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Slater rushed to Alex’s side, held her hand tightly, and let her squeeze through the pain. He spoke softly to her and soothed her with his voice. “Here we go, Allie,” he encouraged her and kissed her forehead.
Dr. Green methodically removed the end of the bed while the nurses moved Alex toward her. Looking between the expectant parents she asked, “Do little babies have names yet, so we can cheer them on as they’re born?”
“Yes.” Alex nodded, her demeanor was suddenly very calm while her body still shook wildly. “Jacob and Zachary.”
“Great names,” Kim stated, while one of the nurses flipped a switch and the room was awash in brightness. “Who’s first?”
Alex looked to Slater for clarification and made an executive decision when he gave a helpless shrug. “Jacob,” Alex breathed. She squeezed her eyes shut as a contraction slammed into her. The epidural was wearing off. The pain and tightness in her body were alive and kicking. “Jacob is first.” She gritted her teeth and gripped Slater’s hand with all the strength she had.
“Here’s what I need you to do, Alex. When you feel the next contraction come, you need to push as hard as you can while we count to ten. Slater, stay at her side until I see Jacob’s head. Help her sit up as she pushes, hold her hand, do whatever Alex needs you to do, ok?”
“Ok.” He nodded, suddenly so nervous. How the hell was his wife going to do this? He put his arm around Alex’s shoulders and gripped her hand when she squeezed tightly. He and a nurse assisted her to bend forward as she gave her first push to the count of ten.
“Alex.” Kim stood up to give instruction. “Try not to push with your face, does that make sense?”
“Yeah,” Slater agreed, his nerves gone. “Your face is bright red and scrunched up, you look like you’re going to burst. But you’re pretty,” he complimented quickly when Alex glared at him.
“You want to switch places with me?” she snapped.
“Sorry.” Slater shut his mouth, duly chastised.
“Alex.” Kim brought her focus back to her and suppressed a smile as Alex scowled at Slater. “Try pushing lower into your body, focus on your pelvis and push from there. Here we go.”
They all counted again, Alex pushed deep within her body until the count of ten, then fell back onto the bed, her breathing shallow. “Can you guys count faster, please?”
“It’s until the count of ten, it’s not ten seconds,” the nurse explained. “Here comes another one.”
Again, they all counted to ten, and again, Alex pushed while Slater, the doctor and the nurses encouraged Jacob to help his mommy bring him into the world.
“Come on, Allie, you can do it!” Slater ground his teeth with her as she pushed with all her might and encouraged his son. “Come on, Jacob! Make this as easy on your mama as possible.”
The pushing and the counting continued for thirty minutes, forty-five minutes. It closed in on an hour when Alex’s legs began to shake with muscle fatigue, her entire being beyond exhausted. With Kim’s approval she rested through a contraction, she needed to find her breath. She weakly pushed through another contraction, while Jacob seemed to stubbornly remain in place, a trait both of his parents possessed. Worn out, Alex leaned her head on Slater’s shoulder, her body shook with sobs.
“I-c-can’t,” she hiccupped. “I can’t do it. I’m so tired, Slater.”
“Allie, you have to do it,” he urged and looked to Dr. Green for help.
“He’s right, Alex.” Kim checked Jacob’s position. “I can feel the top of his head. Just a few more really good pushes and he’ll be here!”
“I can’t!” she cried. Tears ran down her cheeks. She shook her head quickly, fear was in her eyes. “I can’t, Slater.”
“You can and you will.” He grabbed her face in his hands and looked at her intently. “Don’t you dare give up on me, Allie. Don’t you give up on Jacob and Zachary!”
“Alex, he can’t stay where he is much longer,” Kim declared, her voice firm and commanding. “You have to do this.”
“I can’t!” Alex wailed.
“Yes, you can, baby.” Slater kissed her and pushed a lock of damp hair off her forehead. “You can. Come on, Allie,” he whispered. He pulled her close and held her. “You can do it, baby.”
“Alex.” Kim pressed down gently on her stomach as Jacob inched closer. “I’m giving you one more contraction to rest and then you’re getting Jacob out, got it?”
Slater’s opinion of Kim grew a notch as she took control of the situation. “I’m right here, Allie.” He spoke gently to her and cradled her head on his shoulder as she rested through the next spasm. Her fingers dug into his arm through the pain and he soothed her with his calm voice. “Come on, it’s time. Let’s do this, Allie!”
