Chapter 18
CHAPTER
EIGHTEEN
Maddox
It’s my wife’s birthday week. It’s a week of celebrating I can get behind with all that I am, because we get to celebrate her. Not just my wife, but my sister-in-law, Briar, too.
Forrest and I have been planning this celebration for weeks now. At first we talked about a kid-free night out with just the adults, but we immediately vetoed that idea. Briar and Brogan would want the girls there, and all the kids, actually. They’re all about family and being together and after all that they’ve lost, we understand that.
So, we enlisted the help of Legend, Roman, and Lachlan, and an idea was born. It was Roman who suggested we reach out to Royce Riggins, a long-time client. He and his family have a huge cabin in Gatlinburg that they let friends and family use if they’re not using it. One phone call and we were booked for this weekend, Thursday through Sunday.
“You’re really not going to tell me where we’re going?” Brogan asks from the passenger seat of my truck.
“Nope,” I say, grinning. The guys and I decided this would be a surprise for not just Brogan and Briar, but for Monroe and Emerson too. We did tell Maggie but swore her to secrecy. We knew the ladies would want her there, and well, she doesn’t have a husband who can tell her to pack a bag and ask off work for a few days. Lachlan is picking her up, so she doesn’t have to drive by herself, and the rest of us, well, we’re taking our families on a trip, and our wives have no idea.
We had to say there’s a “no cell” phone rule for the weekend. It’s a lie. We’ll give them back to them as soon as we get to the cabin, but it was too risky that they would text each other and figure us out.
“Why do you get your phone, and I don’t get mine?” Brogan asks.
“Because I need it for the GPS.”
She pouts in the passenger seat, looking cute as hell. “I’m not good with surprises, Maddox.”
I reach over and place my hand on her thigh. “I know, baby, but I promise you this is going to be a good surprise. I just wanted to do something special for you for your birthday.”
“But I always spend my birthday with Briar.”
“I know, but please, can we have this weekend?” I feel like an asshole not telling her. I have to keep reminding myself that the surprise will be worth it.
“Yeah,” she finally agrees. “I guess this year is different for both of us. We both have husbands now.”
“That’s the spirit.” If we pull this off, it’s going to be epic.
Three and a half hours later, we’re pulling into the cabin. We’re the last to arrive from the looks of the four other trucks parked outside. Brogan gasps as she recognizes the trucks.
“They’re all here?” she asks.
“Yes.”
“Maddox!” She turns to me, and she’s smiling.
“I’d never take you away from your sister on your birthday.”
“I love you.”
“And I love you. Come on. Let’s go inside. I’ll get our bags later.” I don’t bother to tell her to wait for me to get her door, because I know she’s too excited for that. She hops out of the truck, and I do the same, lacing my fingers with hers as we take each step to the front porch. On the final step, the door bursts open, and Briar comes rushing out. I drop Brogan’s hand just in time for her twin sister to launch herself into my wife’s arms.
“Can you believe this?” Briar asks. “You have to see the cabin. This place is insane.”
Brogan looks back at me over her shoulder where I stand watching my wife and her sister have their moment. “Go check it out. I’ll get our bags.” That’s the only encouragement she needs as they rush inside to check the place out.
I take my time getting back to the truck, grabbing both of our bags, and heading inside.
“Hey,” Forrest greets me with a one-armed hug. “There are a million bedrooms left to choose from.”
I laugh at that. “I’ll let Brogan choose,” I say, placing our bags on the floor. I whistle when I take in the cabin. It’s not overly fancy, but it’s exactly what a cabin in the Smoky Mountains should be. Lots of windows looking over the vast mountains, and a huge living space big enough to support a large family.
“Good thing Royce is giving us the family discount on this place. I don’t know if we could have afforded it otherwise,” Lachlan says.
“I had to force him to do that,” Roman speaks up. “He wanted to give it to us for free, and said he’d be by the new shop for some more ink, but I insisted.”
“Thanks for doing this,” I tell him.
