Logan — 1
December
“Munchkin, what are you doing?” I glanced at Rhett, who was staring at his phone while pacing back and forth in the kitchen.
“I’m waiting to hear back from Allison. She said she wasn’t feeling well but not to worry.”
“Then why are you worrying?” The glare I received could freeze Wild Creek if it wasn’t already frozen.
“Really, Logan? She’s pregnant. With our twins. And she’s due in just over two weeks.”
I pulled Rhett into my arms and gave him a squeeze when he tried to push his way out. “Nope. Stay put. I’m not being insensitive. But you have to trust her when she says not to worry. Do you think I’m not worried?”
“No, I know you are. Already you’re not sleeping well.” Rhett’s face flushed before he all but melted into my embrace. We both knew our days as just the two of us were numbered, and we were equally anxious for the arrival of our twins. But it was obvious that Rhett was upset about something, and not necessarily the impending arrival of our twins.
“Tell me what’s really bothering you.”
Rhett sighed before turning his blue eyes up to meet my brown ones. “Honestly? Everything. Mostly, I am worried about the twins. Allison said she’s been having contractions and they weren’t the Braxton-Hicks kind. But they only reach fifteen minutes apart and then stop.”
“They all said this was normal. You know that’s just her body getting ready for the birth.”
“Yeah, I know. But I’m anxious. That’s all.” Rhett gave me a small smile before he started fingering the buttons on my shirt.
“Sweetheart, don’t you think I’m just as anxious? Hell, I adore Chloe and Phoebe, but I never got to keep them. They always stayed with Boone and Kait while I came back here, alone.”
“I know. I love our nieces as well, and I’m scared. What if I freak out? What if I have an episode and hurt one of them?”
“You won’t,” I told him reassuringly before I gently raised his face to meet mine again. “You know how I know?” At Rhett’s head shake I continued. “Because you haven’t had one in a long time. And if by chance you do, Scarlett will let you know before anything happens.” At the mention of her name, Scarlett got up and came over to us and whined at our feet. Rhett smiled before looking down at his faithful companion. She was just as much a part of our family as the twins were going to be. The change in Rhett simply because of her presence couldn’t be denied. Up until the imminent arrival of our twins, Rhett had become so much more sure of himself.
Choosing to try to refocus my husband, I gave his shoulders a squeeze again. It worked because he stopped rubbing Scarlett’s ears and looked back up at me. “What else is bothering you? You said everything was bothering you.”
Rhett sighed before gently placing his forehead on my chest. “Everything. That about sums it up. I sold the bakery, my dads are selling Stealth Securities and moving here, Simon and Sean are looking into having a baby, Jacob and Isaac are having a baby, and it just seems like everything is changing all at once.”
“True, but change isn’t necessarily a bad thing. You have to remember, you and your brothers all got married close together. It makes sense we would all look to starting a family around the same time. Well, except Jasper. I honestly can’t ever see him and Liam having kids.”
I felt Rhett nod against my chest before I leaned down and gave the top of his head a kiss. Knowing he needed to be distracted, I looked over at the counter that was filled with cookies and scones before I gently pulled back from him. “Do you need help with anything? It looks like you were in the middle of baking.”
“I am. Well, actually, I’m done baking, I just need to finish everything up. I’m waiting for the cookies to cool so I can frost them.”
“Okay, do you want help with anything else?”
Rhett smiled up at me before burying his face in my chest again. “I love you, you know that, right?”
“I do. And I can’t tell you how thankful I am that you do. I know I can be difficult to get along with at times, but I love you more than anything, Rhett. Just remember that.”
“I know. Okay, so, help. Feel like fetching ingredients for me?”
“Anytime,” I said as I leaned down and kissed the tip of Rhett’s nose. He scrunched it playfully before wrapping his arms around my neck and pulling me down for a kiss. When our lips met, it was as if we’d never kissed before. It always was. The tingle that went through my entire body was always there; I hoped like hell it always was. Like always, my body reacted as if I was a teenager, and I knew my husband felt it when he moaned into my mouth and thrust his hips into mine. That certainly didn’t help my situation at all.
Rhett’s eyes spoke volumes when we parted, and I knew he was still just as affected as I was when we kissed, but I also knew if we went upstairs, we wouldn’t get the cookies finished before we had to leave. “Love you. Now, let’s not get too distracted, or there won’t be any cookies at dinner later.”
I cleared my throat and stepped back, knowing he was right. It didn’t take much for us to get distracted. “All right. What do you need me to help with?”
“I need the powdered sugar from the pantry.”
“Got it.” I smiled at my husband once more before I set off to the walk-in pantry in search of the sugar. I’d been with Rhett long enough to know the difference between the sugars and what he used each of them for. Before he came into my life, I’d known about granulated sugar and that was it. After pulling the powdered sugar off the shelf, I went back to the kitchen, only to stop short when I noticed Rhett on his phone. I raised an eyebrow at him, but when he smiled at me, I knew things were okay.
