my eyes. “Maybe not a ferret.” Then I paused. “Okay, now that I said that out loud there’s probably going to be a ferret. I should probably warn Colt.”
She laughed like I wanted her to, and then Keeley was back in my arms, and we were talking about sports and upcoming appointments and dinners and just life.
Life which was unexpected, reality that made so much more sense than dreams.
We weren’t perfect, we still fought, and we still made mistakes.
But in the end, we were real.
And I had to smile at the fact that it had started out fake, had started with a broken promise.
But here we were.
I couldn’t wait to take the next step and make my fiancée turned girlfriend turned mother of my child into my fiancée again.
I just hoped she’d say yes. Though I had a feeling no was never going to be an answer.