“Unwell Twewor.” She gave me a slobbery kiss, which I gladly accepted.
“Hey there, sweet little Liberty. I missed you. You have a new baby cousin, Aurora.”
Liberty’s eyes widened.
“Dude, Sleeping Beauty. She thinks that’s who you’re talking about.”
I laughed and kissed her on the cheek.
“Anyway, back to the adoption,” I said.
“August 3 is the big day. It’s a couple in their late twenties. Both are lawyers, good friends who happened to get drunk and got a little carried away. She’s taking a leave of absence once she starts showing, and she’s actually coming to stay here in the main guest house until she has the baby. It was all in the agreement with the adoption. We’re pretty excited. Found out she’s having a boy, so that will make one of each.”
“We’re going to be overrun with females soon,” my father said from behind me.
“Gandpa!” Liberty screamed out, pushing off of me to get to my father.
He took her and spun her around, making her laugh.
“Glad to see I’m still her favorite.”
“Dad, you’re all the kids’ favorite,” I replied.
He beamed. “You are all going to make me go broke if you keep popping out these kids. Your mother spoils each of them and y’all don’t say a damn thing.”
“Damn!” Liberty repeated as we all stilled.
“Waylynn is going to freak!” Jonathon said, quickly looking around for my oldest sister. “Where is she? Y’all are my witness, it was your dad who taught her that. Not me!”
Cord shook his head at his best friend. “Dude, what happened to you? You are the definition of pussy-whipped.”
Jonathon went to say something to Cord, when Maebh called, “Cord! I need you to help me with something!”
I watched as Cord looked at me, smiled and said, “Welcome home!”
“Thanks, and congratulations on the wedding.”
He grinned from ear to ear. “Thanks!”
“Cord?” Maebh called again, making my brother run off to see what his wife needed.
Jonathon scoffed and mumbled, “And he says I’m pussy-whipped.”
My mother stood at the end of the aisle where Preacher Scott was standing. “Everyone! Come on and get in your seats! It’s time! It’s time!”
Maebh walked up to me, her eyes filled with tears.
“She was totally taken by surprise. Well done.”
I kissed my sister-in-law on the cheek. “Thank you for helping Mom do this, and congratulations on the wedding. Y’all didn’t have to do that.”
“I know, but it all actually turned out brilliant. Now come on, your future bride is waiting, and you have a baby who is on a schedule.”
Following Maebh down the aisle, I made my way to the end and shook Preacher Scott’s hand.
“Let’s try this once more, shall we?” he said with a smile and a wink.
This time, I stood up there alone. Everyone else was sitting in chairs that were covered in soft pink. It was the same color Scarlett had picked out for the original wedding. The lights from the trees gave off the perfect amount of light as the sun rose higher in the sky behind us.
The same violinist from our first wedding was here, too. I wasn’t sure what my mother had to do to get her to come back to Oak Springs from Dallas, but I was glad she managed it.
The music started, and Scarlett made her way down the aisle. She was a vision in white. She hardly had any make-up on and was in a simple white sundress with the diamond earrings that had belonged to my grandmother.
Her eyes were focused on mine, until Chloe stepped in front of her with a completely tricked out Patches. The damn goat was covered in flowers. Scarlett’s eyes nearly popped out of her head as chuckles came from nearly everyone.
“Patches?” Scarlett gasped, quickly looking at me.
“Doesn’t he look beautiful, Aunt Scarlett?” Chloe asked, totally channeling that inner Parker woman guilt she already had down.
Scarlett’s shocked gaze went from Chloe to me. I shrugged and started laughing. Soon Scarlett was laughing.
“Chloe, he looks amazing,” Scarlett replied.
Chloe prompted Patches to start down the aisle, and I swore that damn goat looked like he was smiling. At one point, he seemed to stop and pose for the photographer. Scarlett followed Chloe and Patches, and I couldn’t help but notice she kept a good amount of distance between her and the goat.