“The ladies are happy.” Roman nods.
“They are.”
The five of us, along with the twins, Lilly, and Kane, settle in the living room. The kids have already got toys spread out to play with, and it makes me smile. I can’t wait until this is our home, full of toys and the pitter-patter of little feet. Some parents complain about stepping over toys, and I can’t wait for it. I can’t wait to start a family with my wife.
A few hours later, the guys and I are in the kitchen making dinner. We’ve vowed that our wives, and Maggie, of course, have a nice relaxing weekend, and we’re going to take care of everything.
“Thanks for being born,” Monroe tells them. “I can get behind being spoiled like this.” She laughs.
“It’s nice,” Emerson agrees, “but I also like to be the one spoiling. I feel like Rome does so much for Lilly and me already.”
“For sure,” Monroe agrees.
“Right?” Briar says. “I don’t know how we got so lucky.”
“We’re the lucky ones,” I call out to them, and they all laugh.
“You’re not supposed to be listening to us!” Brogan calls back.
“You know better than that,” I say, joining them at the table and placing a bottle of water in front of her. “Anyone else need a drink?” I ask. They call off what they’d like, and I move back to the kitchen to get it, but Lachlan is already pulling the drinks out of the fridge and moving to pass them out.
“Ladies.” He winks.
“Don’t flirt with my wife!” Roman, Forrest, Legend, and I all shout at the exact same time. The ladies snicker, and Lachlan smirks.
“I can’t help it. It’s my sex appeal. Chicks dig it,” he jokes.
I turn to glare at him, but find him grinning and tossing a wink at Maggie. Her face heats, but she quickly looks away as if nothing happened. Interesting. I make a mental note to ask Brogan if she noticed that little display later tonight.
Once dinner is ready, we rally the troops and sit down at the huge dining table together to eat. We laugh, we talk, and enjoy a great meal. For the next couple of hours, we play with the kids, and once they go to bed, we build a fire in the fireplace, and we’re all snuggled up. The ladies, minus Briar, have a glass of wine, while the guys all have a beer, well, all except for Forrest. In solidarity with his wife, he’s not drinking. I imagine I’ll be the same way once Brogan is pregnant. Not to mention I’m certain I’ll be a mess and will want to stay sober in case she needs anything.
“What are you thinking about?” Brogan asks.
“How when we’re pregnant, I’ll probably not drink like Forrest tonight, because I’ll want to make sure I have my wits about me if there is anything that you need.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to do that,” she tells me.
“I know, and that only makes me want to do it even more.” I kiss her cheek.
“When are you thinking that this might happen?” she asks, keeping her voice low as she takes a sip of her wine.
“What about now?” I ask her, and her body shakes with silent laughter.
“Maybe not tonight.” She raises her glass of wine to remind me she’s been drinking. “We could practice.”
“Now?”
She chuckles softly. “Later. But you’ll have to be quiet.”
“Me? You’re the one who can’t be quiet.”
“Well, we’re both going to have to if we want to practice here.”
“We’ll make it work,” I assure her, kissing her neck.
“Briar, are you going to find out what you’re having?” Maggie asks. She’s sitting on the love seat with her feet propped up on Lachlan’s lap.
“I think so. We want to be able to decorate the nursery and be prepared. I got rid of everything from when the girls were babies. I never thought I’d be here.”
“Oh, we’ll throw you a shower,” Monroe tells her.
“You’re not supposed to with second pregnancies, though, right?” Briar asks.
Monroe waves her hand in the air. “Who cares what society says? It’s been five years and you’re going to need all the things, and we are more than happy to assist you with that.”
“What she said,” Emerson chimes in.
The ladies start chatting about baby showers, and things Forrest and Briar will need, while the guys, well, we’re content just to listen to them be happy.
Three bottles of wine later, the ladies are ready for bed. As we stand, Brogan speaks up. “Thank you.” Her voice cracks, but I’m not sure anyone notices but me. I’m sure Briar hears it, too, but as for the rest of them, I doubt they can tell she’s emotional.