“Ok,” Alex breathed with a shaky nod. “Ok.” She gripped the rails of the bed and pushed with all her might.
“I see the head!” Kim exclaimed. “He’s coming, come on, Alex keep pushing!”
Slater looked at her and beamed with pride. “I want to see. I want to watch Jacob being born.”
“Yes,” Alex breathed with a nod. The nurse assisted her with her next push.
“That’s it!” Kim encouraged her. “Keep pushing, Alex, keep pushing. Almost there.”
“Oh, my God, Allie.” Slater stood behind Kim and tried not to tell her to move aside so he could see better. He shifted his position, stood by Alex’s leg with his hand on her knee, and watched as she pushed with all her might. Jacob’s face came into view. “Oh, Allie,” he breathed, as Dr. Green grabbed a small syringe and sucked out Jacob’s nostrils and mouth.
Alex’s head hung in exhaustion and snapped up suddenly when the tiny cry filled the room. “Oh!” she gasped, tears filled her eyes. Making eye contact with Slater, she smiled with him as tears streamed down his face.
At that moment, he wasn’t the biggest rock star in the world. He was simply a man, who had just become a father. Slater was in awe. He looked between Alex and Jacob and hoped he could remember everything when this was over. They did, after all, have one more baby to deliver. As Jacob’s wails filled the room, Slater stayed where he was and reached for Alex’s hand when she gave another push at Kim’s instruction.
“Let’s get the shoulders out, come on, Alex! Keep pushing.” Alex gave one final push and Jacob made his official appearance as he slid into the doctor’s capable hands.
“How does he look?” Alex gasped.
“Slimy, but cute,” Slater declared while Kim wiped Jacob down quickly and joined Alex’s side when the nurse placed the baby on her chest.
“Oh, Slater,” Alex sobbed, as she smiled at their son. “He’s beautiful.” She soothed Jacob’s loud cries with soft murmurs, ran her fingers over his little face, and straightened one of his little hands from a fist to count the tiny fingers. Her heart swelled with so much love for this little boy and she puffed up with pride at his perfection.
“You did it, baby.” Slater sniffed while he blinked the moisture out of his eyes. The two of them leaned toward Jacob at the same time and kissed him. “He’s perfect. Good job, mommy.” Alex smiled with him through her tears, then inhaled sharply when she started to feel more pressure. “You ok?” Slater asked, while he still grinned at Jacob.
“I hate to interrupt the celebration.” Kim stood up to get their attention. “But, it looks like Zachary isn’t going to give you much time to rest. Are you ready to have another baby?”
“Yeah.” Alex nodded, full of confidence and adrenaline.
“Piece of cake, right?” Slater teased while he helped her sit up and the nurse assisted the doctor with Jacob.
“Yeah, piece of cake. Oh!” She looked at Slater with yearning. “Cake sounds good.”
“I’ll make sure you have plenty of it,” he promised. “Let’s meet Zachary first.”
“Alex.” Kim worked efficiently at the end of the bed and held up a small pair of scissors to Slater. “Do everything you can not to push right now, I’m just about done with Jacob. Slater, do you want to cut the cord?”
“Yeah.” He took on the task with pride and did so quickly as he saw Alex’s discomfort.
“Kim!” Alex gasped. “I need to push... the pressure... it hurts so much.”
“One more second, Alex,” she promised, then passed Jacob off to the nurse and resumed her spot on the stool once more. “Ok, this one is going to be a bit easier since Jacob paved the way. Next contraction, Alex. Let’s meet Zachary.”
It certainly wasn’t easy and she felt every ounce of pain, but Dr. Green was right, Jacob had paved the way for his brother. Ten minutes later, she had given birth to their second son. The room was loud with activity once they met Zachary and Slater cut the second cord. While Kim cleaned Alex up, an additional nurse entered the room with an announcement.
“I have a group of very anxious people out there who want to come in and meet these two babies. Can I let them in?”
Slater held Zachary in his arms and reached for Jacob’s little fist from Alex’s arms. “Only if you can tell me the names of the people in that group so I know it’s not the paparazzi.”
The young nurse smiled between the two parents. “I don’t know all their names, but I do know that Chris James and Mona Davis are with them.”
