Joshua doesn’t even open his eyes, but he thrusts both arms up and yells, “Up!”
I laugh. “I knew you weren’t really asleep anymore, you little tricksters.”
Boone scoops up Logan, Dillon grabs Joshua, and with perfect, choreographed precision, they zoom down the hallway making airplane noises. The boys shriek with laughter all the way to the kitchen.
Chance shakes his head. “I’m never beating them in the favorite parent contest.”
“You won last night,” I remind him. “Hailey only wanted you.”
“That doesn’t count. I have special privileges with the tiny one.”
“That’s because you still haven’t learned to say no to her,” I tease, rolling out of bed and changing into leggings and a sweater. As I pull my hair up into a messy bun, I meet his eyes in the mirror over my dressing table. “You know it’s going to have to happen sooner or later, right?”
“Nope.” He crosses his arms and leans against the doorframe, an amused smirk on his lips as he watches me. “She’s my princess. I’ll never have to say no to her. There are three other parents who can do that.”
“And the boys?”
“I’ve said no to them,” he argues lightly. “I mean, fine. It was once, and only when they wanted chocolate chip cookies at three a.m., but it counts.”
I chuckle, smacking a kiss to his lips as I pass him. “Let’s go find some caffeine before I fall asleep on my feet.”
He groans his agreement, following me into the hall and down the stairs, both of us drifting mindlessly toward the scent of coffee brewing. The new coffee maker is already sputtering when we get to the kitchen.
The windows are cracked open, and a fresh mountain breeze blows in. Logan is on Boone’s shoulders, pretending to be a firefighter. Joshua is sitting on the counter helping Dillon stir pancake batter, which mostly means creating flour-shaped explosions.
“Good morning, beautiful,” Dillon says, leaning over to kiss me.
Boone comes up behind me, his hands sliding instinctively to my hips. “How’d you sleep?”
“Not too bad until those two climbed into bed around four this morning,” I say. “Lots of feet in my ribs just like when they were still in my belly.”
He grins. “Sounds about right.”
As we take the boys outside, Joshua and Logan race each other across the yard. Hailey, who forfeited any more sleep, is strapped to my chest in her little carrier, her favorite place to be. She babbles at everything from the sky to her brothers to a pinecone.
The mountains are lush and green this time of year. Wildflowers spread across the slopes like paint. Chance takes her tiny hand and lets her grip his finger. “She’s gonna be climbing these mountains before the boys.”
“She already tried climbing the pantry shelves yesterday,” I remind him. “Maybe we shouldn’t be encouraging the habit.”
He sighs, but his chest puffs out a little. “That’s my girl.”
Boone sets out the plastic toddler UFC gloves he bought the boys, and they race over to him faster than lightning. They aren’t allowed to spar but I allowed them to mimic movements, andthe way Logan kicks the air makes it clear he’s inherited Boone’s instincts.
Kids come from all over for Boone’s youth UFC classes now. Parents trust him, kids adore him, and he’s stopped being haunted by the things Chance still carries. Boone has purpose again, and it’s like he’s suddenly found an extra twenty hours in every day.
Chance has carved out something gentler for himself too, just a couple of days a week volunteering with veterans’ programs. He comes home from those days tired, but alive in a whole different way.
Dillon has grown their business by leaps and bounds, hiring more help so Boone and Chance have a bit more time away from the office, and he balances work and home like he’s written the book on it.
Over the last couple of years, we’ve really hit our stride together, not just a family anymore, but a team, and a damn good one at that.
The marketing consulting business I started after the twins’ birth is thriving. I work from the sunny loft upstairs, overlooking the mountains. The boys love to sneak up and ‘help’, which usually means mashing the keys on my computer and making surprise appearances in Zoom meetings.
Luckily, all my clients adore them, and they haven’t scared any off yet.
As we soak up the sunshine outside, late morning turns into early afternoon. After lunch and naps, I take the kids out to the deck Chance and Boone expanded years ago. We rocked thebabies to sleep on that swing from the moment they came home, and they still love it out here.
I watch my family scatter across the yard like they belong to the land, Boone helping Logan chase butterflies while Chance teaches Joshua how to stack river stones. Dillon dances around the yard with Hailey tucked against his chest like she’s his little princess, which, of course, she is.
