Chapter Forty-Eight
JETT
“Fucking finally,” I muttered as I headed toward the front door.
After being denied entrance hours earlier—thanks to Alley—we were now allowed to cross the threshold and pick up our wives.
The guys couldn’t say a word about my impatience, especially with Rowan and Bodie—who’d been outside with me all night—hot on my heels, along with Lyric and Huntley trailing behind.
As I raised my hand to knock, I heard more vehicle doors slamming shut behind me, all the men clearly just as eager to snatch up their girls as I was.
“I think it’s safe to just go in!” Landon called out, causing me to turn around. “I do live here, you know.”
With the group now lining the front yard, I missed the most important newcomer before it was too late.
“No shit. Thanks,” I replied sarcastically just as Embry popped out from behind her dad.
I groaned when a satisfied smirk slid across her face as she made her way toward me.
“Not even inside and you guys are already in trouble,” she said, her sass unmistakable.
I pulled my wallet from my back pocket, fished out some money, and slapped it into her open palm. “I’m gonna have to move or you’re going to make me go broke, kid.”
She snatched the money from my hand, but then gave me a thoughtful look. “Okay. I don’t want you to leave again, so I’m going to give you three freebies as a learning curve since you were away so long.”
Who was this kid, and where did she learn this stuff?
“Three, huh?”
“Yup.” She nodded once. “Isn’t that nice of me?”
Before I could respond, the front door swung open, and I spun around at the sound.
I’d been on edge all night without Patience; now that she stood before me—her make-up free face, tousled hair, and never looking more beautiful in a comfy pair of pajama bottoms and one of my shirts, I could breathe a bit easier.
However, my pants were a little snug as my cock pressed against the zipper. Thank fuck, Embry had run off when I hadn’t answered. My wife looked hot in my T-shirt, and knowing she wore it all night sent a thrill through me.
“Damn, you’re gorgeous.”
My wife’s flawless face lit up with a radiant smile. “Are you coming in?”
I moved, not needing any more coaxing. She was in my arms in seconds, and I captured her mouth in a kiss that was filled with urgency and desperation. It had only been one night, but somehow it felt like years since I’d tasted her.
The men and kids filed past us, a few of the guys making comments as they went by. I paid them no mind, but I couldn’t help but chuckle—the sound vibrating our kiss—at Embry’s words as she passed.
“That’s one. Only two left.”
I wasn’t sure I was going to be a fast learner.
Especially if my wife was around looking sexy as hell all the time.
I felt guilty.
Because I’d stayed out front Alley’s all night, Griffin and Autumn were at the house instead of running around Alley’s and having breakfast with everyone. The house was packed, but everyone seemed to make their way around each other like it was nothing.
Maybe because they’d been doing it for years?
This was my first time experiencing the traditional sleepover rituals—which included breakfast the next morning. At least we were invited in for that.
A stampede of kids weaved around me in such a blur that I couldn’t even tell who was in the group. I chuckled and turned to Patience.
“Are you sure you want those extra rooms in the house?”
She caught on right away and giggled. “You bet I do.”
Shit, I wasn’t going to argue; I’d give her anything she wanted—even if it was ten babies.
A sharp whistle echoed through the room, and everyone froze, even the kids. We all turned to see Alley standing there, a smug look on her face as she controlled the whole room with ease.
“Okay. I just want to make sure nobody else is having babies before we adjourn for the morning. Anyone else but the three we know about have a bun or buns in the oven?”
Once everyone had made it into the house and grabbed breakfast, we all learned about River and Gemma’s news. Of course, I’d already known since Bodie and Huntley had dropped the bomb outside the night before.
What I hadn’t known was that River was having a girl and Gemma was having twin boys—no wonder Bodie was a bit frazzled. I was in ultra-protective mode over Patience having one baby, so my friend must be going out of his mind.
We also learned that the twins would be named Tate and Tucker, middle names to still be determined, and River’s baby girl’s name would be Meadow Anne. Anne was Huntley’s mom Valerie’s middle name, and she and River shared a special bond, so I could see why they were honoring her.
My wife stood with her hands on her belly during the announcements, and I could see the longing on her face. She wanted to know what we were having; we’d talked about it. Patience wanted to pick a name—another thing we’d been discussing, regardless of whether it was a boy or girl.
“No babies here!” Kace yelled. “But I’d be more than happy to make more.” He turned to Teal and waggled his brows.
His son Denver pulled on his hand. “Dad, if you have a baby, make it a brother.”
“No, sister,” their daughter Aspen chimed in, standing next to them.
Gyth jumped in, unable to resist riling up Kace because that was just who they were. “Boy or girl, just make sure they look like their momma, not his ugly mug.” He slapped Kace on the shoulder as he said it.
“Hey, who are you calling ugly?”
Before they could get going, Teal diffused the situation by telling everyone that two kids were enough, then she shot Alley a look to continue.
“Okay, I guess four babies are enough for the time being,” Alley said, not missing a beat. “Thanks for coming.”
Everyone chuckled at her dismissal.
“Are you kicking us out?” Braxton asked.
“You bet I am,” she replied. “You brought home my man, and Noelle is going back with you, so I get my husband all to myself for a few hours.”
“No wonder you got babies on the brain,” Summer said, teasing her.
Alley rolled her eyes, and Landon laughed.
“We’re good with our girl,” she told us, smiling at Noelle hanging on her dad’s leg. “Besides, you all are giving more than enough to play with.”
They seemed perfectly content with one, just as Summer and Gyth did.
“When I get married, I’m having—”
“And that’s our cue to leave,” Braxton said, cutting off his daughter Embry before she could finish what she was saying.
Everyone erupted in laughter.
I was sure that just like me, everyone else knew if he’d let her keep talking, she’d have mentioned Gyth and Summer’s son Dexter in her future plans. It would be a long time before she’d ever get to even date, but the girl was hell-bent on Dexter being her guy.
Time would tell.
Right then, I was just happy to be taking my wife home.
We’d moved back in with Gramps, along with Ruby, Lyric, Tristan, and Autumn—the kids happy to have Griffin back—until our new home was built.
“Ready, sweetheart?”
Patience turned to me, her smile making everything feel right in the world as she took my hand in hers.
“Yeah, let's go home.”
Sometimes I still couldn’t believe that I finally had the girl.