He looked at Alex for permission, then gave the nurse a subtle nod. “Yes, they can come in.” Slater sat down on the bed next to Alex while she inspected their sons and was suddenly overcome with tears. “Hey, what’s wrong, baby?” Slater asked with concern.
“They look so much alike,” Alex sniffled.
“They’re twins,” he pointed out.
“I can’t tell them apart,” she hiccupped on a sob. “How am I going to be able to tell them apart?”
One of the nurses reassured her. “Eventually, they’ll both take on characteristics you’ll become familiar with, or one of them may have a birthmark.”
“Until then,” Slater promised at Alex’s new paranoia. “We’ll put name tags on their collars.”
“Slater, they’re not dogs,” Alex pouted. She traded sons with him and snuggled Zachary close to her chest.
“I know they’re not. It’s going to be ok. We’ll-”
“Figure it out,” Alex muttered. She placed a kiss on Zachary’s forehead. They turned their focus to the door when everyone came in buzzing with energy.
“Oh, my God!” Mona cried. She rushed to Alex’s side while Slater stood up to show off Jacob. “They’re so little!” She kissed Alex on top of her head and gave her a quick hug. “Gimmee,” she insisted and held out her arms for her nephew. Alex passed the baby to Mona, Slater shook hands with Chris and Ben while they admired Jacob. Annette and Kathleen were oohing and ahhing over Zachary in Mona’s arms. “Oh!” Mona gushed. “I can’t wait to meet our baby. This feels so right having a little one in my arms.”
“Soon,” Alex promised. She hugged Kathleen while Slater passed Jacob to Annette. “When do you find out what you’re having?”
“Kim said we can do the ultrasound tomorrow. Then we’ll know if these two will have a boy to play with or a girl to tease the hell out of.”
“I love that our kids are going to grow up together.” Alex blinked tears out of her eyes, then laughed. “I’m so damn emotional.”
“With good reason.” Mona passed Zachary to an anxiously awaiting Kathleen. “How much do they weigh?”
“We’re going to find out,” the nurse stated. She took Jacob from Annette and put him under a warm light while she began to take his measurements. The group of them laughed at the cuteness of Jacob’s cry when the nurse unwrapped him from his blanket. Chris produced a camera from a bag Mona brought with her and snapped a few pictures.
“Where did you get that?” Slater asked him.
“Snagged it from the photographer as we were leaving, figured you would want pictures.”
“I do.” Slater nodded with thanks. He stood right next to the nurse as she measured his son to make sure everything was ok. He asked endless questions with Chris and Ben at his side. Annette and Kathleen took turns holding Zachary while Mona sat on the bed next to Alex.
Alex reached for Mona’s hand. “You were a rock star tonight, how was it?”
“Yeah,” Slater asked, not taking his eyes off Jacob. “How did it go?”
“All I can say is, wow!” Mona exclaimed, her eyes were animated with joy. “It was exhilarating!”
“The crowd loved her,” Chris confirmed. He walked to Mona’s side and handed her the camera and accepted Zachary from Annette. “We may have to replace you, Slater,” he teased and laughed when Slater flipped him off.
“Someone leaked shitty video of part of it, but I want to see what we got tonight, Ben.”
“Yeah, I’ll get it to you as soon as possible. She did great. The crowd loved her.”
“Thank you for saving the day, Mona,” Slater said sincerely.
“No trouble at all.” Mona took pictures of the babies. “I was nervous at first, but it went well. Alex,” she sighed. “These two are absolutely precious.”
“I happen to think so.” Alex smiled smugly and took Jacob from Slater when it was Zachary’s turn to get measured.
“It’s obvious they got your hair,” Mona stated, as she peeked under the tiny cotton cap on the baby’s head. “Any idea on the eyes yet?”
“It’s too hard to tell yet, but from what I’ve seen I think they’re going to be green, like Slater’s.”
“Nice combination,” Mona approved. “You’ll be beating off the girls with a stick, I don’t doubt that for one second.”
Both boys weighed in at just under five pounds each and got a clean bill of health considering how early they were. Their lungs were strong, as proven by the loud cries they both let out when they were removed from the comfort of their blanket or someone’s arms. Not that they went un-held for long, there were plenty of anxiously awaiting arms present.
