_Things are slowly getting back to normal since the guys left, although the pain where my heart should be has yet to subside. Avery and I have decided to meet Katie for lunch since we haven’t had time to get together since the guys left.

“Okay prego, what does the baby want?” Avery asks Katie.

“Chinese!”

Parking, we make our way inside and sit down.

“Why do I even look at the menu, I always get the same thing,” I say as I put it down.

“Pick something else,” Avery says.

“What? Why?”

“Because you never actually eat it. You order it and then eat my food. I’m not in the mood for Broccoli Beef today,” she snaps.

“That’s ridiculous.”

A waitress approaches the table to take our orders before I get a chance to give her my order, Avery interrupts.

“She’ll have princess prawns with white rice, and I’ll have sweet and sour pork with white rice.”

“What the fuck? I’ll have broccoli beef!”

“You don’t even like broccoli! Stop ordering stuff you aren’t going to eat!”

Avery and I are eye to eye, breathing heavily since we’re both yelling.

“Okay, we need a few more minutes,” Katie asks the waitress who immediately scurries off.

“You two need to knock it off. You’ve been fighting for days, and I’m tired of it. Just admit you both miss Charlie, get off, then get over it.”

“What the fuck does he have to do with Avery deciding what I want to eat?” Crossing my arms over my chest, I stare at her.

“You too have been fighting over everything, and I mean EVERYTHING since the guys left. Where to eat, shoes not perfectly lined up by the door, how much coffee grounds to use, the flavor of creamer. I could go on. You guys are fighting because you aren’t getting laid, so go back to whatever it is you used to do and release some tension. Then get the hell over yourselves! I have to pee.”

Katie gets up and heads toward the bathroom while Avery and I keep looking at each other.

“Is she right? Are we just horny?”

Avery shrugs, “Probably a big part of it.”

“I miss him like it physically hurts my chest,” I admit, closing my eyes.

I hear Avery let out a sigh, then feel her slide into the booth beside me.

“I miss him too, so fucking much.”

Sliding her hand up my leg, I suck in a breath. Since I have cutoffs on, she doesn’t have to work hard to get her fingers where she’s aiming for.

Avery’s fingers make it under the elastic of my panties when Katie clears her throat, “Not the place.”

Avery and I both roll our eyes, prude.

Katie sits down, the look on her face has me worried. There is no other way to describe it than as if she’s plotting world domination.

“What is that look for?”

“I… I have some news.”

“Okay. Don’t leave us hanging,” Avery’s aggravated at the antics.

“I had an ultrasound to check on the baby.”

“Oh my God! Are you two okay? What do you need Kit Kat?” My mind automatically goes to the worst case scenario.

“Both the babies and I are just fine.”

It takes us a second to realize what she just said.

“BABIES?! YOU’RE HAVING TWINS!” I can’t control the volume of my voice, I’m so damn excited.

Avery and I pull her out of the booth and hug her while jumping up and down in our excitement.

“Twins! Two little minds that we can teach all kinds of bad habits too,” Avery says lovingly.

We all start to laugh, we all know Avery is going to be teaching them to say ‘fuck.’

“Goddammit, Avery! Stop leaving your wet towel on the fucking bed!”

Avery comes around the corner into our room, naked as the day she was born, obviously doing her hair and make-up.

“Jesus. Sorry, Mom.” I want to smack her when she rolls her eyes at me.

“My side is wet because of your stupid towel. Thanks.” Throwing the towel at her, I huff out of the room.

Since Charlie deployed, we’ve been at each other's throats, like we’ve forgotten how to live with each other. Maybe we’re just sexually deprived.

“Charlie is supposed to call soon, get some damn clothes on.” Nagging her seems to be my only release lately, but she’s snarking at me every chance she gets too.

“Why? You think he doesn’t want to see my tits?”

“I don’t want his entire unit to see your tits!” I let the frustration out by raising my voice.

I hate the tears threatening to fall, I hate that we’re fighting all the time over stupid shit, I hate the part of me that is missing.

Avery comes to me, wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me to her. Resting my forehead on her shoulder, I breathe in her clean scent and let out a stuttered breath.

“I miss him too,” she whispers.

Lifting my head to meet her eyes, I can see it clear as day in her eyes. Leaning forward, I place a soft kiss on her lips and wrap my arms around her waist.

Once again resting my forehead on hers, I close my eyes, taking comfort in her.

“I want to have babies,” the words come out of nowhere, and I’m just as surprised by them as Avery is.

“What?”

“I want to have babies with Charlie and you.”

A shit eating grin covers Avery’s face, it lights up the whole room.

“I do too.”

