Chapter Forty
KATIE
I wake up with a smile on my face because I’ve been waiting for this day for months.
The house I’ve put my blood, sweat, and tears into is finally going to be our permanent home.
It really feels like Noah and I have invested so much of ourselves into this, which makes it even better.
I’m proud of what it’s become and can already envision raising our little boys under that roof and making plenty of memories.
The past seven months with Noah have been a dream come true.
Our journey back to each other started so rocky, and now we’re six months pregnant with twin boys.
Noah shared with me some of the conversation he had with Owen last weekend.
Though I was nervous to learn Owen brought up Gabe, I was also relieved by his reaction.
It warms my heart even more to hear Owen call Noah dad.
He beams every time, and I adore how close they’ve become.
“Mm…I love it when you hold me like this.” I snuggle deeper into his arms as we lie in bed.
“I’ll hold you close forever, baby.”
“It’s moving day!” Owen knocks obnoxiously on the door. “I repeat—” he shouts louder. “MOVING DAY!”
I groan. “Thank God his new room will be upstairs.”
He chuckles, bringing his hand to my stomach. “It won’t matter because soon there’ll be three boys, and we’ll be outnumbered.”
“Fuck.” I snort, admiring how sexy he is first thing in the morning.
Noah tilts up my chin and brings his lips to mine. “Glad my morning breath no longer bothers you. In a few months, you’ll be seeing more of me than you’ve ever wanted, and if I don’t scare you away by then, you’re definitely a keeper.”
He arches a brow. “I’ve been smelling your morning breath since freshman year when I’d pick you up every day for school, and you’d ask for a piece of gum.”
My eyes bug out, and I playfully smack his chest. “I brushed my teeth before school!”
“So the gum was for me? Hoping it’d finally be the day I kissed you?” He flashes a cocky smirk.
Pushing against him, I roll to the edge of the bed and, after struggling, finally pull myself up. “I think you were hoping that’s what it meant.”
“Don’t reverse psychology me, woman. You’d ask for a piece of gum every single time I drove you to school. If you brushed beforehand, why’d you need the gum?”
I stand and face him with a scowl. “We’re really having this conversation? I’m close to poppin’ out two of your children, and you wanna talk about something that happened fifteen years ago?”
Noah stands. “As a matter of fact, I do. Especially if I’m right.”
Rolling my eyes, I grab the clothes I set out the night before. Everything else is packed, minus the bedsheets and blankets we slept on.
“Alright fine,” I say defeatedly, knowing this will make me sound super obsessive.
“The first few times were because I was worried I had bad breath because I was going through puberty. My mom had made it very clear I was to wear extra deodorant. After a week or so, it felt special, like you were only buying gum for me, and you looked so excited when you handed me a piece. I didn’t stop asking because I thought you’d think something was wrong, so I just quit drinking orange juice at breakfast. The combination of cinnamon and citrus was horrible, but I liked that you bought gum for me.
” I shrug, feeling even stupider now that I’ve admitted it aloud.
Noah closes the space between us and cups my face. “You’re ridiculously adorable.”
I grunt. “I’m starting to realize now why you never asked me out. I was awkward as fuck as a teen.”
“Not anymore awkward than I was, trust me. I was so hung up on you, I stocked up on enough gum to last me years. I bought every flavor I could find. I don’t know, it felt oddly intimate. Like…no one else was allowed to ask me for a piece, and you weren’t allowed to take any from someone else.”
“Wow, we were weird.” I laugh, and Noah does too.
“Young lust.”
“Turned into long-lasting love,” I add.
“Damn straight, woman. Whatever you want, I’ll make sure I’ve got it.” He winks before crashing his mouth to mine. My arms wrap around him as I pull him tighter. Noah threads his fingers through my hair, and we lose ourselves in each other.
“Mom! Dad! The movers are here!” Owen calls out.
“Dammit,” I hiss. “Can’t we tell them to give us like twenty minutes?”
Noah arches a brow. “You kept me up till three in the mornin’. You’re insatiable.”
I blush. “I can’t help it. These damn hormones are making me horny as hell.”
“I’m not complainin’…” He presses his lips to my forehead. “We’ll have plenty of time to christen every room in the new house.”
“We better!”
Noah quickly rushes to put on some pants and a T-shirt.
He tells me to get dressed and meet him at the house since I can’t really do anything other than tell the movers where to put things.
Though most of the boxes are quite heavy, Owen’s eager to help, so I let him stay with Noah and finish up.
It puts a smile on my face at how much time they want to spend together.
By early afternoon, everything’s moved into the house, and living here finally feels real. The furniture and beds are set up, but each room has a million boxes, and unpacking seems so daunting. I’m already overwhelmed just thinking about it.