The five of them stayed for a lengthy visit. Ben and Annette got comfortable at a table in the corner of the room. They fielded numerous messages from the bombarding media as they awaited confirmation that Alexandra Heart had given birth. “We’re going to need to issue a statement, Alexandra,” Annette informed her. She tried not to bring up business at a time like this, but since it was already being announced that Alex had gone into labor, it was unavoidable.
“Slater?” Ben questioned. He agreed with Annette that a statement should be made.
“You can announce their arrival, but no pictures, not yet.”
Annette glanced at her notes. “People magazine is offering millions for the first pictures.”
“Millions?” Alex asked in shock, not taking her eyes off her son in her arms. She beckoned Slater over with a whisper. “Which one is this?”
“That’s Jacob,” he said with a grin.
“Why can’t I tell them apart?” she asked and teared up again.
“It’s all a little overwhelming, honey. You’ll have them figured out in no time,” he assured her with a kiss.
“No.” Mona shook her head. “I have Jacob, you’re holding Zachary.” She smiled at the little bundle of joy in her arms. Her maternal instincts kicked in as she gently rocked him.
“No,” Slater insisted. “Check his collar.”
“Slater, stop!” Alex playfully smacked him, then looked at the band on the baby’s ankle, and confirmed it was Jacob. “I have Jacob. I think we’re going to have to keep these bands on them for a while.”
“Alex?” Annette questioned. She got her attention once again as Alex passed Jacob to Kathleen. “What do you think of the People photoshoot?”
“I’ve never had a problem with People magazine. Slater and I will discuss it and we’ll get back to you.” She looked around the room, watched Ben and Annette speak quietly together about press releases and photo shoots. Then watched Kathleen and Mona shower her sons with love while Slater and Chris spoke about tonight’s concert. Overcome with emotion, she couldn’t hold back the sobs and hid her face in her hands while the tears gushed forward with no warning.
“Allie.” Slater rubbed her back with concern. “If you want to do People, we will.”
“It’s not that.” She dried her eyes on the bedsheet. “It’s everyone in this room.”
“Oh.” Kathleen tilted her head and smiled at Alex with understanding. “Are we overstaying our welcome? I know it’s a lot right now”
“No.” Alex shook her head, the tears still came hot and fast. “I love you all so much.” She looked at Mona with Zachary. “You mean so much to me. You’re my best friend, my sister.”
“And you’re mine,” Mona concurred. She teared up along with Alex.
“And you.” Alex looked at Annette. “You’ve gone from agent to manager, to friend. You’ve been so amazing for me, from the tampon commercial to the scandal of a lifetime, you’ve always been there for me. And you.” She looked at Chris. “I know what a friend you’ve been to Slater and although you two have beaten the crap out of each other for no reason whatsoever at times when all is said and done, you’re his best friend and I love you for that.” They hung on Alex’s words, not a dry eye was in the room as she continued when she turned to Ben. “Ben,” she breathed. She choked on a sob and unashamedly let the tears flow. “You were the glue that kept us together even when we weren’t together. I don’t know what we would have done without you. And Kathleen.” She blinked to get the tears out of her eyes and cried harder when she saw how emotional Kathleen was. “I’ve come to love you like family and I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for us, and for all the help I know you’re going to bring to us. I don’t know the first thing about parenting, so thank you in advance for all your guidance.” Alex took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her eyes. “You’ve all become such an important part of our lives. Now someone give me one of my sons so I can focus on him!” She blinked back more tears when Mona placed one of her boys in her arms and looked to Slater for clarification. “This is Zachary, right?”
“Yeah, baby.” He kissed her softly. “This is Zachary.”
“Anyway.” Alex expressed her love for everyone in the room once more. “I adore all of you. You all mean so much to me-”
“To us,” Slater interrupted.
“Thank you,” Alex whispered.
“No thanks needed.” Mona took Jacob from Kathleen for a quick cuddle and handed him off to Slater as she stepped back to take a picture of the new family.
Alex took a moment to look at Mona, so pretty as she stood before her. She ran her hand gently over her friend’s tummy and asked, “You’re feeling ok?”
“Yes,” Mona said proudly. “And you were right about those hormones. In fact...” she trailed off and looked at Chris with a knowing grin.
“We should probably get out of your hair,” Chris said, suddenly anxious to be alone with Mona.