We both start laughing, neither one of us has ever wanted kids. I guess it just took the right man to show us what we really wanted in life and seeing our best friend so fucking happy about her pregnancy.

“Little Tater Tot’s and Bugger Bear’s.” Avery’s smile is infectious, I’m smiling back at her like a fool, and I love it.

“When are you going to spill the beans on the nickname thing?”

The happiness on her face dims, and she takes a step back, curling in on herself.

“It was just a stupid thing my dad and I did.”

Avery turns toward the bedroom and disappears.

Shit.

“Avery,” I call as I open the door. She’s sitting on the bed in one of Charlie’s t-shirts, staring at her hands with tears slowly rolling down her face.

Kneeling in front of her, I cover her hands with mine. “Do you want to talk about him?”

The only thing I know about Avery’s childhood is that her dad disappeared one day and she was a huge Daddy’s girl.

“I miss him so much,” she whispers. “I just wish I knew what happened to him.”

“What was he like?”

A smile turns the corners of her lips up despite the tears. “He was always laughing, joking around. He gave the best hugs.”

I smile for her. “I wish I could have met him.”

“Me too, he would have loved you.”

“Did he have a nickname for you?”

Avery starts to chuckle. “A nickname? I had multiple nicknames a day, he was pretty inventive.”

“How old were you when he disappeared?”

“Fifteen. He went to work one morning like he always did, but he never made it. He was just gone. The police never found his car or any trace of him after he left the house, it was like he never existed.” Letting out a sob, I wrap my arms around her shoulders, holding her while she cries.

With her head on my shoulder, she continues.

“Mom was a mess. She stopped going to work, stopped sleeping and eating. She thought I didn’t notice, but she was terrible at hiding it. After a while, she refused to talk about him, she just checked out altogether. Suddenly, I found myself taking care of her instead of the other way around. I’ve been taking care of people ever since.”

“I love you, Avery. I need you in every sense of the word.”

Lifting her head to meet my eyes, she places a gentle kiss on my lips.

“I love you too, I couldn’t do this without you.”

Leaning in, I capture her lips with mine, showing her the truth behind my words.

Coming up for air I say, “Alright, wipe the stress off your face. Charlie should be calling soon.”

Walking away from the bed, I’m almost in the hallway when I hear her say my name. Turning to see what she needs, she's standing with her arms crossed over her chest.

“If you leave another coffee cup on that bedside table, I will throat punch you.”

With a roll of my eyes, I leave the room to let her finish getting dressed.

It’s been a few weeks since we left for deployment and I’m already over it. I just want to go home to my girls. Exiting my tent to head to the chow hall, I bump into Logan.

“Charlie! You need to come with me, I’m not doing this alone.”

“I am not holding your hand while you jerk it. Ask Newb, he seems to be the one around here who likes dick.”

I still have to fight the urge to beat the shit out of that mother fucker for what he said to Avery at the beach house. Honestly, I know he didn’t mean any harm, but it would have saved us all a lot of heartache if he would’ve kept his damn mouth shut. It’s no wonder he’s single.

“Do you think of anything besides your dick?” Logan responds.

“Not really. So what is it that you need?”

“I got a letter from Katie, she went to the doctors to find out the sex of the baby.”

I don’t need to hear the rest, grabbing his arm, I pull him toward his tent. “Why didn’t you say that in the first fucking place? Let’s go see my nephew!”

As we enter the tent, I can’t help but think about what it would feel like to get a letter from one or even both of the girls telling me we are going to have a baby. I want the whole thing, white picket fence, babies from one or both of the girls, getting married, all of it. I watch Logan open the envelope from Katie, waiting to find out the news.

“Holy shit,” Logan drops down on the bed, putting his head between his hands.

“What’s wrong?” I yell as I rush over, grabbing the note off the floor. “Damn brother, do you have super sperm?”

“Twins. We’re having twins!”

The shock has worn off, and Logan is now shouting his happiness from the rooftops or as much as he can, given our location.

“You get to have two babies, and I can’t even get them to agree to one.”

“Are you fucking serious right now?” Logan looks me straight in the eye, freezing me in place. I didn’t think he could actually hear me over his personal celebration.

“Yes, I’m fucking serious! I want babies, marriage, a house, damn I would even stop being a SEAL if it made both of them happy, but they want no part of it,” my voice loud with frustration.

“You need to slow down. You have two of the most commitment-phobic females in the world in love with you. That’s a win in my book.”

“Says the man that got the love his life to say she would marry him and found out he was going to be a dad all in the same day.”