I didn’t want to think about the last time she’d walked down the aisle toward me. Or the six weeks we’d spent away from the ranch, not once leaving our rented condo. I didn’t know what I would have done if it hadn’t been for our families. It was either my folks or Scarlett’s who would came and stay with us, or it was one of my brothers or sisters bringing up more clothes, and food and essentials needed at the condo.
Most days and nights we were at the hospital, but every single time we went to the condo, fresh food or premade meals were waiting. Clean clothes to replace the ones we stripped off on our way to take a ten-minute shower. These people were a silent force behind the scenes, helping us more than they would ever know. I knew it was hard for them to take turns getting to see Aurora, and it was even harder for them to leave us behind when they returned to their normal lives, but I also knew they and everyone in Oak Springs were praying for our little girl.
Scarlett stopped in front of me and blew out a breath. “They say three times is a charm.”
I laughed. “Well, let’s not find out, this is only our second attempt. By the way, you take my breath away you’re so beautiful.”
Her eyes moved over my face before they landed on my lips and she bit down into hers. “And you are as handsome as ever.”
“I have a bit of Liberty slobber on my cheek in case you were wondering.”
Scarlett giggled. Pastor Scott cleared his throat and she turned to face him.
As Pastor Scott talked, I couldn’t help but notice Patches moving closer and closer to Scarlett.
Leaning over, I whispered, “He’s eyeing your bouquet.”
Scarlett frowned and glanced between me and Pastor Scott, which made him pause.
“Not you, Pastor. The goat.”
“The goat?”
I nodded.
“Shall I go on?” he asked, peeking over to Patches who was now playing innocent. I leaned back and looked at him.
“I’m watching you!” I whispered. Patches replied with a loud scream.
Scarlett started to laugh until Pastor Scott shot her a firm look.
“As I was saying…”
Then it happened.
The goat went for Scarlett’s bouquet.
He snatched it from her hand so fast that Scarlett didn’t seem to know it was gone for a few seconds.
Patches took off running down the aisle. I watched as Steed dove for him—thankfully he had handed Gage to Paxton. Then Mitchell went after the goat. Then Wade, who had given Amelia the baby. Patches had maneuvers a pro football player would die for.
Chloe sighed and shook her head, calmly walking toward her crazy goat.
“Here we go again. I told him to behave.”
Scarlett and I busted out laughing.
“What is happening?!” Pastor Scott cried out.
“Patches is what is happening! Steed Parker, you better get that bouquet or I’m going to put that damn goat down myself!” Waylynn cried out, joining in on the chase.
Gage called out, “Wun Patches! Wun!”
The goat stopped and looked straight down the aisle.
“Oh. No,” Scarlett and I said at the same time.
“Run! Save yourselves, he’s coming for the roses!” I yelled out.
And, boy howdy, did Patches make the best effort he could to get those roses on the trellis behind the pastor. But he came to a halt. Turned, eyed the diaper bag sitting next to Harley and quickly grabbed it and took off running.
Now Tripp was on the chase.
; Turning back to Pastor Scott, I grinned. “You should just keep going, maybe cut the things that aren’t important.”
He nodded. “Right. Let’s do this again.”
As the pastor quickly had us say our vows and exchange rings, he told me to kiss the bride. Before I did, Scarlett grinned. “Told you three times was a charm.”
“Yes, you did, Mrs. Parker.”
Seven months later—Christmas Day
Nine kids.
That was how many were lined up on the floor in front of the Christmas tree. Aurora was nine months old and sitting in-between Chloe and Merit. The three of them were thick as thieves. Next to Merit were Rose, Max, Gage, John, and baby Hudson, Waylynn and Jonathon’s little boy who was born in early August. Next to Hudson was the youngest Parker baby, Shep. Mitchell and Corina delivered a healthy baby boy on September 12. Shep may have come into this world a little late, but he made up for it by being what everyone in the family declared the perfect baby. I didn’t think I had heard him cry yet.
Melanie and John were both lying on the floor, attempting to get the perfect picture of their grandchildren.
“Mom, you’d better hurry. Look at all those hungry eyes scanning the presents.”