“Hello?” my mom calls from the front door. I’m too exhausted to move off the couch, so I shout for her to come in. “I came with reinforcements.”
She walks in with Loretta and Belinda behind her.
“And food.” Belinda grins.
“Oh thank God. I’m starving.”
She hands me a box, and I smile wide when I see a club sandwich and fries inside. “Thank you, thank you!”
“Thought we’d come and help you get things organized,” my mom says.
“Y’all are saints. Thank you again.”
“Where’re the boys?” Loretta asks.
“I think they’re in Owen’s room putting his clothes and stuff away,” I respond.
“Where do you want us to start?” my mom asks.
“How about the kitchen? Then the bathrooms? Then maybe my room and the nursery?”
“We’re on it, sweetie. You just eat and rest.” My mom pats my head as I mumble another thank you around a mouthful of food.
After another hour goes by, Everleigh pops in. “We need to plan a house party!”
“Well, since you mention it, we’re having Owen’s eleventh birthday party in two weeks. Think you can get off work?”
“I’m the boss, remember?” She grins. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
I smile. “Great! No inappropriate gifts this time, okay?”
“What do you mean? He loved his back massager for Christmas!”
Closing my eyes with a sharp inhale, I remind myself not to get worked up because my blood pressure is already high. “That wasn’t a back massager, Everleigh!” I grit between my teeth.
“Well, he doesn’t know that…” She waves me off.
“You just wait till you have kids. I’m gifting them condoms, lube, and a subscription to PornHub.”
Everleigh rolls her eyes. “Please, that sounds like the perfect gift.”
“It won’t be for you.”
She scoffs.
“Mom, come look at my room!”
“Okay, hold on. Might take me a minute to get off this couch.” The sectional I’ve always dreamed about is so damn comfortable that I sink into it. With the extra forty pounds added to my body, I can hardly roll off.
“C’mon, Mama. Let me help you,” Everleigh says, pulling me up.
“Thanks. I would’ve been stuck there till I gave birth.” I laugh.
After Owen gives me the grand tour, I check on my mom, Loretta, and Belinda. My emotions bubble over at how sweet they are for helping me, and soon, I’m full-on crying.
“I think someone needs a nap,” Everleigh says.
“Sweetie, go get some rest. We’ve got this,” my mom says.
I glare at Everleigh, who pokes fun every time I overreact. “You just wait. I’m praying you get knocked up with triplets.”
“Don’t you dare wish that for me! I can hardly take care of myself and my dog.”
“Adding back massager to your birthday list this year. It’s time you learn how to properly take care of yourself.” I waggle my brows as she gives me a death stare.
“Ha! Oh, I can take care of myself like that just fine. But I might not need to anymore with Archer coming soon.” She crosses her arms over her chest, and I swear Tyler is somewhere cursing her name.
“Who’s Archer?” Loretta and my mom ask simultaneously.
“Everleigh’s future heartbreak,” I taunt, grabbing a glass of water.
“Future baby daddy, future boy toy, future husband…” She releases a dramatic, dreamy sigh.
My mom furrows her brows. “I’ll explain later.”
“Don’t forget my invite.” Loretta grins.
“I’ll bring snacks,” Belinda adds, and we all laugh at Everleigh’s expense.
“A puppy!” Owen screams so loudly when Noah brings him inside that I wouldn’t be surprised if the entire block heard him. “Oh my gosh, he’s so cute!”
Owen’s nearly in tears as he holds out his arms to take the two-month-old golden retriever pup. He’s been begging for one, and I finally caved for his birthday.
“What do ya think, bud?”
“I love him! What’s his name?”
“Whatever you want. Your choice.” I smile at how happy he is and hope to God we can keep up with the little monster.
Granted, it probably wasn’t the best time to get a puppy, but there never would’ve been with how much we have going on.
So rather than making Owen wait, we surprised him at his party.
“He looks like a sweetie,” Everleigh coos. “I volunteer to dog sit anytime. Sassy would love him.”
Our friends and family are all here at the house to celebrate Owen’s birthday. Tomorrow, he officially turns eleven, and I’ve been an emotional wreck about it. I don’t know where the years have gone.
“Since Mom and Dad won’t name the twins Darth and Vader, maybe I can name him that?” Owen asks, squeezing the furball to his chest.
“He looks too sweet to be called that,” Gemma chimes in.
“Nah, he needs a good rugged name. Like Maverick,” Noah suggests.
“Yeah! Maverick!” Owen exclaims, loving the idea. He brings him over to me.
“Maverick it is.” I pet his little furry head. “Better be a good dog.”
