Chapter 22
TWENTY-TWO
Our home was stunning. Perfect. Everything we ever could have dreamed.
Not that I saw much of it aside from the quick tour when we first arrived two days ago.
If I wasn’t in our bedroom, I was in the kitchen. It was large, open, and updated while still being comfortable and welcoming.
I loved it.
Our family and friends stuffed the fridge and freezer with meals to throw in the oven or microwave, so we wouldn’t have to think about cooking for a few weeks. The nursery was set up and decorated better than I could have imagined, not that I was ready for Charlie to sleep in there yet.
After spending so much time putting our home together and decorating, our parents had given us space until now, not wanting to overwhelm us. Today, though, they were coming, and I was excited rather than stressed.
I knew they couldn’t wait to meet our baby and see how the six of us were doing. They offered to come in shifts, so it wasn’t too much all at once. We assured them we wanted them all here. Plus, there was no way we could decide who could come first.
“Ready?” Gavin kissed my cheek as I dried another bottle.
“Yes.” I grinned and handed him a towel to help me catch up. For such a tiny human, Charlie went through everything she needed like we brought home four babies. Despite having an entire cabinet dedicated to bottles, we were always running low.
My milk still hadn’t come in, at least not enough to feed her, but that turned out to be a blessing. The guys took turns feeding her, and so far, we all managed to sleep eight hours, or more if we wanted.
There was something to be said about multiple partners when it came to having babies. More hands made less work and all that.
“They’ll have to show us where they stored a few things. Vince and I still haven’t found one gaming system or a set of pans Sky bought at the old house.”
“You checked the theater room?” I asked.
“Yeah, all the other systems are set up, but the one that’s missing.” He lined up the dried bottles and grabbed another one.
“What did the pans look like?” I opened a few cupboards but didn’t find cookware.
“They’re red, I guess.”
“Huh.” We hadn’t had to cook anything yet, so I hadn’t done much poking around. “We can ask when they get here.”
“Hey, love.” Luca came in and kissed me quickly. “Everyone should arrive soon. I’ll take over so you can change.”
I looked down at my matching lavender sweats. “Is this not presentable?”
He lifted a brow at my shoulder. I craned to look and spotted a lovely patch of spit-up.
I laughed. “Well, that’s the latest fashion statement in this house.”
“Good point.” He chuckled and took over the drying. “But you might want to run a brush through your hair unless that’s also a new trend.”
I patted the top of my very messy bedhead. I hadn’t done much when I rolled out of bed a couple of hours ago to check on Charlie, but his teasing made me want to play along. “All the rage in New York.”
“Mmm hmm.” He rolled his eyes, and I blew them a kiss before heading up to our room.
“It’s my turn,” Noah whisper yelled.
I stopped in the doorway and watched Noah hold out his arms while Vince twisted away from him, Charlie in his arms. “No, I just got her. Sky’s been hogging her all morning.”
“I haven’t even seen her today.” Noah made a gimme motion with both hands.
“You can in a minute,” Vince protested and kissed our baby’s head.
“In a minute, all our families are going to be here, and I won’t see her until tomorrow.”
“If either of you wake her, I’ll kill you.” Sky walked out of the bathroom with just a towel around his waist and his long hair dripping down his chest.
I soaked in the sight and wagged my brows when he caught me staring. He winked and strode over, pulling me into his arms.
“Hey, hot momma,” he whispered before kissing me.
“Don’t get too close,” I teased. “You’re clean, and I’m covered in spit-up.”
“We could shower together,” Noah offered. “Save water.”
“I thought you wanted to hold Charlie.” Vince smirked.
“If you’re going to be greedy, then I’m going to hold Ave instead.”
Vince’s lips dropped into a frown. “But––”
“Nope, no buts.” Noah extended his hand, and I gave Sky one more kiss before going to him.
“Wait,” Vince tried, but I smiled.
“Can you get her dressed? I laid out an outfit.”
His shoulders dropped. “Yeah.”
Showering together was a lot less sexy than it had been a few weeks ago, and while I tried not to let it get to me, insecurity about my postpartum body made me want to hide from the guys.
“You’re the most beautiful woman in the world.” Noah kissed my shoulder as I brushed my wet hair after we got out.
I smiled at him in the mirror. “You have to say that.”
“No, I don’t have to say anything. It’s true. You’re incredible and stunning. So incredibly strong, and I didn’t think I could love you any more than I did, but every single day, you prove me wrong.”
