Modern Arrangements: Complete Trilogy (Modern Arrangements #1-3)

by Sadie Grubor

  I turned my scowl on Lilli when I heard her laughing hard. She quickly pulled her lips into her mouth. Too bad her body was still shaking with laughter.

  "You two, take it out of here." I ordered, Viola and Liam laughed at my reaction.

  As we were walking Viola and Liam to the door, James and Elora appeared, James holding Jimmy in his arms. We said our goodbyes, kissed and hugged before closing the door as the last of our guests left, including Celia and Dixon.

  "Well, that was…entertaining." Lilli smirked.

  "I’ll entertain you if you require entertaining, Mrs. Iverson." I raised one eye brow at her suggestively.

  "Don’t you ever get enough?" She feigned annoyance and giggled as she headed up the stairs.

  "Of you? Never!” I exclaimed, quickly following her up the steps.

  I had plans for her once we got to the bedroom.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Lilli

  Aidan had become insatiable in the bedroom. He claimed that he always felt that way about me, but somehow I think that he was turned on by pregnancy. If he thought that I was going to be pregnant all the time, he was fucking crazy. This was it. Four children were enough for me.

  Monday morning, following the dinner, I started to not feel well. Aidan was just climbing out of the shower and I could hear him as he entered the bedroom. I tried to sit up, but there was a pain that jolted from my hip to my shoulder. At first, I thought my sciatic nerve was just acting up. I quickly realized that this was different when I felt wetness gushing between my legs.

  "Aidan…" I started but then groaned from the sharp pains that were stretching up my back to my shoulders.

  "What’s wrong?"

  "It’s time." I croaked out and his eyes shifted to my stomach.

  He grabbed his cell phone and I could barely make out the words car, hospital, now, won’t, and schedule over the moans that I was releasing from the pain.

  Kimberly appeared in front of me and pulled my now wet nightshirt off of my body, replacing it with a dress.

  "Can you stand?" She put her arms out for me and I stood on wobbling legs. A pain hit and caused me to slouch down to the bed again. "Aidan, you need to get going."

  I gasped to catch my breath from the contraction.

  "These…aren’t like." another pain hit fiercely. "Fuck!" I groaned out. "These aren’t like with the twins." I spit out quickly before another pain hit.

  Aidan had his arms underneath me and carried me to the door. Kimberly was behind us with my hospital bags, yelling out to us that everything would be fine here with the kids.

  Once we were in the car, the driver sped off and Aidan was rubbing my back as another contraction took over my senses.

  "We’ll be there soon, baby." He pushed some stray hairs out of my face.

  "Oh God this hurts." I cried out and Aidan held me tighter. I pushed him back. "I can’t breathe!" I growled. He looked slightly shocked and amused at the same time. I couldn’t help it, I was miserable.

  We arrived to the hospital and two nurses rushed us up to the maternity floor and settled me into my room. I was pacing around the room, groaning and whining with each pain that surged through my back.

  The doctor came in with a large smile. "Good, you are up and walking around."

  "I’m dying." I groaned at him as he chuckled.

  "Oh, come on. We’ve done this before." He smiled at me.

  "Yeah, but it didn’t feel like this the last time." I whined.

  "All babies are different. Tell me about the pain you are feeling?"

  I told him that it felt like all of the pain was wrapping around my stomach and stretching up my back to my shoulders.

  "Ahh, you are experiencing back labor." He nodded. "It’s a common sensation…"

  "Sensation!" I exclaimed. "This feels like something is trying to rip my spine in half!" I panted and took a large breath as another pain caused me to curl up on myself and brace my weight against the wall. Aidan quickly held my sides, gently rubbing my back, as I began to straighten back out.

  "I’m so sorry, baby." He whispered to me.

  "You should be." I snapped. "Oh dear God, get it out of me!" I paced around the room.

  "We need to check you, Lilli." The doctor informed as he patted the hospital bed.

  I cringed at the thought of him sticking anything up my hoo-haw at this particular moment.

  Lying on the bed, he pushed my knees apart and then the painful pressure filled me. I groaned and shifted uncomfortably.

  He pulled back and pushed the nurse call button on the bed.

