Logan — 5
I pulled the SUV into the garage and closed the door before we got out. I didn’t want the wind to be swirling around us in the garage when we pulled the twins out. Rhett and I got out of the SUV and opened the back doors, each unclicking a car seat and carrying our precious cargo into the house.
When we entered the house, it was a little cleaner than we’d left it, which meant my mom had been by and tidied up the kitchen for us. The twins went to the couch, still in their car seats.
“Should we wake them up?” Rhett asked, looking around the house.
“No. If I learned anything from Kait, it was that you never wake up a sleeping baby. They’ll let us know when they’re hungry or wet. Let’s leave them there for now and go take stock of the kitchen.”
“I saw it was clean. I assumed Mom. Or Aunt Cammie,” Rhett said as we walked in. The first thing we both noticed was a note on the counter.
Dear New Daddies,
We weren’t exactly sure when you’d return home, but we’re on standby if and when you need us. Please text or call and we’ll be there for you. We’ve been through this and know how taxing new babies are. Just as with birthing season on the ranch, having newborns is tiresome and things start to get blurry. If you need a nap, let us know. Need someone to rock the babies, let us know. Same with changing, although James and Taylor have admitted they’re out of practice. No matter what, Taylor and I will be there around five to start dinner. We’ve got you covered for the next week at least. Don’t forget to call!
Love,
Mom (and Dad, James, and Taylor)
“Wow. Have I mentioned how much I love your mother?” Rhett said while wrapping his arms around my waist.
“Only hundreds of times. I have to admit, it’s really quiet here without Scarlett, and even I’ve gotten used to her always being here.”
“Yeah, I miss her. I don’t want to lose her, Logan.”
“What? Why do you think you’d lose her? She’s yours for life. You don’t have to give her back, you know that.” I pulled Rhett into my chest and gave him a tight hug before I kissed the top of his head.
“What if she doesn’t like the twins?”
“She’ll be fine. Trust me on this, okay?” Rhett nodded before he pulled out of my arms and then removed his coat. He’d just hung it on the hook by the garage door when one of the twins started to fuss. I should have known our quiet wouldn’t last. Rhett and I both sighed at the same time, just as the second one let out a loud wail.
“We got to eat, so I guess we should feed them, huh?” Rhett joked with me. I chuckled while I removed my own coat and hung it beside Rhett’s by the door. I joined my husband in the kitchen in washing our hands, and then he went to the diaper bag as I went to the car seats. Going by the color of her face, Abi was pissed. Ash was getting there, he was just taking longer to get worked up. “Here, I have the bottles. Maybe we should take them upstairs since we’re supposed to change them first? I think maybe we should set up a baby area down here.”
“You might be right. I don’t want to spend my entire day upstairs, but I don’t really like the idea of running up and down the stairs so many times a day.” We both took a twin and bottle before we hurried up the stairs. Thankfully, they both calmed considerably when we removed them from their seats.
“We’re going to be in trouble if these two end up not liking their car seats. We both spend too much time driving around for them to hate them.”
“That would be our luck, wouldn’t it?” I asked as I laid Ash on one of the changing tables in the nursery. I’d since learned to open and quickly close his diaper and wait a few, and it had only been two days. Even though Rhett had put matching gender-neutral outfits on them to come home from the hospital in, you could definitely tell the twins apart on sight.
Once our son was changed and buttoned back up, I sat with him in one of the rockers and he was only too happy to take a bottle. He completely quieted once he’d started eating. Rhett looked entirely too comfortable in the chair with his feet up on the ottoman though.
“Munchkin?”
“Yeah?”
“Can we at least put a bow in Abi’s hair?” I asked, innocently. That got a deep belly laugh from my husband.
“What hair, Logan? She’s bald and probably will be until she’s two or three. In case you haven’t noticed, she’s biologically mine and I don’t remember any pictures of me with hair until I was at least four.”
“Sweetheart, I don’t care which child is whose. They’re both ours.”
“I know that, and I agree. I’m just sorry to say that our princess most likely won’t have enough hair for bows for several years, unlike Phoebe and Chloe.”
