Several Years Later
“What do you think? Isn’t it beautiful?” I stare at the sparkling sea with the sandbar ahead.
“It sure is.” His voice is husky, his gaze lingering suggestively on my backside.
Rolling my eyes, I lightly hit him in the arm. “Silas, I’m serious.”
“So am I. Land, air, or sea, you’re the best view there is.”
Belting out a laugh, I say between giggles, “Oh my, that’s total cheeseball.”
“It may be, but it’s true.” Capturing me around the waist, he pulls me into his bare chest.
Our lips collide, his kiss searing. No matter how many times he kisses me, in all the countless and memorable ways, it never gets old. As we break apart, he spins me so that my back is to his front, with his hands splayed over my stomach. “And this is the most beautiful sight there is,” he murmurs hotly into my ear before his teeth nip at my earlobe.
I shiver despite the sweltering sun beating down on the deck and the warm sea breeze. “You can’t see anything yet,” I state the obvious as his hand caresses my belly. There isn’t even a bump.
“I don’t need to see, just knowing my child is in there is enough for me.”
We’re expecting. I’d been feeling icky, exhausted, and nauseated for weeks. At first, I’d chalked it up to nerves for my first time being the lead on an upcoming research project, but the more it continued, I knew what it meant.
The two pink lines confirmed it this morning. I’m pregnant, and we’re ecstatic, although it drastically changes our plans.
Life is always throwing us for a loop, and it doesn’t matter. I’m still in school and haven’t quite figured out what area of marine biology I want to focus on, but I’m covering my bases. I’ll get there, and the best part is I have an amazing family, the love of the best man, and our family is growing. We’re having a baby. Our second.
“Daddy, why you awways kissing Mommy?” Our daughter waddles over to where we stand on deck, with Crystal right behind her.
“Sorry, I tried to keep her busy, but she had to come over,” Crystal says, her cheeks flushed at interrupting our intimate moment.
“Hey, Posey, come to Daddy,” Silas says, releasing me to pick up our nearly two-year-old daughter.
She giggles, her chubby hands clutching onto her daddy while she tilts her head back. Her strawberry blonde curls shimmer in the sunlight as Silas twirls her around.
“Faster, Daddy, faster,” she demands.
Her melodic laugh paints a bright smile on my face and warms my heart. Eli and Daisy join us with Henry in my sister’s arms. My nephew’s bouncing on her hip, arms outstretched and begging for Silas to do the same to him.
“Ankle Si, me too. Ankle Si!” the five-year-old pleads.
While Henry is super smart, scarily so for his age, he’s still working on the pronunciation of some words. I think it’s endearing and keeps him somewhat of a baby in my mind.
“Great, look what you’ve started,” Daisy groans, putting down her son, who scurries to Silas as soon as his feet hit the deck.
Eli and I laugh, while Daisy heads for a lounge chair. Eli pulls Crystal into his side, and she beams, resting her head on her Dad’s chest.
“I’m getting too old for this,” Silas puffs and sucks in some air while placing Posey back on the deck.
Our little munchkin wobbles and plunks onto her bum, glancing at her daddy with pure love. She thinks the world of her father -- as she should, the man spoils her rotten.
“Henry, turn. Henry, turn,” Posey orders her father, and he chuckles.
“Yes, ma’am. Come here, Hank,” he calls.
“Hey, his name is Henry!” Daisy calls, and Silas winks at me before picking up his nephew.
Daisy and Silas are tight, but both still love to get at each other.
“Children, cut it out,” Gray says, handing Daisy a bottle of water. “Henry’s his name, Silas.”
“’Yeah, yeah.” Silas waves them off before picking up my sweet Henry. “You don’t mind Hank, do you?” Silas asks.
“I like Hank,” he says, grinning from ear to ear. He’s no fool, he wants a twirl and would agree to just about anything Silas says at the moment.
“Honey, you better get in shape if this is wiping you out. You’re gonna need it with two,” I say.
All eyes drop to my belly.
“What did you just say?” Jared asks as he surfaces from below deck.
“Darn, sorry! Not a great way to tell you all, but we’re having another baby!” I say.
Laughter and congratulations erupt from them as they swarm around Silas and me with hugs and kisses. Tears of joy spring to my eyes and Daisy wipes at them with her finger.
“I’m so happy for you,” she says. “Little Pose will have a sibling, and Henry’ll have another cousin. This is awesome.”
“Thanks, Daze. We’re happy, too.”
“We’re more than happy,” Silas interjects, slinging his arm around my waist and hauling me against him. “We’re just getting started.”
“What?” Daisy and I say in unison.
“How many brothers and sisters do you want, Posey girl?” he asks.
Posey’s busy trying to rip her diaper off and stops pulling at the tab to lift her head toward us. Blue eyes sparkling, she smiles. “Ten.”
I choke, Daisy sputters, and Silas lets out a bark of laughter. “Ten! I say that’s a good even number.”
“Uh-uh, not happening.” I point my finger from Silas to Posey. “Maybe one more, we’ll see how this goes. But we’re stopping at three. End of discussion.”
Posey comes to us, mimicking me with hands on her hips. “Mommy, four a better number.”
“She does have a point,” Jared adds. “Nice and even.”
I stab him with a shut it glare, and he chuckles. I have a feeling this is just the beginning of many lengthy discussions. And while I’m outnumbered, I never go down without a fight, and I always play for keeps.