Ben looked at his watch and packed up his planner. “It’s late. We need to let you two get some rest. You’re going to need it.”
Mona kissed both babies. She hugged Alex and kissed her on the cheek. “We’ll be here tomorrow to smother your boys with kisses.” She left the camera on the table next to the bed. “Please don’t put any naked pictures of you and Slater on there.”
“You have my word,” Alex promised.
After hugs and kisses were given among the group, and they all said goodbye, Alex sat in her hospital bed. Jacob and Zachary laid on the bed in front of her, cradled by her legs. It was her first moment alone with her sons. She smiled softly as she studied their faces while they slept and reached for their little fists. Her grin grew wider when they both gripped her finger.
“Hi,” she whispered. Her eyes filled with tears, her heart burst with love. “It’s nice to finally meet you.” She reached for their cotton caps and removed them, then ran her hands over their dark hair and looked between them for differences. She was determined to be able to tell her sons apart. She couldn’t be the only mother of twins who had a hard time at first, could she? “Happy birthday, little babies.”
Slater closed the door behind him. He watched Alex speak quietly to their sons, overcome with emotion when he heard her wish them a happy birthday, and began to sing the song softly to them. He joined in as he sat next to her on the bed. “They’re absolutely beautiful, Allie. I love them.”
“Oh, so do I,” Alex whispered. “Ok, Jacob’s eyebrows are slightly straighter than Zachary’s, so far that’s the only difference I can see.”
Slater chuckled as one of them flashed a smile in his sleep. He pointed out another difference. “Looks like Zachary has a little dimple.”
“Oh, look at his smile! He does have a little dimple, how sweet.” She closed her eyes when he told her to. Slater picked up one of the boys and placed him in Alex’s arms, then raised his brows in question when she opened her eyes. “This is Zach,” she said with a confident nod.
He winked at her and switched babies with her. “Yes, it’s Zach. Now it is.”
“Dammit!” She clenched her teeth in frustration. “Why can you tell them apart and I can’t?”
“Probably because I’m not the one who just delivered them. You’re exhausted, baby.” He tucked her hair behind her ear and kissed her on the cheek. “It’ll come to you. We should probably get some sleep. Isn’t that what the owner’s manual recommends? You sleep when they sleep?”
“Owner’s manual?” Alex snorted. “Suddenly you’re a comedian. Yes, it suggests we sleep when they sleep.”
“Tired?” he asked.
“Wired,” she replied.
His eyes shifted toward the door at the subtle knock. “Hungry?”
“Famished,” Alex answered with a smile and wondered what he had up his sleeve. “What did you do?” she asked when a nurse wheeled in a tray with takeout boxes and a bottle of champagne. “Is this what I think it is?”
“Yeah.” Slater thanked the nurse as she stopped the tray by the side of the bed. “Our celebration meal.”
“Cheeseburgers and champagne.” Alex’s voice broke, her eyes filled with tears yet again. “You always think of things like this. You’re so sweet, Slater.”
“Shh.” He put his finger to his lips. “That’s our secret, remember?”
“Right,” she agreed and smiled through her emotion. “But only a small glass of champagne. I still have to be careful with nursing.”
He handed her Jacob and took a moment to use the camera to their advantage and snapped a picture of Alex as she held both boys. He popped the champagne cork and filled a flute for her, then handed her the glass.
Alex looked at him, then at the boys, and back to him as he held out a glass for her, unsure what to do with the babies.
“Set one of them down,” he instructed.
“That doesn’t seem fair.” Alex shook her head. “How can I choose which one goes on the bed and which one stays in my arms? That’s playing favorites, not doing it.”
Seeing her point as a new mother, he indulged her and put one of the flutes down, then took one of the boys from her. “I guess we learn to do everything one-handed now, huh?”
“That’s Jacob.” Alex took the champagne from him and pointed at her son in his arms. She smiled with victory when he nodded.
“Cheers.” Slater tapped his glass to hers. One-handed, he reached for one of the takeout boxes and held up the cheeseburger to offer Alex the first bite.
“Mm,” she murmured with appreciation. “So good.” She was thoughtful for a moment while she watched him, then accepted another bite of the burger from him. “You know...” Alex cleared her throat. “I was telling everyone before how much they mean to me. Slater.” She shook her head when her voice broke. “I can’t put it into words right now. Even ‘I’m home when I’m with you’ doesn’t feel strong enough. I’m so in love with you it hurts sometimes.”