  "Well, it looks as if your wish may be granted. You are dilated to ten already." He smiled down at me and then turned his attention to the nurse as they prepared to deliver the baby.

  Aidan kissed the top of my head and held my hand. "We’re almost there."

  "Great, now I can’t get the freaking drugs!" I felt him chuckle at my panted comment.

  Another pain came and I started panting and breathing heavy.

  "Okay, Lilli, with your next contraction, I want you to push." He looked up at me and I nodded, eager to get it out. "Here we go."

  I tightened my grip on Aidan’s hand and started pushing down. "Good job." the doctor praised.

  "You are doing so well." Aidan cheered. "Here comes another one, push, Lilli, push!"

  I pushed down again but the pain that surged through my back caused me to stop in the middle.

  "Lilli?" The doctor looked up at me quickly.

  "It hurts! My back…" I cried.

  "Can’t you give her something?" Aidan pleaded.

  "Lilli, look at me." I forced my eyes open and looked directly into the doctor’s face. "I need you to push and push hard, it’s too late for anesthesia. You need to push hard. Ready?" I nodded, though I was still unsure. "Okay, here we go."

  "Come on, Lilli, you can do this. You are the strongest woman I have ever met." Aidan was praising me on my left and the doctor was working between my legs.

  With a large guttural scream, I threw my head back. I felt the pressure start to ease and panted heavily. Then we heard it, a cry. I was wheezing heavily as I looked down. He laid the baby on my stomach.

  "Congratulations, it’s a girl." The doctor smiled and I felt Aidan’s lips on my head over and over.

  A tear slid down my cheek, but it wasn’t mine. I turned my head and saw the free flowing tears of Aidan. His lips smashed to mine, a mixture of salt and Aidan on my mouth. He pulled back and wiped my forehead.

  "Good job, baby." He smiled wide-eyed and then turned his green eyes on his new daughter.

  I slept for hours after I had given birth. Back labor was a bitch and it had completely exhausted me. When I woke up, I saw Aidan sitting in the recliner with Alesandra in his arms. He was running his finger over her chubby, pink cheeks and whispering to her,

  "Hey." I whispered and his head snapped to me. A large smile spread on his face.

  "She’s gorgeous, Lilli." I could hear the pride in his voice. "Look at all her hair." He looked back down on her adoringly.

  He was right, she had almost a full head of dark, brown hair on her tiny, round head. Her skin was as pink as Livy’s had been when she was born, but she didn’t have one trace of red hair.

  "She’s going to look like you." He beamed at me.

  "You never know…" I trailed off as he placed her in my arms.

  "No, I can feel it when I look at her. She’s going to be you through and through. I’m gonna have to protect her from tons of boys." He laughed.

  "Well, now you have Livy and Alesandra to go all ‘protective father’ on." I smiled down at the new baby in my arms.

  "Nah, Walsh has my back on Livy. He’ll kill anyone that comes near her. But, Ales, here, I will have to pay extra attention to, especially when she ends up looking just like you." He kissed the side of my head.

  I was laughing quietly when the first of many hospital visitors and gifts started to arrive. Phoebe and Celia burst into the room argu
ing over who would hold her first. Dixon beat them all to punch, smirking at them as they pouted.

  Liam and Viola arrived with Maggie and Abby. Sarah called me after I had Aidan send her a picture mail. He also sent one to Donald, but I hadn’t heard anything from him yet. As evening approached and I didn’t hear from him, I started to worry. Aidan kept telling me that everything was fine, trying to reassure me.

  "How do you know?" I argued as Anne and Henry entered the room with Elora and James.

  We had as full of a room as when the twins were born, but I went back to worrying about my dad.

  "Aidan, did you call him?" He nodded. "Call Millie." I ordered.

  "Why are you going to call Millie?" My head snapped up to see my dad standing in the doorway with a smug look on his face.

  "Oh, my! When…how?" I turned to Aidan. "Did you do this?" I yelled at him as he grinned.

  "I called him this morning and he said he wanted to come out to see the new baby, so I sent the jet." He shrugged but I could see the slight smugness that revealed how proud he was of himself.