“Sure thing, Mom. We’ll see you in just a few,” Rhett said before he pulled the phone away and ended the call. The only “mom” Rhett had was mine, which meant my parents had finally pulled themselves away from my brother and sister-in-law’s place long enough to stop by. They had arrived a few days earlier, and we’d only seen them once, despite our best attempts to see them.
“Your parents are on their way,” Rhett said, taking the sugar from me before he walked over to the mixer on the counter.
“So I gathered from the snippet of the phone call. You okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be? You know I love your parents.”
“True. But we still haven’t told them, and it feels as if they’re the only ones who don’t know at this point.”
“Well then, maybe we should. But really, the only people who know are my dads, brothers, and their husbands.”
“Don’t forget Jacob. And I’d imagine he’s told Isaac.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. Do you want to tell them?” Rhett asked looked up at me.
“Tell us what?” my dad asked as he walked into the kitchen. Damn. Obviously, the door had been unlocked, something Rhett and I both had been very good about making sure didn’t happen. I gave him a look, and he subtly shook his head at me which let me know that they still had a key. Double-damn. That definitely needed to change. There was nothing worse than getting a blowjob or being buried deep in your husband and having your parents walk in on you. I turned back toward my parents and watched as my dad helped my mom out of her coat. Even to this day, he was still attentive toward her. They’d been together for over forty years now, and that made think about things.
“We’re having twins,” Rhett said suddenly from right beside me. When in the hell had he walked to my side? I looked at my parents, who had frozen in their tracks as they were taking off their coats and were staring at the two of us. “Surprise?” Rhett said almost hesitantly and more as a question than a statement.
“You’re not serious, are you? You can’t be serious. You two…”
“Fiona, hush,” Dad said as he threw Mom’s coat over her head. “That’s wonderful news, you two. Coffee is a must, and I want to know all about my two new grandchildren.” He came toward us with his arms open. Rhett let out a huge breath and took two steps, meeting my dad halfway. Dad enveloped Rhett in his arms, and when he looked at me, there were definitely tears in his eyes. He held out an arm for me, and I walked to the pair and wrapped my arms around my husband, effectively sandwiching him between me and my father.
“Joseph, now look at my hair,” Mom said as she pulled the coat off her head. If you asked me, her hair looked exactly like it had before, she maybe just needed to push it out of her face.
“Fi, shut it and come congratulate the boys. They’re going to be daddies,” Dad said as he gently rocked us back and forth. I loved them, I honestly did. And I knew for a fact that they still loved each other as much now as they did when they first got married.
“You two can’t have babies. We live too far away,” Mom said as she joined our group hug.
“You’ll have to make up your mind, Fi. You either get the mild temperatures of Texas, or we move back home to Wyoming and are with the grandbabies all the time. I’m too damn old to keep moving. But our boys are here. Our grandbabies are here, and the newest ones will be as well.”
I pulled away from Rhett and looked at my parents. They weren’t saying what I thought they were, were they? “Are you two considering moving back?” It had been incredibly hard on me and Boone when our parents had decided to move closer to my mom’s family in Texas. It helped that they extended Wild Creek there and we could winter some of our stock in the milder climate, but still, it had been tough. It made sense, and Boone and I were both old enough to understand why, but they’d missed so much of our lives since. Maybe they’d changed their minds about living so far away.
“You know I miss those babies so much, Joe. I just can’t stand the thought of leaving them as it is. Now Logan and Rhett are giving us grandbabies. We have to stay,” my Mom said, completely in tears. I think my Dad, Rhett, and I were all equally shocked by Mom’s statement. Rhett gasped as he all but fell backward into my waiting arms. Dad looked at Mom with a stunned look.
“Fi, don’t tease now. You know I’ve wanted to come back home and be near the boys and the rest of my family for some time.”
I watched the interaction between my parents and gave Rhett a squeeze as he laid his head on my chest.
“I know. But Momma is gone and has been for three years now. Can’t we let Rodrigo take over? He’s an excellent foreman, and I have no doubt he could run the place without you there.”
“Hell, woman, he already does. Do you honestly think I do much around the ranch down there anymore?”
Mom scoffed at Dad, and I chuckled, which drew their attention. I loved my parents, but they weren’t getting my house, and I needed to make sure they realized that. I loved getting freaky with my sexy husband too much to share the house with them.
“I’m excited you’re thinking about moving back, but where will you two live?” That seemed to stop them in their planning. They looked at each other and then back at us, causing me to shake my head. No way.
“Don’t fret. Your aunt and uncle have already made the offer; the fact that you two are giving us grandbabies just helps seal the deal. We’re considering staying in Graham’s old room until we can either have a new place built or we can find a place close by,” Dad told us. Rhett burst into tears again, causing Scarlett to whine and come over, pushing on his hand, trying to get his attention.
“It’s okay, girl. He’ll be okay,” I told her as I reached down and rubbed her ears. Scarlett just whined and sat obediently at Rhett’s feet, waiting. I looked up at my parents and gave them a half smile.