“You don’t have to put it into words, I know.” He took her hand in his and placed a warm kiss on it.
“We’ve had a crazy life, haven’t we? I think we definitely have a happy ending.”
“It’s just the beginning, Allie,” he said softly and leaned in to kiss her.
As Alex shifted to get closer to him and sighed as he kissed her, Zachary let out a wail. His little fist flew out of the blanket and hit Slater on the chin. They laughed together at the interruption. They knew there would be plenty of interruptions like this now for the rest of their lives, and that was ok. Slater settled back with Jacob and smiled proudly at Alex as she soothed their son with murmurs and coos. He leaned over and grabbed Zach’s fist, filled with love when those tiny little fingers wrapped around just one of his.
As Slater leaned forward, his hair fell over his shoulder. Alex lifted her hand, trailed her fingers through his hair, and pushed it away from his face. “Looks like they got my hair.”
“Thank God,” Slater replied. “Growing up, I always wished it was a different color.”
“I love your hair. I always have.”
He grinned at a memory. “You can braid it anytime.”
She remembered the night well. “And you can polish my toenails anytime, even though you suck at it.”
“And we can eat cheeseburgers and drink champagne.”
“Sounds perfect to me,” Alex whispered. “Wow.” She smirked with amusement. “Chris is right, we are disgusting.”
“And we have every reason to be,” Slater said, looking between his sons with pride.
They stayed up late. Later than they should have. Neither one of them wanted to sleep while their babies slept. All they could do was hold them and stare at them and talk with each other quietly through the night. Fatigue eventually won when Alex’s eyes became heavy. Slater insisted she lay down and try to get some rest. He reassured her he would be awake to make sure Jacob and Zachary were ok. He picked up Zachary when he saw him stir. He left a sound asleep Jacob in the double bassinet, and silently came up with an argument about not choosing one boy over the other should Alex open her eyes to see him holding just one. He wouldn’t mind holding both of them, but how was he going to manage that feat all by himself? He cuddled his son close and felt complete when those little fingers wrapped around him and watched Alex as she slept. They had come a long, long way in the last ten years. He knew with the boys’ arrival it was just the beginning of this phase of their lives. But it wasn’t the beginning of the tour. It was closing in on the end. He knew how badly he wanted Alex with him during her pregnancy. Now that their sons were here, he couldn’t fathom being able to let them all go home without him. Would he be able to convince her to stick it out for the duration? Maybe Kathleen could stay too? If she refused, would he be able to convince Ben to reschedule, or just plain cancel concerts? There was so much to think about and so much to iron out. Like everything else in their lives, he was certain they would figure it out. Until then, he was going to enjoy this quiet moment with his sons while his wife slept. And while the world speculated about them. He shook his head in wonder as he thought about the media frenzy this was going to bring. He considered the possibilities of how they wanted to introduce their sons to the world, or even if they wanted to introduce them at all. It was none of anyone’s damn business but theirs, as far as he was concerned.
A soft mewling sound coming from the bassinet interrupted his reverie. Slater stood up quickly and put Zachary down. He picked up Jacob to stop his cries, which ceased immediately once he was safely in his father’s arms. Slater considered the situation when Zachary protested loudly to be put down.
“Shit,” he whispered. He looked at the bed to make sure Alex was still asleep while both of his sons demanded his attention. “Ok, I’ve got this.” Thinking quickly, he placed Jacob into the cradle next to Zachary and settled them close together. With one swift movement, he scooped them both up into his arms and held them close to his chest as he walked to his chair. Once seated, he settled Zachary in one arm, leaned back ever-so-slightly to keep Jacob balanced on his chest, curled his left arm over Jacob’s body, and tilted to the left as his son slid into place. “See, Allie?” he whispered, he felt very pleased with himself. “Piece of cake. Oh shit,” he said. “I forgot to get your mom cake. We’ll make sure she has it tomorrow,” he decided with a nod. He knew that if Alex stayed with him for the rest of the tour, he could be an extra set of arms for her to help along with Kathleen, so it was a no-brainer that she could stay. “We can do this, right guys?” he asked his boys, rocking gently back and forth. “You just have to help me convince your mommy.”