“Whatever,” Wyatt says, drawing out each sound in the word.
“So, we can start trying tonight?” I ask.
“Tonight,” they all agree.
An hour later, we walk out of the shelter as a family of seven with the hope of more to come. We might all be misfit pieces on our own, but as one, we make the most beautiful masterpiece.
Epilogue
ABBY
“Come here, girl,”I say, patting the open spot next to me on the inner tube. Zara hops up, snuggling into my side with her head resting on my lap.
She’s been a part of our family for almost a year now, and I don’t know what any of us would do without her.
We all came sledding today, but I’m electing to lounge down here at the bottom of the hill. The thought of trekking up the hill repeatedly doesn’t sound appealing in the least.
I am creating a human right now, so I should get a little leeway.
There’s also the fact that my three overbearing husbands would lose their minds if I tried to fly down the hill on an inflated plastic tube.
They have always been protective, all of them in their own way. But ever since they found out I was pregnant, the security status escalated to the maximum.
It’s as endearing as it is annoying.
The boys barrel past us, clinging to each other while screaming their heads off. They hit a patch of fresh powder, causing them to go rolling across the snow.
I’m ready to hop up when their laughter hits me.
“Mom, did you see that?” Mav asks, wiping the snow from his face.
“I sure did. Are you guys okay?” I ask.
They both nod.
Oliver crouches in front of me, petting the fur on Zara’s head. The bond these two have is hard to put into words. It’s like they get each other on a level that few others would understand.
She loves all of us, but Oliver is her favorite. She sleeps in his bed nearly every night. As much as she has been an emotional support for him, I think he has been the same for her.
He leans in, pressing a kiss between her ears. “The baby okay?” he asks, looking up at me.
My hand moves over my bump that’s now getting so big I couldn’t zip up my ski pants this morning. The bump is popping much quicker this time than it did with Mav. “The baby is perfect.”
Both of the boys were happy when we told them they were going to have another little brother or sister.
Mav shows that happiness with constant chatter and stories filled with palpable excitement. Oliver, much like his personality, is showing it in a quieter kind of softness, stemming from love and joy.
These two boys are polar opposites, yet everything the other needed without even realizing it. They really are brothers, and seeing that bond develop has been so special.
Zara nuzzles into my hand but gets up to follow after Oliver. He slows his pace so she can keep up with him as they climb the hill.
“Angel,” Linc says, surprising me.
“Oh, hey,” I say. “Where the hell did you come from?”
“And why would I give away my secrets?” he says with a shrug.
Ever my mysterious man.