  My dad came over and hugged me tenderly. Quickly, Maggie brought the baby to my dad. He nervously took her in his arms and smiled.

  "She looks just like you when you were a baby."

  "Told you." Aidan whispered and I elbowed him in the arm. "Ow!" He laughed.

  My dad looked up and chuckled at us.

  "She really does, Lilli. You had the same hair and chubby cheeks. Didn’t your mother think so?"

  "She called to congratulate us, but she didn’t say. It was a picture mail, so it’s not the best quality." I shrugged, though I knew that my mother was a little different. It didn’t matter.

  "What’s her name?" My dad asked.

  "Alesandra Sarah Iverson." Aidan answered and I looked up at him. He winked. We had chosen Alesandra, but the Sarah was new. I smiled at him and hugged his arm as I put my head on his shoulder.

  The next surprise for the evening was when Kimberly and Rachel arrived with Walsh, Livy and Cole. I was so excited and happy to see them. Aidan was holding Ales when they arrived, so I quickly hugged each of them as Kimberly put them on the bed with me. Walsh was on my right, Livy on my left, and Cole was on my lap. Aidan sat down and held Ales out for them to see.

  Livy looked the closest and then smiled.

  "Baby." She giggled.

  "Remember mommy’s tummy?" Aidan asked her and I patted my less round stomach. Livy turned and looked at my stomach and then back to the baby. "Ales came out of mommy’s tummy."

  Livy giggled and rubbed the baby’s head easily.

  "She so little." She whispered out.

  Cole leaned forward a little, but wouldn’t touch her.

  "Can you give your baby sister kisses?" Aidan asked.

  Livy kissed her cheek. Cole surprisingly kissed her head. Walsh furrowed his brow.

  "Baby sister?" He looked up at Aidan curiously. Aidan nodded. "Give the baby to mommy." Aidan looked at Walsh with surprise and then handed her to me.

  Liv and Cole were touching her head softly, but Walsh took ‘his’ place on Aidan’s lap. I laughed.

  "Someone is a little jealous." I smiled.

  Aidan nodded and sighed. "I guess so."

  "Walsh, aren’t you excited to have a new sister?" He shook his head and I laughed. "Don’t you want to take her back to our house?" He shook his head. "Well, then, what are we supposed to do with her?" I bit my lips together to stop from laughing.

  "Take her back." He crossed his little arms over his chest and grumbled.

  Aidan wrapped his arms around his mini me and chuckled at his eldest son’s reaction to having a baby sister. I smiled at him.

  "Walsh, we can’t give her back. She’s coming home with us. This is your little sister. I need your help with her, to take care of her and protect her."

  He raised one eyebrow at me. Then he huffed.

  "Fine, but I not kissing her." I laughed freely and so did Aidan as he held him tight in his arms.

  The next day Aidan arrived with Walsh, Livy and Cole to take Alesandra and me home from the hospital. I was highly impressed to see Aidan take care of all three kids during the trip, they were a handful. When the car pulled up to the house, Aidan helped me out of the car with Alesandra. He helped Cole walk into the house while Livy was at my side ‘helping’ me carry Ales inside. Walsh wanted to carry my bag into the house, but he ended up dragging the bag to the door.

  We headed up to the nursery so Aidan could get the bassinet out of the storage closet and put it in our room for Ales. Once we were inside, I lay Ales in Cole’s crib.

  "Mommy?" I turned to see Walsh pulling on my shirt.

  I knelt down to him. "What’s up little man?"

  "Where is the baby going to sleep?" He furrowed his eyebrows at me.

  "You want her to sleep in here?"

  "No, not in my room!" He protested.

  "That’s not very nice." I stated to Walsh.

  "Fine! She can sleep in here, but she’s not playing with my toys!" He huffed and walked over to his toddler bed, sitting down roughly.

  I took a deep breath and exhaled as Aidan came into the room with the bassinet. My face must have said everything.

  "What’s wrong?"

  I shook my head.

  "Lilli?"

  I picked up Ales and walked to our room. Aidan followed, closing the baby gate behind him, and then setting up the bassinet next to my side of the bed.