“Oh, hush. Look at all my little angels. They’re all so perfect!”
“Mom, you need to hurry. Someone pooped,” Waylynn said, waving her hand in front of her face.
“Oh God, I smell it, too!” Mitchell said, making a gagging sound.
John chuckled and picked up Shep out of his carrier. “Glad you smelled it because it’s your son.”
Mitchell took Shep and kissed him on the cheek as he grabbed the diaper bag.
“That’s my boy, stinking up the whole family room on Christmas morning. Just like your Uncle Cord.”
Cord cried out and threw a pillow at Mitchell. “It was one time, Mitchell! One time! And I was sick!”
“Watch the baby, Cord Parker!” Melanie stated, pointing her finger at Cord.
I snuggled into Trevor’s side, taking everything in. We’d spent our Christmas together earlier this morning with Aurora sleeping next to us. My favorite moment was when Trevor opened the picture frame that held a collage of photos of him and Aurora in the NICU. One of his hand and her clutching his finger. One of her sleeping on his chest. One of Trevor smiling as he put her first outfit on. And the last was Trevor putting her into her car seat, her NICU Journey beads sitting around her little neck. When he finally stopped staring at the picture, he looked at me and gave me the most beautiful smile I’d ever seen. I didn’t want the moment to end. Now I wasn’t wanting this moment to end.
Chloe was holding Aurora on her lap, explaining the process of how to open a present. Aurora glanced between Chloe and the plethora of presents under the tree and all the blinking lights, her eyes wide with excitement.
“Scarlett, I wish your folks were here to enjoy this first Christmas with us,” Melanie said as she took Hudson out of his carrier and brought him to Waylynn. “Here, sweetheart, we don’t want him getting trampled when the all-clear is given.”
Waylynn beamed as she took her four-month-old son. Jonathon leaned over and gave the baby kisses all over his face, making him laugh.
With a soft sigh, I gave Melanie a half-smile. I’d finally cornered my father and asked him if he and mom were getting a divorce. Something had been strained between the two of them. When he confessed to not being my birth father, I thought it was odd I wasn’t upset, or at least surprised. Instead, so many things made sense to me in that moment. “Yeah, I wish they were here too, but they’ve been wanting to go on a cruise for a while now.”
Melanie gave me a sympathetic grin. My parents were not as close to Aurora as Melanie and John. In part, it was because Trevor and I lived on the ranch, and his folks saw her so much more. They’d helped so much after we brought Aurora home and bonded with her faster than anyone besides me and Trevor. Maebh had also bonded with Aurora almost from the day we brought her home. She and Cord were actually talking about buying land down from the ranch and building a house. I was secretly hoping they would and had let it slip to Melanie, who made sure to bring it up at least once an hour while in Cord and Maebh’s presence.
“I’m going to grab Aurora,” Trevor said, standing and walking to our daughter. When she saw her daddy, she lit up like she was a Christmas tree, too. She loved him and had that cowboy wrapped around her little finger. Her favorite thing to do was ride up on Daddy’s horse each night. At first, it scared me, but I knew Trevor would never let anything happen to our little angel.
Chloe groaned in protest when Trevor took Aurora.
“She’s still too little for the free for all, Chloe.”
With a pout, Chloe nodded. “Grammy? Will you be Santa for the babies?”
“Of course, I will!”
Harley had grabbed Rose and Tripp had Max. Corina had already snagged baby Shep from Mitchell and was sitting next to Mitchell on the love seat, rocking him while he continued to sleep through the craziness.
“Merit, do you need help, sweetheart?” Mitchell asked.
“No, Daddy! I’m a big gwurl!”
Mitchell smiled and replied, “Yes, you are, princess.”
“Now listen up, little ones. No pushing, no shoving, and we take our time. What’s the number-one rule, Chloe?”
“No Patches in the house on Christmas morning.”
Everyone laughed.
“Yes, but what’s the other rule?”
Chloe looked up. “No kissing Rip anymore on the playground.”
“What!” Steed said, jumping up, only to have Paxton pull him back down.
