“Mmmm, what about Skyler Jett and Ryder Damien?” I asked.
“That works. I think we’ve nailed down the names, and all of the grandpas are represented. I think they’ll like that.”
“I do too.”
My backache had lessened over the course of our conversation, but I was still eager to get the nest finished and pleased when Briar came in carrying a mound of blankets he could barely see over the top of.
“There are three more piles in the car,” he explained. “I had to run across town to Boudoirs Incorporated to grab the last few blankets because I bought out every blanket at Chadwick’s that fit your specifications, and it still didn’t seem like it would be enough.”
“You are a prince among snow leopards,” Maverick told him.
“Something tells me you’ll be changing your tune about that the moment the labor pains hit,” he said as he set them down in the nest so Maverick and I could position them properly.
Once we had everything the way we wanted it, Briar would cover it with the heavy, waterproof birthing tarp that we’d deliver the babies on.
Soon.
Everything he brought in was fluffy, thick, and positively perfect, though there was one I carried over and draped over Maverick’s arm. First he gasped, then he moaned and rubbed his face against it.
“This is heaven,” he moaned.
“I knew you’d like it.”
“It’s perfect. I want it right here,” he said, carefully tucking it along the spot where he liked to lay his head.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to run them through the washing machine first?” Briar asked as he carried the next load in.
“I don’t think you’d have time to finish washing and drying them before we’d need to cover the nest,” Maverick blurted before I could.
“Ditto,” I said, feeling my cheeks heat up as Maverick and I locked gazes, giggled, and shrugged.
Guess I wasn’t the only one who considered this one of those soon-soon situations.
“You are not allowed to faint,” I told Briar when he started to resemble a pale shade of puke-green. “Neither of us can faint for a second time until Maverick has his first meeting with the floor.”
“Which means you don’t get to have a second faint,” Maverick remarked, huffing. “Either of you, because I don’t intend to have a first one.
“Are you both good with my dad attending the delivery too?” Briar asked, “Ideally we’d want one attendant per baby, at least according to Grandma Tilly.”
“That would be perfect,” I said as Maverick nodded.
“I’ll let him know,” Briar said, pulling his phone out.
I did the same, comforted to see that there was a screenshot from my pops showing that they were less than an hour away. It took what felt like forever to get the last of the blankets in place, or maybe it was just that I was moving super slow and every place Briar spread a blanket seemed wrong. If I didn’t scrunch it and move it one way, Maverick bunched it up and tucked it in another spot.
The relief on Briar’s face when the last one was positioned perfectly doubled when the doorbell chimed at the same time as I received a screenshot from my pops showing that they were just pulling up. That had to mean that one of the other dads had arrived as well. That was probably a good thing. I was certain we needed the tarp rolled out, which also meant that Maverick and I were going to need some help stepping out of the nest. Maverickwinced as Briar hurried from the room to answer the doorbell, and I took his hand and gave it a squeeze.
“I think these children intend to share a birthday,” I said, very aware that the ache in my back wasn’t lessening this time.
We were still holding hands when the room was flooded, as all four fathers arrived at the same time.
“Someone call for a special delivery crew?” my dad asked as he crossed the room to hug me.
“Yes, please and thank you,” I said as I hugged him as best as I could.
“I’m going to be on door duty,” Pops said after he hugged me. “I doubt you need my brand of coaching inhere.”
“Yeah, no offense, Pops,” I said, chuckling as I let go of him. “But if you started blowing your whistle at me and yelling ‘push harder,’ I’d have to have you thrown out of the room.”