“Thank you for being the amazing humans you are. For bringing us into your lives, and embracing all of us so freely. I just wanted to tell you that I’m honored to be a part of this group.”
“Family,” Roman reminds her. “You’re a part of our family.”
She nods and offers him a watery smile. “Family,” she repeats.
“I’ll see you all in the morning. My wife and I have some practicing to do.” Laughter follows us up the stairs. No other explanation needed because I know damn good and well the rest of them are going to be doing the same thing. Maybe even Lachlan and Maggie, if the looks they’ve been giving each other all night are any indication.
I carry my wife to our room and pull open the curtains. The moonlight shines down over the mountains and gives a soft glow into the room. I take my time stripping her out of her clothes before we climb under the covers. We need to be quiet, so I slow things down and make sweet love to her before we both fall into a sated, exhausted sleep.
“Are we not going home?” Brogan asks as I drive past our road.
“No. We have one more stop to make.”
“Another surprise?”
“Dinner with my parents,” I tell her. What I don’t tell her is that Forrest, Briar, and the girls will also be there. My mom insisted that she make Brogan a birthday dinner, and that her sister and nieces be there as well. I believe her exact words were, “Maddox, she should have her entire family there.” Which led to me telling her she better be ready to feed an army because her entire family was a lot bigger than just Forrest, Briar, and the girls. Eventually we settled on just us for this time around so that Mom and Dad could get to know Brogan, Briar, River, and Rayne better.
As I pull into my parents' driveway, I park the truck. We beat Forrest, and I’m glad. That just sweetens the surprise she has no idea is coming. Today is their official twenty-fourth birthday, and I’m certain my mom has pulled out all the stops.
Hand in hand, we make our way inside. “Mom, Dad, where are you?” I call out, mainly to let them know we’re here. Trust me, my parents have been caught in compromising positions over the years that I do not want to think about or subject my wife to on her birthday.
“Happy Birthday!” Mom steps around the island and pulls Brogan into a big hug before moving to the side and making room for my dad to do the same.
“Thank you.” Brogan smiles at them. “Can I help?”
Mom gasps. “On your birthday? No, ma’am, you take a seat. Maddox, get your wife a drink.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I let my hand trail over Brogan’s ass as I move around her to the refrigerator.
“This looks amazing. Thank you so much for making dinner,” Brogan tells my mom.
“It’s not much, just spaghetti and meatballs, but a little birdie might have told me that you love Italian.”
“I do,” Brogan tells her.
The doorbell chimes, and voices ring out right after. Voices that I know she recognizes by the look on her face. I don’t get time to tell her what’s going on before Forrest, Briar, and the girls step into the kitchen.
“Aunt Brogan!” River cheers.
“Uncle Maddox!” Rayne says excitedly.
“We missed you,” they say at the same time.
“I missed you too.” I bend down to wrap them both in a hug.
“What are you doing here?”
“We’re celebrating your birthday,” my mom tells her. “We couldn’t do that without your sister.”
I look up at Brogan and there are tears in her eyes. “Really?” She can see for herself that they’re here, but she’s so overcome with emotion, she asks just to make sure.
“Really,” Mom says, coming to stand next to her and pulling her into a hug. Her voice is quiet, but we all hear her when she says, “I know your parents aren’t here to celebrate with you, and well, I know that we can never fill their shoes, but we’d like to be placeholders for them if you’ll have us.” She glances over at Briar and holds out her hand. My sister-in-law doesn’t hesitate to take it. The three of them are in a small huddle, now whispering words I can’t make out, but they’re all smiling with tears in their eyes.
Happy tears.
“Who are you?” River asks, always the inquisitive one.
“My name is Cassie. I’m Maddox’s mommy.”
“Oh,” she and Rayne reply at the same time.
“But you can call me Grandma.”
“Really? We don’t have one of those here. Our grandma is in heaven,” Rayne explains.
