“She will be. Baby J is on that easy baby to feral toddler pipeline, so we’re good for a few more months.”
Her sister had been the opposite, practically coming out with colic and exercising her vocal cords at all hours until she was about five months old. Now she was a pretty chill little kid, eager to try new things as long as one of us was close by.
Nathan came in carrying Naya, parking her on the vanity to remove her sparkly barrettes before turning on the bath faucet. “Little lady is gonna have a bubble bath before we do her manicure during movie night.”
I loved that he’d thought to bring everything he’d need for that. The hotel was pretty snazzy so they might’ve had things in stock, but Nathan knew how particular Naya could be and made sure he could meet her needs.
“Have a good soak, Princess Naya. Mami will see you in the morning.”
She gave me a squeezing hug and a loud cheek kiss, waving as I went into the main room.
Opting for flats over heels in case we encountered cobblestones, I slipped on my matching shoes and met Alve and Leo at the door, both of them looking like absolute snacks in their pressed linen shirts and dress pants.
Nathan stepped out of the bathroom, leaving Jude on temporary Naya duty. “Better not be trying to sneak out before I get to eyeball you looking this hot.”
I blushed hard. Even after years of their praise, it still hit me the same way. “Not sneaking.”
He kissed me breathless, sneaking his hands under my skirt to give my ass cheeks a squeeze. Leo and Alve weren’t left out either, both getting kissed until they were starry-eyed. “Have fun tonight.”
Alve draped a soft, cream pashmina over my shoulders. It wasn’t particularly cold, but the contrast with the temperature during the day was noticeable enough I appreciated the extra light layer. Leo and Alve each offered me a crooked arm and I giggled, linking my arms through theirs.
The air outside of the hotel was cold when compared with Vegas in the summer, but refreshing. People wandered the streets, a mix of tourists and locals, filing between gorgeous historic buildings. We ended up at a rooftop terrace with live music, and a view of the setting sun in one direction and the oldest district of the city in the other.
“You guys, this isbeautiful.” I couldn’t stop looking in every direction, absolutely enthralled by everything around me.
“No sight is as lovely as you.” Alve lifted my hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it.
A blush painted my cheeks in a rush of heat.
Leo nodded in agreement. “Madison in sunset lighting is one of my favorite views.”
“I’m trying to be a chill human being out in public and you two are making it so difficult.”
Leo took my other hand, laying an identical kiss to the back. “Maybe we like you struggling to control your perfume in public.”
Fucking hell. The scent-muting spray I’d spritzed on was going to be getting a serious workout. Where was a secluded alcove when I needed one? I had just come out of a heat a week ago, but having their eyes on me like this made me feel like I could slip back into one at any moment.
I was saved by the server approaching our table and suggesting a series of sampler plates after taking our drink orders. Whatever they thought would be delicious was fine with me. I ended up with a sweet apple tea for my drink, Leo and Alve each with their own Turkish tea while we waited for our food.
The tea settled me, at least enough that I could carry on a normal conversation instead of itching to be whisked away. We moved onto safer topics.
“I can’t believe Naya starts kindergarten in a couple of months,” Leo lamented. “What am I supposed to do all day?”
“Jada will likely be walking by then,” Alve pointed out. “I’m sure she’ll keep you on your toes.”
“And we’ll all be home with you when I have the next baby.” I squeaked when he dragged my chair closer, and, not to be outdone, Alve scooted closer on my other side so we were all nestled together facing the water.
Leo tapped me on the nose. “You’re bad at taking full parental leave.”
“I take most of it.”
He wasn’t wrong, but I enjoyed my work so much that I had a hard time stopping for months at a time. Leo becoming a stay-at-home parent had been a godsend. I escaped a lot of mom guilt knowing our kids had him at home, and I checked in a lot on my work days. Both girls had come with me on a lot of trips to checkout stock, and Naya was my expert double-checker when I was designing nurseries.
We all had something special we shared with the girls. Naya had been on horseback pretty much since she could walk. Jada was still in Leo’s lap, but Naya had started riding on her own already. My ovaries pretty much set off fireworks every time I saw one of my babies on horseback with Leo.
Nathan was our resident swimming instructor, teaching our kids, as well as Ava’s and Charlotte’s. A lot of summer days were spent in the water at Ava’s.
Alve and Naya cooked together most mornings, letting her practice her skills since she could hold a kitchen tool and follow an instruction. The two of them turned even something as simple as cereal into a full dining experience.
