Chapter 12
I gathered up my books and laptop feeling as if my arms were made of lead.
It had been another late-night healing people.
I was so thankful when I discovered Jace, Remy, Marcel, Terrance, Kade, Victoria, and Ben was injury free a few nights ago.
Unfortunately for us the other teams returning from their missions couldn’t say the same.
The last few nights we had been inundated with injured operatives.
I moved to the front of the room and Mr. Bates rose from his desk in the corner. He made his way toward me with a piece of paper in his hand. He smiled as he held it out to me.
“Congratulations!”
I looked down at it, feeling a huge weight lift off my shoulders. I felt the hot sting of tears burn my eyes and had to lean into Jaxson, so I didn’t completely lose it. I felt him brush the top of my head with a kiss.
The piece of paper Mr. Bates handed me wasn’t a necessity but something he started doing to indicate I had completed a subject and one step closer to graduating.
It was evidence that it was another item marked off my list. I appreciated how Mr. Bates had been my cheerleader since I decided to get done with school earlier than some of the other high school seniors.
“Congratulations, honey! Want to go celebrate and go into town for lunch?” Jaxson hugged me.
At first, I was going to decline his invitation. I still had so much to do. I wanted to knock out some chores. It was Friday and my fingers were crossed for an easier weekend. Starting with the meeting we had later.
Jace had a contractor planning to meet with all of us with samples of different house options, flooring, cabinets, and other big items we wanted for our house.
After dinner, I promised to take Alex, Ella, and Nadia to the movies with Drake.
Then later tonight, we had a meeting with nearly all the communities for progress reports regarding our current missions to take Horatio’s people off the streets.
I saw the look of resignation on Jaxson’s face and realized that he was anticipating my rejection and that wasn’t fair to him.
Once again, I realized how important dating each one of them was important for our relationship to thrive and grow.
Sure, I had a lot going on, but I could give him a few hours of my time.
It wasn’t like I could participate in today’s training exercise since it was sparring.
Jaxson was exempt from this afternoon's training because he had already worked out this morning before school. Pops had hired him a personal trainer to work for him three days a week to prepare him for football camp in a few months. His exercise regime was much stricter than ours.
I looked down at my leggings and Remy’s sweatshirt. I felt too blah this morning to put much effort into my appearance. Rachel attempted to joke about my lack of care and one look at my expression had her quickly retracting her words.
“Can you give me like twenty minutes so I can take a quick shower and change? Let’s tell Remy and Jace that we’re going into town, and we’ll catch up to them wherever they’re planning to meet the builder. I’ll be back in time to go to the movies with the kids and Drake.” I told him.
Remy and Jace were also tired after last night’s events but were still going strong. It was their sheer determination that made me continue plodding forward when I wanted nothing more than to just take one day and lay around to do nothing. It felt like our lives were constantly on the go.
The builder was gifted and understood that we had busy schedules.
He had been accommodating and agreed to meet after we closed on the land.
As of yesterday, the land was ours. I was so excited when I heard that bit of news.
I felt like we were in a state of limbo.
I knew the babies would be here before the house was finished but the idea of having a home I could build with the guys filled me with such contentment and excitement.
The smile that stretched across Jaxson’s face was enough for me to know I had made the right decision.
Sure, I had class work, cleaning, and laundry I could be doing.
I haven’t done any chores since my return.
I loved that my men loved taking care of me, but I felt like a sloth.
They kept telling me that I was busy “baking” their babies, but I didn’t feel like it was enough.
Seeing the look on Jaxson’s face made me realize all that could wait so I could nurture our bond more.
“Of course, I’ll walk you to our apartment and then I’ll track down Jace and Remy and tell them to send us the information about our meeting.”
Jaxson picked up my messenger bag and slung it over his shoulder. He linked his fingers through mine and when he gently squeezed it, I knew I had made the right choice in agreeing to go out on a date with him.