“I was going to talk to you about that,” Paxton said, chewing on her lip.
Steed stared at his wife. “When?”
Paxton shrugged. “When I absolutely had to.”
I covered my mouth to keep from laughing too loudly.
Melanie did the same, then cleared her throat. “Chloe, what are the rules for opening a present?”
“Oh! After each present, you thank the person who gave it to you. Even Santa.”
Pointing to her granddaughter, Melanie chuckled. “That was the rule I was looking for.”
John walked up to Chloe and kissed her on the forehead. “I also second that other rule about Rip, by the way.”
Chloe giggled, and Trevor moaned next to me.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“That’s going to be our daughter in a few years.”
I chuckled. “I don’t think we have to worry about boys for a good while.”
“Max! You cannot pull the tree down, buddy!” Tripp said, jumping up and grabbing his son.
Rose laughed and clapped, almost as if she was cheering her brother on.
“I have a feeling those two are going to give you some stories,” I said to Harley.
She let out an exasperated sigh. “You’re telling me. I swear they sit up at night in their cribs and come up with things. Under one or not, these two are planners. It’s like their brains are connected, I swear.”
“Y’all thinking about more?” Trevor asked as Aurora snuggled into her daddy’s chest and started closing her eyes. She wasn’t the only one who felt safe in her daddy’s arms.
Tripp scoffed. “More? God, no. No more.”
I lifted a brow and looked at Harley.
“I’m with my husband. No more. These two are plenty. What about y’all?”
Trevor reached for my hand and squeezed it. My fears after we had Aurora had been strong, but as the months went on I got over them. Trevor and I had talked about another baby. In the end, we both decided for right now, we were happy with just the three of us. We would for sure try for another one, just maybe in another year.
“I think we want one more. Maybe in about a year or so.”
“Smart!” Harley, Waylynn, and Corina said all at once.
Glancing over to Maebh, I smiled when I saw her against Cord, sound asleep. It was only eleven in the morn
ing, but she was passed out.
“Maebh feeling okay, Cord?” I asked.
His face turned bright red, and he couldn’t look me in the eyes. When he finally managed to look my way, I gasped, making everyone else turn and look at me.
“Oh. My. Goodness,” I whispered.
“What’s wrong?” Amelia asked, walking into the room with John sitting on her hip.
Cord pushed at Maebh, making her suddenly wake up.
“What! What’s wrong! Did me da call?”
“No, but I think our little secret is fixin’ to come out,” Cord said as he pointed at me.
“What secret?” Amelia asked, sitting on the floor next to Wade.
“Are we ready to open gifts?” Melanie called out, and half of the kids yelled out yes.
I stared at Maebh, who looked at Cord, then me, then back to Cord. “You eejit! You told her I was pregnant?”
Melanie spun on her heels and yelled. “Wait! No opening of presents!”
Chloe groaned.
Cord closed his eyes and shook his head. “I didn’t tell anyone anything.”
Melanie walked over to Cord and Maebh, dropped onto the sofa next to them and stared at Maebh.
“Mom, what are you doing? That’s creepy,” Cord stated.
Maebh’s eyes filled with tears, and she gave Melanie a smile that told the whole room that she and Cord were expecting.
Mitchell jumped up. “Holy shit! You’re gonna be a Papa Smurf!”
Everyone in the room looked at Chloe and shouted, “No, Chloe!”
She held up her hands and said, “I wasn’t going to say hell, shit, or fuck!”
Steed groaned while Paxton reprimanded Chloe.
“Chloe Parker!”
Covering her mouth, Chloe giggled. “Sorry!”
The attention returned to Maebh and Cord.
“So, are you going to be a Papa Smurf?” Trevor asked.
Looking at each other with so much love you could feel it pouring off of them, Cord and Maebh smiled for the longest time before Cord looked at the rest of the family.
“Maebh and I are going to have a baby in about seven months.”
Cheers erupted around the room, making Aurora jump from her peaceful nap and causing Shep to cry for what I swore was the first time ever.
Reckless Love Page 28