Chapter 5
Xander
“Dude, did you see them? They looked like fucking zombies when they walked out the door.”
Ethan nods. “It was getting pretty bad. They should’ve taken the whole weekend.”
“They wouldn’t. Not their first time away,” Summer adds.
“That’s true,” Xan agrees. “I’m just glad this is something we could give them to help them get back to feeling human again. They should do this every other month. No lie. I don’t know how they do it, running on no sleep.”
“You’ll find out soon enough,” Linc reminds me with a hand clasp on my shoulder.
“Oh God,” Tera groans.
“We’re only having one. We’re good, babe,” I reassure her.
Kennedy snickers. “Dude. Jesse and Lucy never expected to hear they were having three, and then they found a bonus baby on top of it. Never say never.”
I drop to my knees, look up, and fold my hands in prayer.
“Please Lord. Only one baby at a time. Happy healthy babies, but only one—two if you have to, but please. No more than that,” I pray. Well, it’s more begging than praying.
“You better hope he heard you,” Linc advises.
I hang my head. I don’t know if I’d survive more than one or two at a time. But if that’s what comes our way, I’ll take it. I’ll love those kids so much they’ll never doubt it.
It was easy “playing” dad when I snuck one of the babies for the night—or day. But I know it’s a hell of a lot different when they’re your own. You can’t give them back. You can’t only parent them for one hour or even one day. It’s a 24/7 job and one I think Tera and I can handle it. Look how well we handled things while we were apart—except for that one time…
I know, together we can handle anything.