Once we got to the apartment Jaxson quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a henley top.
It made my decision to change into a casual but cute maxi dress easy.
Who was I kidding I practically lived in dresses when I wasn’t on a mission.
They were the least restricting and most comfortable items in my closet.
After deciding on a dress, I decided to put on some make up and attempted to tame my curls before pulling it partially back. I was retrieving my sandals when Jaxson returned to the apartment.
I inwardly preened when he gave me an appreciative once over before pulling me in for a sweet lingering kiss.
He made a deep growl in the back of his throat before cupping my face. “I really want to take advantage of an empty apartment and have my wicked way with you, but I think we need out of here and have some us time.”
His idea to stay in sounded amazing but I also recognized the importance of a time out away from everyone and everything. I sighed and shook my head. “We really do need to get out and honestly I’m in the mood for a big juicy burger with mushrooms, extra cheese, and a side salad.”
Jaxson chuckled before linking his fingers through mine with one and reaching out to caress my belly with the other.
“Let’s feed you guys. I read that twins can be on the smaller side when they’re born and if my son’s going to be an amazing football player like me than I have to make sure he gets fed. ”
I shook my head laughing. “And what if he wants to play music and our daughter wants to play football.”
Jaxson seemed to struggle with his answer for a few moments before a wide smile spread across his face.
“Then I’ll make sure he gets the best piano or guitar to practice on and ensure my daughter trains with the best. There have been female kickers on college football teams, and I think I heard a woman started in a non-kicker position last year.
Who’s to say that our daughter won’t set another record. ”
I smiled and leaned my head into his arm. “I’m glad to hear you’re not going to stick our children in boxes.”
He snorted. “Their already being born outside the box. They have eight gifted parents and multiple gifted family members. Why should I set the bar for them when they’re already superseding them?”
I know deep down he would love it if our son loved ball and followed in his footsteps, but I also knew he wasn’t narrow minded.
He may highly encourage it and attempt to sway their hobbies, but at the end of the day I knew he would want them to be happy within reason.
Because lets be real, we were their parents and had to ensure some boundaries and expectations were set.
We had eighteen years of their lives to hope and pray we helped them succeed in life.
Then it sunk in. Eighteen years. The same amount of time I had been alive.
The knowledge blew my mind in a way, and I voiced some of my insecurities aloud. “Do you realize we’re not going to even be in our forties when they go off to college?”
“If they choose to,” he gave a nonchalant shrug before another mischievous smile curved his lips. “You’re totally going to be a MILF and I’m going to be a DILF.”
I rolled my eyes and snorted. “What do you mean if they choose? Shouldn’t they go to college?”
We had reached the parking garage, and he started walking toward our vehicles. He held up my jeep keys. “Do you want to drive or shall I?”
The question shouldn’t have been a hard one. Yes, I needed to learn to be more comfortable behind the wheel. But no, it wasn’t at the top of my list of things I needed to do. Honestly, I wanted to be a passenger princess and just relax while my man drove me around.
“You can,” I shrugged.
He rushed in front of me to open my door before frowning. “Should I get the keys to one of the cars? Will it be more comfortable for you to climb up and travel in?”
I smiled at his thoughtfulness. “I’ll be comfortable enough in the Jeep.”
It was difficult climbing up into taller vehicles, but it wasn’t impossible. Plus, I was determined to be as active as possible. The guys were hovering more and more but luckily the good Doc encouraged my exertion since I was healthy and young and all my appointments were going smoothly.
He held out his hand and helped me up into the vehicle before resuming our earlier conversation.
“Truthfully, I don’t think college is the answer for everyone.
In fact, I believe more young adults should be looking into the trades unless they know with absoluteness that they know what they want to do with their futures.
“I don’t see the need for them to go into debt paying on loans if their indecisive. I wouldn’t even mind if they joined a branch of the military and experience life outside of our state and community.”
“As if our kids will ever pay for college,” I ribbed him.