“Well, since Kait isn’t Abi’s mommy, I don’t see dark curls happening.”
“Why not? Fi has curly hair,” Rhett told me. He had a point.
I pulled the nipple out of a now-sleeping Ash’s mouth and gently put him on my shoulder to burp him. Like a champ, he let a good one out; unfortunately, he spit up all over my shirt. Rhett and I both cringed.
I watched as he grabbed a burp rag and threw it over his shoulder before positioning Abi on it to burp her. I carefully got up and, since I hadn’t yet mastered changing either of them without waking them yet, was relieved to see that Ash’s outfit was clean and wouldn’t need changed. I was a different story though. I already knew better than to hope the stain would come out. Almost nothing stained like formula spit-up.
I gently placed Ash in one of the cribs, and before I could turn around, Rhett was laying Abi right next to him. “They’re so adorable, aren’t they?”
“They are. We’re truly blessed,” I told Rhett as I stood there and looked at our babies with him. He handed me the burp rag and I did my best to wipe up the mess, but I think I smeared it more.
“Come on, let’s get you changed.”
“That’s something I’m all for. We have a monitor in our room, right?”
“I think so. I thought I put it on one of the nightstands,” Rhett said as he left the nursery and turned toward our room. I turned on the base that was on the table between the two cribs before I followed my husband. “Take off your shirt,” Rhett said as I entered our room. That was something I’d never complain about doing when he asked. Or demanded.
“I thought you were tired?”
“Wha…yeah, I am. I’m going to go throw your shirt in the washer. How you doing? Maybe a shower?”
I looked down at my now-bare chest and had to agree. I didn’t have enough undershirts in the hospital bag, and the formula had gone right through the cotton shirt I was wearing. “Yeah, maybe a quick one. You want to join me?”
“Can we still do that? I mean, what if one of the twins cries?”
“Good point. Okay, I’ll be out in a few,” I told Rhett as I handed him my shirt.
“Take your time and enjoy a hot shower. We didn’t get those while we were in the hospital.”
“I don’t want to leave you too long.”
“I promise, I’m fine. I’ll be back up in just a few. When you get out, I’ll take a turn and then maybe there will still be enough time for a quick nap.” I watched as Rhett hurried off, and I sat down and pulled off my boots and socks. After emptying my pockets, I took everything else off and tossed the bundle in the hamper on my way to the bathroom.
I definitely moaned as I stepped under the hot spray. The shower in the hospital room was so tiny my shoulders hit opposite walls and the showerhead felt like dozens of needles of water were coming out of it. Yeah, not something that a new mother who had just given birth would want, let alone me. I simply enjoyed the water and room, before remembering I needed to hurry so Rhett could have a turn.
Once I was clean and rinsed, I got out and dried off with an oversized towel that Rhett had purchased. I’ll admit, I loved them as much as he did, and they worked quite well. Once I was completely dry, I hung my towel on the rack and went to the bedroom. I didn’t see Rhett, so I pulled on a pair of briefs and then sweats and a long-sleeve shirt before peeking in on the twins. That’s where I found my husband. He was fast asleep in the chair.
“Hey, sleepyhead,” I said quietly as I rubbed Rhett’s shoulder.
“Huh?”
“Wake up, munchkin. Do you want to shower?” I asked. Rhett nodded and I helped him up when he stumbled a little. We made it back to the room without incident, and I directed him to the bathroom. “Do you need help?”
“No. I’m good. I shouldn’t have sat down. I’ll be out in just a bit, and then I’ll join you in bed. I’m so sleepy. Not even during fall roundup or birthing season have I ever been this tired.”
“Be careful in the shower and we’ll get some sleep, hopefully, before they wake up.”
“’Kay,” Rhett said as he closed the bathroom door.
I double-checked the baby monitor before I pulled back the covers and crawled into our king-sized bed. That was another thing I’d missed. I hadn’t minded sleeping with Rhett in only one of those tiny hospital beds, but the damn thing was so uncomfortable.
I never intended to fall asleep, but the last thing I remembered was pulling the blankets up and then I was out.