“Wow.” I turned and lifted to my toes to kiss him. “I love you so much. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” His eyes darkened, but I pulled him back. “Hey, we’re moving forward, remember? No living in the past. We’re here now, creating the most beautiful life.”
Noah’s lips slowly curved into a smile. “It’s pretty amazing.”
I nodded. “It is.” The doorbell chimed, and I tensed. “I’m not ready.”
He chuckled. “I’ll stop distracting you.”
He disappeared into the closet, and I focused on putting on a little makeup and pulling my damp hair back into a braid before going in after him and dressing in another cute lounge set, one of the many miraculously stacked in my area of the closet. I had many women looking after me and making sure I felt comfortable without forcing myself into jeans, which were missing.
Content that I was at least clean, I walked through the empty bedroom and followed the sound of voices downstairs.
“There’s Mom!” Tessa cheered, and met me at the bottom of the stairs with a hug. “Oh, my sweet girl! You did so good.”
I clung onto her, unaware until this very second how much I needed her, or any of the parents, to be here. “I feel like I’m playing pretend. Like this isn’t real.”
“It will take a little while to set in.” She pulled away and grinned, studying me. “How are you feeling?”
I smiled. “Good. Really. The guys are amazing and have fallen into their roles so flawlessly. I get more rest than I did before, and I’m not as sore as I expected.”
“I’m so glad.” She led me further into the living room where Daniel, Wes, and Stanley cooed over Charlie in Mandy’s arms.
Mandy looked up at me with glassy eyes. “She’s perfect.”
I’d never tire of hearing that. “I think so too.”
Renae and Bruce were the next to arrive, but instead of immediately seeking out the baby, they came to me, each giving me a tight hug.
“You look so much better than I did after Luca!” Renae beamed.
“I think the secret is having four more sets of hands.” I nodded toward the guys. “They’ve been incredible.”
“There’s not enough of Charlie to go around.” Luca wrapped his arm around my waist. “We’re fighting over who gets to feed her or bathe her.”
“Next time, we should have multiples,” Sky suggested.
I narrowed my eyes. “No baby talk for at least five years.”
“Yeah, right,” Vince snorted.
“Then you’re carrying them,” I shot back.
“Don’t press,” Noah warned. “We’ve got to wait her out a bit.”
Gavin agreed. “We’ll bring it up again once Charlie is out of the newborn stage, and she misses it.”
“Oh, good idea.” Sky beamed.
“Your enthusiasm better not fade out once the novelty wears off,” Wes warned. “You all better be doing more than your fair share.” His eyes darted to me. “Or I expect a call.”
I laughed. “Don’t worry. I’m not above telling on them.”
“Good.” He turned back to his wife, soaking in their granddaughter.
Jolene, Chris, Robert, and Michael let themselves in, and immediately the volume in the room doubled. Like Sky, they were often the life of the party, and our little angel didn’t even stir.
“It’s good she can sleep through noise,” Jolene commented. “With the five of you around, she’ll never know peace.”
Sky laughed. “Yeah, she’s been great so far with noise and being moved around. We were worried every time we took her from the bassinet or swing, but she doesn’t mind.”
“She loves her sleep just like her momma,” Noah snickered.
Laura and Al, Vince’s parents, arrived last, and my heart nearly exploded at the warm exchange. Therapy had done a lot to mend their relationship, and I was glad to have peace between all the grandparents and my men.
Once most of them had a chance to at least gaze at Charlie, I got their attention. “I want to thank all of you for everything you did to make this house ready for us. I don’t know everything that went into making it happen, but I know it couldn’t have been done without you guys. I'm so incredibly grateful.” I wiped my eyes. “Stupid hormones,” I laughed and everyone joined. “It’s so beautiful, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to thank you enough.”
“We were glad to help.” Al grinned, which surprised me. I should have expected him and Laura to have joined in, but I didn’t.
“Thank you.” I looked forward to building a relationship with him.
“We were nervous about picking out so much, but the guys assured us you’d be happy as long as it was all put together.” Renae gestured to the living room.
The entire house was tastefully decorated in a minimalist style that matched my own. White, black, and tan furniture and fixtures with touches of brass in the kitchen.
“I truly love it.”
Tessa and Renae came toward me as the rest of the adults drifted into their own conversations. “If you ever have questions about anything, let us know,” Renae assured me.
“And nothing in here is custom or one of a kind,” Tessa explained. “We wanted everything to be functional and practical. Raising a family around expensive or sentimental items isn’t realistic. So, if something breaks or gets damaged, no big deal.”