There are very few things in life that get me in my feels, but this right here, I’m feeling it. I know I’ve been telling Brogan this from the very beginning, but it’s finally setting in for me. We are their only family. Instead of holding my wife, I wrap my arm around my mom and kiss her cheek. No words are said, but none are needed. She knows what she’s offering and how much it means to me. She knows how much it means to them.
“I’m Hank,” my dad speaks up. “But I was kind of hoping you’d call me Grandpa.”
“We don’t gots one of those either,” River says, with excitement in her eyes.
“Ours is with our grandma in heaven,” Rayne explains, sounding far older than her five years of age.
“That’s our mommy and daddy.” River points to Forrest and Briar.
“Our mommy has a baby in her belly,” Rayne says cheerily.
“I’ve known your daddy since he was your age,” my dad tells them.
“You did?” they ask at the same time.
“We sure did. Now, I need some help. I made a big ol’ pot of spaghetti and meatballs. Do you girls think you could help me eat it?”
“Oh, we love sketti.” Rayne smiles up at my mom, and I can see her heart melt for my nieces.
“Perfect. And guess what?” Mom’s pretending to be whispering, but we can all hear her.
“What?” the girls ask, whisper shouting and leaning in toward my mom.
“After dinner, we get to have cake and ice cream.”
“Is it a birthday cake?” River asks.
“Yes. Homemade.”
“What’s that mean?” Rayne asks.
“It means that I made it right here in my kitchen instead of buying it from the store or bakery.”
“Oh, we like to bake too. Uncle Maddox and Aunt Brogan let us bake cookies when we had a sleepover.”
“They did?” Mom sounds shocked, playing into their responses. “Well, I wonder if sometime you could have a sleepover here and we can bake all the goodies.”
“Mommy, can we?” River asks.
“Please, can we?” Rayne adds.
“I’m sure we can make that happen,” Briar tells them.
“Dinner is ready. Let’s eat,” Hank calls out.
Forrest and I help make plates for the girls and set them at the table between us. Brogan and Briar sit together on the opposite side of the table, and my parents are at either end.
The day is filled with laughter, love, and family. When my eyes meet my wife’s across the table, she mouths, “I love you,” and I give her words right back to her. This is our life now, and what our future will look like for many years to come.
I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Tonight feels like old times, only better. It’s better because instead of sitting in Forrest’s backyard around the fire holding my beer, I’m holding my wife and my beer. I’m pretty damn sure it doesn’t get better than that. Oh wait, it does because my wife is in love with me. The night couldn’t be more perfect.
Somehow, after dinner last night at my parents’ place for Briar and Brogan’s birthdays, we ended up with my parents offering to watch the girls, which led to Monroe calling her parents to watch Kane, and Roman calling his to watch Lilly, and here we are, having an adult night.
Brogan snuggles close to me, and I wrap my arms a little tighter around her waist. “Love you,” I whisper, keeping my words soft just for her. She turns her head to smile at me, and I lean in for a quick kiss. Just a peck on her lips, but it’s perfect.
“It’s so weird with the kids not being here,” Forrest speaks up.
“It is, but it’s also nice to know they’re safe and that we can unwind a little,” Monroe says.
“You want to unwind with me, baby?” Legend asks her.
“Later.” She winks, and Legend pulls her into a kiss so heated, I’m sure someone flying overhead in a plane would feel uncomfortable watching them.
“I agree,” Emerson adds. “I love my daughter, but it’s nice to have a night just to be us, how it all started.”
“Might be a good time to give Lilly a little brother or sister.” Monroe winks at her best friend.
“Now that I can get behind. What do you think, baby girl?” Roman asks his wife. “Time to head home?”
“No.” Emerson chuckles. “It’s not time to go home, but if you’re not too tired, we can probably make time when we get home.”
“La la la la la,” Forrest sings loudly. “I love you both, I do, but, dude, she’s my sister,” Forrest complains good-naturedly.
“She’s my wife,” Roman counters. “You’re going to have to get past it.”
