Carolina
Six Years Later
I’m shaking my head, trying my hardest to act annoyed, as we walk into Sierra’s backyard. “You spoil her way too much.”
“What?” Rex asks, raising a brow.
I nod toward the sparkly pink unicorn cake in his hands. There was only supposed to be one birthday cake at the party, but Esme insisted she wanted a unicorn one.
What Esme wants, her daddy gives her.
“And River isn’t spoiled?” he asks, tipping his head toward the Power Ranger cake I’m holding.
“Eh, good point,” I mutter.
Like Esme, River tends to get what he wants.
“I wonder how many times this will happen,” Rex says.
“This is only the beginning,” I sing-song.
“Oh, the perks of having twins.”
That’s right.
We have twins.
I nearly fell off the ultrasound table when the tech told us. I had her check it again, just in case she’d forgotten how to count, but nope, two babies were inside me. No wonder I’d been eating so many bags of Peanut M&M’s. I was eating for three, and that required a lot of M&M’s … and ice cream … and carrots dipped in salsa.
Rex gagged every time I ate the carrots.
Who would’ve thought the two go well together?
Pregnant Carolina—that’s who.
Even though I was a terrified mess, knowing Rex would be by my side put me at ease. No matter what, together, we make a great team.
The twins are already in the backyard in their swimsuits, waiting for us to give them the go-ahead to get into the pool. We do when we notice Willow sitting at the edge of the pool with her feet in the water. She gives us a wave while she plays lifeguard. Dallas is next to her, watching the other side of the pool as the kids splash each other.
“Oh, look, another cake,” Sierra comments when I set mine down on the table. Next to it is a tall three-tier cake with a dump truck on it.
“Next year, we’re sharing one cake. I don’t care how many tears are shed,” Maliki says. Walking over to us, he’s shaking his head, while Molly is behind him, counting down the reasons she needs an iPhone.
“Have fun convincing Rex of the one-cake rule,” I comment as Rex slides a stack of plates down the table to make room for the unicorn cake.
“I’m cool with that,” Rex says. “Just make sure the boys are okay with a pink cake.”
“I never said it couldn’t be the one that my son picks out, which it will be. I said, one,” Maliki corrects.
“Of course,” Sierra mutters with an eye roll.
A baby boom hit Blue Beech. The same day I planned to announce my pregnancy, Sierra did, too—neither one of us knowing about the other. Four days after I gave birth to Esme and River, Sierra had her baby boy, Jax. He’s a mini Maliki, exactly like his daddy with dark hair and his laid-back attitude.
That same year, another three baby girls came into the Blue Beech world. Kyle and Chloe adopted Callie. The sweetest in the bunch—sorry, Esme—who always shares her snacks and doesn’t mind being last in line. Gage and Lauren had their little girl, Ava, who’s as outspoken as her mother. Then Mia came, Stella and Hudson’s glamour girl, who’s already a fan of makeup and handbags. Dallas and Willow’s son, Easton, was also born that year. While Callie is the sweetest girl, Easton is the sweetest little boy.
Our nights out have turned into playdates. We make them fun, and it helps that Sierra created the perfect backyard oasis. They had a pool installed and a massive custom play set built, and they have a roomy outdoor grill area. The kiddos love the pool, and since there are so many of us, each couple takes one-hour shifts, watching them swim.
“Dad!” Molly whines, interrupting us. “My birthday is in two months. Let’s call it an early birthday gift.”
Maliki shakes his head. “I’m not buying you a phone to text Noah all night.”
“That’s her boyfriend,” Jax says, running over to us in his swim trunks, Scooby-Doo floaties wrapped around him.
“Ugh, he’s not my boyfriend,” Molly yelps.
“But she wants him to be her boyfriend,” Maven, Dallas’s daughter and Molly’s best friend, cuts in.
Molly shoots her a dirty look.
“I think it’s cute,” Sierra says, sitting down at the table. “Maliki’s daughter dating his best friend’s son.”
“She’s not dating anyone,” Maliki growls.
I grab a soda and sit down next to Sierra. “Noah is Cohen’s son, right?”
She nods. “He’s such a sweetheart. Cohen got him a phone, and he loves texting Molly.” She glares at Maliki. “He texts her on my phone, which means Molly always wants it.” She holds her arm up. “I vote yes to the phone.”
Molly jumps up and down, clapping her hands. “Yay!”
“I need to talk to Cohen about this,” Maliki grumbles. “No way am I having my daughter date a kid who hits on all the waitresses at his dad’s bar.”
Sierra rolls his eyes. “He’s a preteen.”
“Preteen or not, I don’t give a shit.”
Rex collapses in the chair next to me with a bottle of water in his hand, and I tune out Molly, who’s still presenting her cell phone argument.
I relax in my seat, watching them play in the pool. “Can you believe they’re five years old?”
“Time has flown.” Rex reaches out and squeezes my thigh. “I say, we make another.”
“Time for bed,” I call out.
Esme yawns, tipping her head back to look at me with sleepy eyes from where she’s sitting on the floor between my legs. “But, Mommy, I’m not tired.” Another yawn.
“Honey, you can barely keep your eyes open.” I wrap the hair tie around her braid before kissing her forehead.
She loves when I braid her hair before going to bed, and then I undo it in the morning since she got her mama’s hair—thick and dark.
“Hey! I’m not tired!” River shouts, running into the living room, clad in a Power Ranger costume.
River also inherited my thick, dark hair, but he got his height from Rex. Esme, on the other hand, is small like me.
“I wonder why you’re not tired,” Rex says, walking into the living room in gray sweats and a tee. “Is it because you snuck an extra slice of cake?”
“Maybe.” River grins before pushing the Power Ranger mask over his face.
“There is absolutely no doubt he’s your son.” I laugh, shaking my head.
Rex rushes over to River, playfully throwing him over his shoulder. “This Power Ranger needs his energy to fight crime tomorrow!”
River bursts out laughing as Rex carries him to his Power Ranger–themed bedroom.
“Your turn, sweetie,” I say, helping Esme to her feet.
We hold hands while walking down the hallway into the pink bedroom Rex had professionally painted with unicorns and castles. I read her a short story, kiss her good night, and turn her night-light on before leaving the room. Rex comes out of River’s room at the same time, and we cross paths—me going to River’s room to kiss him good night and Rex doing the same with Esme. It’s our nightly routine, but we switch every night, so each one gets quality time with us alone.
We’re in the same home we bought years ago, but we’ve talked about building a new house since Rex’s games have been so successful. We’ve saved enough money to pay for it with cash and not have to worry about bills constantly. If we decide to expand our family, we’ll definitely need more room. It’ll be sad, leaving Chloe and Kyle. We’ve grown so close, and Esme and Callie have become close friends.
I’m in my bra and panties, my pajamas in my hand, when Rex walks into the bedroom. My mouth waters when he softly shuts the door and takes his shirt off. We heard all the marriage changes sex talks when we were engaged, but we’re the same Rex and Carolina as we were before we said our vows. The sight of my husband never fails to turn me on.
“Stop,” he demands.
I pause, raising a brow. “Huh?”
“Don’t waste your time with putting those on.” He erases the distance between us, wrapping his arms around my waist. “We’re about to make another baby.”