I know I sound like a child, but I can’t help it. “Congratulations man, I’m really happy for you and Katie. I gotta head to chow and then get my internet time. I have a Skype date with the girls before the next op, who knows when I’ll get another one.”

He pats my shoulder in understanding. “I hear ya brother, stop stressing. The girls love you. The rest will follow when the time is right.”

“I know, but we both know I’m not the most patient person.” With that, I exit the tent and head to the chow hall not feeling as hungry as I was before.

“How’s it hanging, Wuggles.” I can’t help but chuckle at the ridiculous nicknames Avery comes up with off the top of her head.

“Damn, I fucking miss you.”

“Aww, don’t go getting all soft on us. Where’s our big bad Navy SEAL who is kicking ass and taking names?” Amber’s smiling face fills the screen next to Avery.

A faint line of freckles is starting to cover her face, it must be getting warm. They said they were going to head to the beach a lot once it got warmer and not mention their freckles, although I think they’re adorable.

“So what have my girls been up to? Staying out of trouble I hope.”

I know even before I ask this question the answer is no, but I ask anyway.

“Why do you ask stupid questions? Of course, we’re staying out of trouble, causing trouble, well that is a whole different animal,” Avery says with a giggle.

“For once we haven’t gone looking for the trouble. Trouble found us in the form of LT’s baby sister Emma,” Amber chimes in.

“Shut your mouth bitch! Emma doesn’t need her big brother coming home to rain pain on whatever motherfucker decided to use her face as a punching bag.”

“What the hell are you two going on about? Who is beating on LT’s baby sister?” I try to keep my anger in check as I pry information out of them but it’s getting harder by the minute.

“The short story, Jimmy calls us to bring some clothes to his place for Emma. Apparently, she called him for some help, before you ask I don’t know why she called him or what happened, but I’m working on it,” Avery says with a serious look on her face.

“When we got there, Emma looked like she went ten rounds with Hollyfield. She could barely move around. I think Katie damn near had a heart attack!” Amber adds as she rests her head on Avery’s shoulder, seeking comfort anyway she can.

“Fuck, I have to tell LT.”

“No, fucker, you don’t! And so help you if you do, you and your hand will be the best of friends for a good while after you come home.”

Amber sits up, shocked at Avery’s response. “You wouldn’t last.”

“Try me, this is none of our business. Besides, Emma asked us for help and we are going to give it to her. That did not involve running to tell her big brother that she fucked up her life.”

“Fair enough, but you better not get yourselves hurt or I’m on the first transport back home.”

“Oh, that’s all we have to do to get you to come home? Amber go throw yourself down the stairs,” Avery says while pointing toward the front door.

“Me!?! Why do I have to do it? You want him home so bad, you do it!”

“Girl, I am too pretty to scar this face. I got bills to pay.”

I let out a loud laugh gaining both girls' attention. “No one is throwing themselves down the stairs. I’m not coming home, not yet at least, so keep it together for a little while longer.”

We sit quietly for a little while, just taking in being able to see each other for the first time in a few weeks when it dawns on me.

“How long have you two known Logan and Katie are having twins?”

“In reality, a few hours. She told us for sure at brunch this morning, but Katie was hinting it the day you guys left to go play in the big litter box.”

“Litter box? Seriously, Sugar?” I ask Avery, accompanied by a raised eyebrow.

“What? I don’t want to call it a sandbox because we live in San Diego. There can’t possibly be more sand. So what’s the closest thing… kitty litter.”

All I can do is shake my head in response, her logic is sound no matter how much I want to challenge her, but the things she says still manage to surprise me.

“Hey about this baby thing, we have reconsidered your proposal. We have decided to remove our IUDs and commence baby making when you come home.”

My heart is pounding in my chest, I want to yell as loud as I can, but I’m waiting for them drop the other shoe and hear they’re just fucking with me.

“Can I get that in writing? Or better yet, send me some new pictures. I’m sure there’s a way to freeze that shit, and we can do it old school style with a turkey baster.”

“Charlie, calm down,” Amber giggles before she can continue, “we just said we would have your babies. Don’t push it. We’re rather fond of doing it the old fashioned way, with sex.”

“Yeah, so if there is no dick going in my pussy to give me the baby juice, ain’t no baby coming out of here.” I just shake my head at Avery.

There’s a soft knock on the door indicating my time is up.

“My time is up. I fucking love you both so much,” I say with my hand pressed to the screen, what I wouldn’t give to be able to touch them right now.

“We love you too, Muscles. Now go save some people and bring your ass home. We have some baby making to do.” They each blow me a kiss and wave before signing off. Closing my eyes for a moment, it takes all of my self-control to not let the tears fall from my eyes.