That was a relief. Knowing their taste, I was worried if something got scratched or needed to be replaced, so I appreciated their forethought. “That was a good call.” I smiled at the guys. “I’m not as concerned about whether things are baby-proof, but boy-proof.”
Tessa laughed, and Renae shook her head with a knowing smile. “I’m finally able to put out the nice stuff since Luca moved out. I thought the toddler phase was bad, but the teen years were far more destructive.”
“Which is why I confined them to the theater room or Gavin’s room.”
I widened my eyes. “And you’re leaving me alone with all of them?”
They laughed.
“I think they listen better to you.” Mandy appeared at my side.
“I hope so.”
Another knock sounded on the door, and I glanced around. “Who are we missing?”
The grandparents left all the siblings at home since it was winter and they were in school, which was germ-central. Once Charlie was older, she could meet her aunts and uncles.
“Where’s my girl?”
I froze, then slowly turned as tears ran down my cheeks.
“Dad?”
I ran over, crashing into him and letting him catch me in his arms.
“Oh, sweetie.” He kissed the top of my head. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“I’ve missed you too.” I stepped back and smiled at Audrey before hugging her. “I didn’t know you guys were coming.”
“Keeping him back was a nearly impossible task,” she admitted, as she stepped back. “He wanted to be here the second you went on bed rest, but the guys insisted they had it handled.”
Dad smiled with teary eyes. “I can’t believe my little girl is a mom.”
Luca strode forward with Charlie in his arms. “It’s time to meet your granddaughter, Charlotte.”
Dad gasped as stared down at her, and Luca gently handed her over. Dad cradled her to his chest and cried. He blinked up and smiled at me before all of his attention was on the baby.
“Oh, you are absolutely beautiful,” he whispered. “So perfect.”
Audrey squeezed in next to him. “She’s truly beautiful.”
I thanked them and soaked in the moment. It was beyond surreal to be standing here, surrounded by all five of my guys and their parents and seeing my dad fall in love with my daughter.
A peace I never could have imagined settled over my heart.
Her pursed lips quivered slightly in her sleep. I rocked gently, letting the glider do most of the work as I watched my baby sleep in the peaceful silence.
Her hair was brown but not quite as dark as mine or Vince’s.
Her eyes were harder to tell. A mix of gray, blue, and brown. We’d have to wait several months for them to settle on one color.
Her skin was pale.
I couldn’t tell who she took after. Just the way I wanted it.
Maybe in a few years, it would become more obvious, but I hoped she had her own unique look. An impossible mix of all of us.
“I hope you’re kind and gentle like your daddy, Vince. He might be the strongest man in the world, but his heart is soft. He’s sweet and loves to laugh. He’ll teach you to sing and play guitar if you want.”
Her eyes fluttered, and I smiled.
I claimed one of the night feedings, so I could have some time alone with her after such a full day.
“As terrifying as it will be to watch, I hope you’re as fearless as your dad, Sky. He’ll be the one to take you on all the rides and show you how to jump off the diving board and swing so high you’ll see over the fence. You’ll never have to be scared because he’ll always be there to catch you.”
I stroked my finger down the slope of her nose.
“I hope you’re as thoughtful as daddy Gavin. He’s one of the most brilliant people I've ever known, but I don’t want you to feel pressure to be good in school like him and Sky. You’ll be smart in your own way. We all are. I hope you think things through. I want you to ponder and wonder. Ask questions and seek answers. Be curious. Drive him crazy learning about the world around you.”
I couldn’t wait for the days of her following him around, asking why to everything she saw and heard.
“I hope you’re as considerate and sensitive as daddy Noah. He has such a big heart, and you’ve already captured it. He’s aware of everyone around him. He wants the people he loves to be happy. He feels so deeply, and I hope you do too. It’s important to know yourself and your emotions. You can help him learn to express them as you do the same.”
Her brows pulled together for a single moment before relaxing.
“I know. It’s a big ask, huh?” I waited a moment, making sure she was back asleep before speaking again. “And I hope you’re as confident as your daddy Luca. He’s always known exactly who he is and doesn’t apologize or change. I hope you stand up for yourself and what’s right, just like him. I hope you always know how loved you are, my sweet girl. No matter what, you will always have so many people around you to support you. I felt alone a lot, and knowing you won’t feel that way is such a relief. You have more family than I could have ever dreamed of.”
I carefully lifted her to kiss her cheeks. “I will love you forever. I will protect you. I will pick you up no matter how many times you fall.”
She smiled, and my heart nearly burst.
This was true happiness.