“He will be! I’m gonna train him to do all sorts of tricks.” Owen beams.
“Well, can the first one be how to go potty outside?” I cringe at the wet spot on the floor.
“Uhh…I don’t think that was Maverick,” Gemma says.
She holds her stomach, and my eyes lower down her sundress, then to her feet.
We stare in disbelief.
“Did your water just break?” Everleigh squeals. “I knew you were having contractions! You looked miserable all afternoon.”
“Yeah, I think so.” Gemma’s eyes widen. “They weren’t consistent, though, so I thought they were just Braxton Hicks.”
“We gotta get you to the hospital.” Tyler takes her hand.
“Call the doctor first and tell ’em we’re on the way,” Gemma says.
“I can do that,” Belinda interjects. “Y’all go, and we’ll follow you. I’ll make sure they know you’re coming.”
Once I manage to stand, I give Gemma a quick hug. “Good luck. I love you.”
“Love you too. I’ll text or call you as soon as I can.”
The party doesn’t end for a few more hours as we anxiously wait to hear from Gemma and Tyler. After they admitted her, it was confirmed she was already five centimeters dilated.
“Won’t it be cool if they have their baby on my birthday?” Owen exclaims as he and Anthony run around with Maverick.
“I wish I could get a puppy,” Anthony says. “I’ve never had one before.”
“You can come and play with Maverick anytime you want!” Owen offers. “Right, Mom?”
“Yes, of course. As long as you don’t track mud in the house.”
“We can take him for walks and teach him how to play fetch!” Owen’s face lights up, and it brings me tons of joy to see him so happy. Noah also got a dog crate, bed, and tons of chew toys. I’m just crossing my fingers he doesn’t chew on the new furniture.
Once the party’s over and Owen’s tucked in for the night with Maverick asleep next to him under the covers, I finally make my way to bed.
Noah rubs my shoulders, back, and feet. Though I’m exhausted after the long day, I’m still waiting for an update on Gemma’s progress.
I’m dying to find out what the baby is. An hour ago, she was at eight centimeters and high on an epidural.
“Want me to run you a bath?” Noah offers. “I could soap you up real nice…” His taunting voice makes me smile.
“You’re sure takin’ advantage of my hormones, aren’t you?”
“Excuse me, you’re the one who nearly jumped me in the shower this mornin’.”
“Pfft, I can barely walk. I came in to brush my teeth, and you all but caveman carried me in there.”
“Can’t help it if my baby mama is too damn sexy for her own good, and—” He feathers his lips on my neck, shooting a shiver down my spine.
His hands roam my body, and soon, I’m moaning his name as he touches me.
Just as I’m about to scream into a pillow, my phone goes off.
“Ignore it,” he begs.
“I can’t. It’s probably Gemma!” I reach over and see Tyler’s calling on FaceTime. “Oh my God, it’s them.”
Pulling the covers over my chest, I click the screen and smile widely at the precious baby sleeping on Gemma’s chest.
“Oh my goodness,” I whisper-squeal.
Gemma’s exhausted but so damn happy.
“It’s a girl,” she announces, and this time, I can’t hold back my excitement.
“Ahhh, I can’t believe it! She’s precious! When can we come visit?”
Though it’s after midnight, and we haven’t slept yet, I’m almost too pumped to wait.
“First thing in the mornin’ if you want,'' Tyler answers. “After we get some sleep, though.”
“Congrats, y’all,” Noah says. “What’s my niece’s name?”
Tyler looks at Gemma, grinning. “You wanna tell them?”
“Scarlett Madelyn,” she announces, and I can see emotions soaring through her.
Scarlett. After their mother.
“Madelyn is after my friend, Maddie,” Tyler explains. “She and Liam named their firstborn after me, so I figure I’d shock the hell out of them and use it for Scarlett’s middle name.”
“I bet she’ll love that,” I say. “It’s a gorgeous name. I love it!”
“I do too,” Noah says. “Owen’s gonna be ecstatic that they’ll share a birthday.”
“And in a couple of months, this will be y’all. Enjoy the pain meds.” Gemma smirks.
“Times two.” I snort.
After a few minutes, we hang up, and Tyler sends us pictures of baby Scarlett. I can’t get over how much she looks like Gemma. It makes me even more excited for us to meet our boys.
“You can’t possibly be getting baby fever when you’re literally pregnant with two…” Noah shakes his head, and I chuckle.
“I wanna hold our babies so badly!” I stare at the photos. “But now I can’t wait to hold her too. She’s so little.”
“Alright, sweetheart. Put the phone down and let me remind you how I plan to knock you up again by New Year’s.”
Noah captures my mouth, continuing where we left off and making sure I’m plenty aware of his intentions.