Chapter 9
Nine
Theo
“I can’t believe there’s going to be another kid in this house.” Landon grabbed the maple syrup and poured a liberal dollop on his French toast. “Or that I won’t be the baby anymore.”
“Aw,” Hatch ruffled his brother’s hair. “You’ll always be the baby, kid. No new Kershaw can take your place. It might even be … a girl.”
Conor shuddered. “We’ve already got lady rep.”
Adeline threw a look of disgust his way. “I like the idea of evening the odds a bit. I vote for a girl.”
“Yes, let’s make that happen,” Aurora said with a wink at Elle.
“I’ll do what I can. In the meantime, can we try to keep this news under wraps for a while? At least for another month or so.”
I heard the thread of worry in my wife’s voice. Being a little older during this pregnancy was going to weigh on her. I reached for her hand and squeezed before addressing the rest of them.
“Lips zipped, fam. No one outside this room knows the score except for Jordan and probably Levi and—who else?”
“Violet was there,” Elle said. “So I’m guessing Bren’s in on it. But they won’t blab.” She squinted at each of her kids and Aurora in turn. “This would really help us out.”
Landon scrunched up his mouth. “Like we want people to know what happens behind closed doors. The old man knocking up our sainted mother for a fourth time? Absolutely disgraceful.”
“Ho ho—what’s that?”
Jason stood at the kitchen’s back door in a Santa hat and a reindeer sweater, with a fur-trimmed red velvet bag slung over his shoulders. He and the rest of the Isners, my father’s family, usually came over after lunch.
“You’re early,” I told him.
“And you’re going to be a dad? Again?” Dumping the bag on the floor, Jason burst out laughing. “That’s awesome.”
“You alone?” Elle asked as she hopped up to hug him.
“Yep. Thought I’d drop by early before the hordes descend and spend some quality time with my favorite people.”
Jason set Elle back and took a good look at her. “You okay? How are you feeling? Maybe you should sit down?”
“I’m fine! Did you bring that girl you were dating home with you?”
Baby bro grinned. God, he looked so like me. Heaven Help the ladies. “Ah, no. That was super casual.”
“It’s always casual with you.” Aurora stood to give him a pat on the cheek. “One day you’ll get struck by the thunderbolt of love. Just like your brother.”
“Sure. If I could find someone as awesome as my sis-in-law, I might go down that road. Congrats, Ellie. I couldn’t be happier for you.”
“Well, it’s been a whirlwind. Sit down, let me get you some coffee.”
I jumped up. “Ellie, sit. Jason, cop a squat. And Gran, what are you doing?”
“I was going to get Jason an almond milk cappuccino.”
Jason smirked. He had Aurora wrapped around his little finger. “She knows how I like it.”
“All of you, settle. Jason, not a word about the baby to anyone until we tell you it’s okay to share. For now, you can distribute gifts while I get your damn coffee.”
“Cappuccino, T. With almond milk.” He put the big Santa bag in his lap. “Okay, what’ve we got here for the little ones?”
As I worked on my brother’s oat milk cappuccino (with cinnamon, he added, just to mess with me), I cast an approving gaze over my family and caught the shining eyes of my lady.
Touching her fingers to her chin, she smiled my way, a grin so bright its only competition was the sparkly charm bracelet around her wrist. The infinity symbol winked at me, affirming what I’d known the moment I found out the first time that Elle was to be the Mother of Hatchlings. My hatchlings. Just having multiple generations of Kershaws here in my kitchen gave me such a thrill that my heart almost burst out of his chest.
Merry Christmas to me and mine.
This life we’d created wasn’t bad. In fact, it was about as good as it gets.
And with new life on the way, it could only get better.
THE END
But also, the beginning …
A new series is coming your way featuring the Kershaws and the next generation of the Chicago Rebels.
The first book in the Chicago Players series, Sweet Thing , featuring Adeline and Lars, debuts in 2025.