“True that,” I said, squirming to sink further down into the blankets. “This feels amazing.”
“Everything feels amazing now that the painful part is over with,” Leo declared.
I was definitely in agreement with that, though I knew I’d stop feeling sore long before he did.
“Look at how tiny their fingers are,” I said as I let go of his hand so I could count little fingers and feel them close around one of mine.
“I wish I could freeze this moment,” Briar said as he tickled the bottoms of one of their feet and counted toe beans.
“Then we’d miss the fun of them growing up,” Leo muttered. “I can’t wait to see which of them decides to wage war with a skunk and requires bathing in the yard before you allow them inside.”
“If there was ever a lesson to be learned about choosing your battles wisely, I’m sure Briar learned it that day,” I replied. “I can just picture us at the end of a day with these four, us sprawled all over the sofa in the den debating which takeout place to order dinner from while a dance party goes on over our heads because they’re still full of energy.”
“It’s a good thing my mates have taught me the importance of healthy, vitamin-packed meals, because I feel like I can use allthe C, D, proteins, and beta keratin I can get to have any hopes of keeping up with them.”
“Trick-or-treating is going to be so cute,” I said. “I can’t wait to see them in all of their adorable costumes.”
“We’ve got so many amazing moments to look forward to,” Briar said. “All those wonderful firsts to record. Their baby books are going to be bursting with photos and notes.
“How are we ever going to tell the twins apart?” Leo whispered. “I’ve just been lying here staring at them, searching for even one distinguishing mark, but the girls have the same heart-shaped birthmarks on their necks, and the boys share all the same spots. Do I even want to start thinking about how many times they’ll pull the switch on us?”
“Probably not,” Briar said. “Two of my older brothers are twins, and they used to pull that shit on our folks all the time.”
“Hey, young ears are present,” I hissed. “Any more swearing out of you and we’ll institute a swear jar. All funds collected will go to getting our kids something from the educational toy store.”
“Oh, I love that place,” Leo declared. “The puppets are so cute. We have to get more books to pair them with.”
“Marionettes too,” I declared. “I found some websites online with video tutorials on how to make them move. “Now I’ve got it in my head to make them a theater, with a stage and curtains and everything, just so we can put on shows for them.”
“Would you like help building it?” Leo asked.
“Of course. We can work on it while Briar is having Papa time with the babies after work.”
“That’s perfect,” Leo said. “With the rotating schedule we put together, we should all have plenty of baby time as well as the opportunity to slip a few special projects in.”
“Something tells me you two are going to turn entertaining into an art form,” Briar said.
“I might need to check out a few tutorials and see if I can create a couple unique puppets, just for the abominable snow leopard stories,” I said.
“I’m looking forward to hearing more of those,” Leo said, locking eyes with me.
“No question of what we’ll all be carving into the Yule log as our ‘thankful for’ this year,” I said.
“Yeah, seriously,” Briar whispered. “I doubt anything will ever top this moment.”
“I don’t think I’d want it to,” I said.
Bright blue eyes popped open, allowing me a close-up view. My tiny daughter blinked, then let her eyes close again as she wiggled and cooed.
Giggling, I leaned in so I could softly coo back to her, and that’s when she sneezed and shifted, mewing and letting out tiny snow leopard cries when she wound up trapped in her onesie.
“Did she just…” Leo stammered as Briar and I reached for her at the same time.
“She did,” I told Leo as I withdrew my hand so Briar could tend to her.
After eight months of carrying two babies around inside of me, I was good with letting their Papa take over for a little while. I was one worn-out dad, and I knew Leo was an exhausted pops. Watching him deliver our girls into the world less than an hour after I finished delivering our boys had left me in awe of the life we’d created for ourselves since the day we’d met at the cabin.
I doubted I’d ever be so thrilled over another’s mistake, but if it hadn’t been for Branson and those double-booked cabins, we wouldn’t be on the verge of our first holiday as parents. Within moments, Briar had untangled her from the onesie and removed her outfit before laying her beside her furry brothers.