“Leave them alone,” Briar tells her husband, and he instantly turns all his focus to her. Even with nothing but the light of the fire, I can see his entire demeanor change. He softens for her, just as he does with their daughters.
“Baby, she’s my little sister.”
“And he’s your best friend, her husband, and the father of your niece. It’s been years, Forrest. You know she’s in good hands,” Briar reminds him.
“Oh, she’s in expert hands, all right,” Roman quips.
Forrest groans, and everyone else laughs at their antics. We all know Forrest has accepted the two of them and that he knows how much Roman loves Emerson. He’s just playing, and the twitch of his lips as he’s also trying not to laugh is a testament to that.
“At least with the kids here, I have someone to snuggle,” Maggie quips.
“Aww, Mags, you need me to snuggle you?” Lachlan asks her.
Maggie crosses her eyes and sticks her tongue out at him, and we all snicker.
“How are you feeling?” Emerson asks Briar.
“Good. Really good.” Her eyes meet Forrest’s, and I swear his smile lights up the night sky.
Not that I can blame him. If my wife were pregnant, I’d be beaming too. Speaking of. “When can we do that?” I whisper to Brogan.
“Do what?” she whispers back.
“Have a baby.” I slide my hands under her shirt and rest them protectively on her belly. Fuck me, the thought of my wife growing a part of us is an aphrodisiac.
She sits up from where she was leaning against my chest so that her eyes are level with mine. “A baby?” Shock is written all over her face.
Keeping one hand on her belly beneath her shirt, I raise the other to rest against her cheek. “Yeah, we both want a family.” I pause. Has she changed her mind? “That’s still what you want, right? To have a family? With me?” Even I can hear the worry in my tone, and if this woman sitting on my lap didn’t mean the world to me, I might feel a little ashamed of the fear that’s simmering in my veins.
“I want a family.”
I swallow hard. She wants a family, just not with me. That’s a kick to the gut that I wasn’t expecting.
“With you,” she says, leaning in close. “Only with you. I could never imagine being… intimate like that with anyone but you. I know you’d never hurt me, Maddox.”
Fear instantly fades to my heart, throwing a rager in my chest. “Never. I only want to love you, Brogan.”
“So, you’re ready? To have a baby?”
I nod. “When you are. You tell me when.” I slide my hand behind her neck and pull her lips to mine. “In the meantime,” I murmur, “we should practice.”
“You know we can hear you, right?” Lachlan asks.
Brogan giggles, burying her face in my chest. “Then you heard me and the love of my life, my wife, Mrs. Lanigan, discussing when we’re ready to add to the Everlasting Ink family.”
“Well, hurry it up,” Lachlan tells us. “We need one more, so we don’t have to fight over the ones we have now.”
“Hey, we’re almost there,” Forrest speaks up.
“Babe, I’m barely pregnant.” Briar laughs.
“Yeah, but the deed is done. We’re ahead of all of them,” Forrest reminds her.
“Baby girl, you hear that?” Roman asks. “Are we going to let them win?”
“Well, first of all, they already have us by one, and one on the way, so yeah, I think we are.” Emerson snickers.
“What if you have twins?” Monroe asks.
“I think if anyone is having twins, it’s us,” Brogan speaks up, and immediately slaps her hand over her mouth.
I hug her tighter, because my fucking wife, she’s a fighter, and it’s so damn good to see her living this life with me, and not fearing what-ifs. “Yeah,” I say, backing her up.
“What if we’re having twins?” Forrest asks.
Brogan gasps. “Are you?”
“No.” Briar shakes her head. “Not that we’re aware of.”
“I need to call my parents,” Legend says, playing with Monroe’s hair where she sits in his lap.
“Why?” Monroe asks him.
“To see if there is a long-lost chance that twins run in our family. We can’t let them win, baby.”
We all crack up laughing, and a rightness I’ve never felt washes over me. I love my friends and their wives, but having mine here makes nights like these even sweeter.