  "Walsh is really having a hard time with Ales. I think that maybe you should do something with him, have some one on one time. And, perhaps, I’ll take him out as well, just one on one."

  Aidan nodded. "That sounds like a good idea but, honestly, I think he’s just a little jealous. Deep down, he loves her." He kissed the top of my head and the kissed the top of Ales, before turning back to the bassinet and making sure that it was secure.

  Three days later, Aidan arranged a ‘boy’s day out’, taking Walsh and Cole to a place called ‘Fun Unleashed’. The place had indoor slides, tunnels, ball pits, video games, and other things for young kids. He had completely worn them out by the time they had gotten home. Both of them passed out on the way home and wouldn’t even wake for a bath. We ended up putting them to bed after stripping their dirty clothes from them.

  The following week I decided to take Walsh out by himself. Walsh loved dinosaurs, so I was going to take him to the museum to see the dinosaurs. He must have been too used to me having Alesandra all the time because panic filled his face as we got our coats on.

  "Mommy?" I could hear the slight worry.

  "What’s up?" I started to zip up his jacket.

  "Where’s Ales?"

  "She’s staying here?"

  "By herself?" He said a little loudly.

  "Honey, Kimberly and daddy are here." I tried to calm him.

  "You can’t just leave her all alone, Mommy!" He stormed toward the stairs, starting to climb them.

  "Walsh." I yelled, following after him. He turned around. "Honey, she won’t be alone. Kimberly is going to take care of her while we go on our little trip."

  "Um…" He paused. "Can we take her with us, just to be safe?"

  A smile spread across my face.

  "Of course." Taking his hand, we got Ales ready.

  Aidan grinned watching his son finally walk out the door, Ales joining us on our day out.

  Chapter Twelve

  Ten Years Later

  Aidan

  Today marked fifteen years my son and daughter had been alive. The awe of it was still so amazing. Even more amazing was the story of how everything came to be. My grandfather’s death and the conditions of his last will and testament set forth an arrangement with a woman I barely knew, but had been immediately intrigued. That woman became the love of my life. Being married for almost sixteen years, she still has the same effect on me as when I first met her.

  Our lives were filled with so much happiness. Walsh and Olivia celebrating their fifteenth bi
rthday, the house is currently filled with family and friends. As I look at each family member here, I remember every crazy moment since Alesandra had been born.

  Elora and James welcomed little Anne into the world almost six months after Ales was born. Three years later, Karah followed. Two years after, Henry was born. Finally, little Eliza, who was just a year old, arrived. Elora put her foot down, immediately scheduling James for a vasectomy.

  James had the vasectomy roughly four months ago. The panic of surgery day was something I liked to make fun of. Dixon’s jokes about having been neutered were icing on the cake.

  Celia and Dixon had gone through a lot. Dixon became the head RN at the hospital. And, after Celia gave birth to their second daughter, she decided to open her own import car garage. It didn’t take long for the garage to do well and they soon invested in a larger home when Celia found out she was pregnant number three.

  Pulling up to Celia’s garage and seeing an eight month pregnant women in grease covered overalls under a car, was something else. She always had a pony tail and usually a ball cap. Her business was slow to start which I assumed was because she was a woman, but after a few clients and some word of mouth, especially from my family, given our obsession for foreign cars, she was doing quite well.

  Celia gave birth to Emily just two months after Elora had Anne. Two years later, Bailey arrived, and then one year after that came Coraline. The most recent addition was four year old Mary. I remember being at the hospital to visit Celia the day she had Mary.

  Lilli and I walked in to see Emily, Bailey and Cora sitting around Celia and Dixon on the hospital bed. Mary was cradled in Celia’s arms.

  "Well, Dixon, it seems like your lifelong dream finally came true?" Lilli smiled innocently as she leaned over Bailey to see baby Mary.

  "And what is that?" He raised a brow.

  "To be surrounded by beautiful women, of course." She smirked.

  He bellowed with laughter. I noticed not one of his girls flinched at his loudness, each of them used to it.

  "True, very true." He nodded.

  Dixon often got asked if they were going to try for a boy, in answer he would look at these people as if they were crazy. One day, when we took the kids out to the park, he was asked about trying for a boy by an old college friend we ran into.