Chapter 13

CHAPTER

THIRTEEN

Lena

"Lena!" Stanley calls. The front door slams behind him. I can tell from the sound of his voice that it's excitement, not fear. I'm just glad the boys aren't napping because, between his loud voice and the slamming of the door, they would have definitely been woken up by the noise.

"Yes, dear?" I ask sweetly as he steps into the kitchen where I'm icing cupcakes.

He stalks around the island and wraps his arms around me, kissing me soundly. "Hi."

Laughter bubbles up in my chest. "Hi."

"Guess what?"

"We won the lottery?"

"No, but close."

"Really?" I eye him skeptically.

"I found it."

"Found what? Are you feeling okay?" I tease, bumping my hip into his.

"I'm about to make you feel more than okay." He leans down to my level and nips at my ear, causing shivers to race down my spine. All these years later and this man still makes me feel as though I'm a teenage girl getting my first kiss.

"The boys are playing in the living room," I warn.

"I love them, but they're cock blocks," he grumbles.

"Stop." I laugh. "So, what did we win?"

"Well, it's more like luck."

"And that luck would be?" I wipe my index finger over the spatula for the rest of the icing and bring it to his lips. He opens and sucks my finger into his mouth. His eyes are heated, and my panties are ruined. I have no one to blame but myself.

"Well, you know how we've been talking about a bigger house?"

"I do."

"And getting out in the country where the boys can run and play freely with lots of land?"

"We did talk about that," I agree.

"I found it. It's perfect. It's more land than we could ever need to grow and expand, and I can see the boys growing up there, playing outside, just being kids playing in the dirt."

"It sounds like it's everything we've been looking for."

"It is. I was thinking we could pack up the boys and do a drive-by. Maybe we can take them for pizza or something after."

"I'm in. Just let me clean up here and put these cupcakes away."

"I'll go get the boys ready and make sure they're all packed up."

"Thanks, babe." I lean up on my tiptoes, kiss the corner of his mouth, and step away before he can push things further. That will have to wait until we're back home and the boys are in bed.

"Wow." We're standing at the edge of the small gravel path. It's not big enough to be considered a driveway, but the land is gorgeous. It's vast, over one hundred acres. My mind is already racing with the house plans, and Stanley was right: I can see our boys here running and playing and getting into mischief as brothers and little boys do.

It's perfect.

"It's an oasis," Stanley says, rubbing Grant's back. He fell asleep on the way here. All three boys did. They can't resist a car ride. Grant was fussy, even though we left the windows down. He wasn't fully awake, so when Stanley gathered him from his car seat and rubbed his back, he fell right back to sleep.

I should probably wake them up. Our nighttime schedule is in jeopardy, but that's okay. Everything doesn't have to be perfect all the time. Besides, it's nice that Stanley and I can talk about the land without having to look after the boys, making sure they're not getting into anything they're not supposed to. This isn't our property, after all. Not yet, anyway.

"It's so beautiful and peaceful."

"Can you see us living here? Raising our boys here?"

"Yes." There is no hesitation.

"I'm over people walking past the house and stopping me when I'm in the front yard with the boys, asking me to invest in their small business. I get it, but when I'm with my family, that's my time. I don't live for the business, you know?"

"I know. This place is definitely more secluded."

"When I'm home, we could have family time. True family time. I could build the boys a treehouse and… so many things, Lena. Baby, I think we should buy it."

"Okay."

He turns to look at me, his hand resting on Grant's back. He's sleeping soundly in his daddy's arms. I'll never tire of seeing this man be a father to our boys. "That easy, huh? I kind of expected questions and what-ifs."

"I agree with you. With all of it. Our house is too small as it is. Royce and Owen are going to want their own rooms, eventually. I'm over hauling laundry up and down the stairs. I want a one-story."

"Done. Make a list of what you want, baby. I'm about to make all of your dreams come true."

"Oh, Stanley. You already have. You love me with every part of you, and you're the best father to our boys I could ever ask for. We don't need all of this to be happy."

"We don't, but we can afford it, and I want it. I want this little slice of land. I want it to be our safe place to land and be with our boys."

"Call the realtor." There's a buzz of excitement coursing through my veins. I can see it all playing out like a movie reel in my mind. This is where we'll raise our boys. One day, we'll get to sit on the porch and watch our grandchildren running and playing in the yard just as their dads did. This is it. This is where we belong.

"I'm all over it, wife." He kisses Grant's little head and then reaches his free hand out to me. I go to him, settling close to them, while his arm wraps around my waist.

We stand still, just looking at the view. This is about to be our home. This is where we will raise our boys until they're old enough to go out and start lives and families of their own. I can feel it deep in my soul.

This is it. This is where we're supposed to be.

"It's a good thing you insisted on seven bedrooms," I tell my husband as he holds our newborn son in his arms. When he told me he thought we should have seven bedrooms in our new house, I protested, but he eventually convinced me. Now that we have five of them full, I can see the merit.

"Four boys," he says reverently. When he looks up at me, he's grinning. Not that I expected anything less. Stanley is an amazing father, and he loves our sons with everything he has inside him. He loves being their father.

"Four boys." I nod, watching the newest addition to our family get some skin-to-skin time with his daddy. "You're a pro at that by now," I tease. What I don't tell him is that seeing him like that turns me on, and considering I just pushed a watermelon out of my vagina a few hours ago, that's saying something. Then again, it's the Stanley effect. That's what I call it. His hold on me is absolute.

"So are you. You were amazing."

"We make a good team, Mr. Riggins."

His praise makes my heart swell in my chest, but I couldn't do this without him. He truly is my partner in every aspect of our life. He's my rock.

"We are the team, Lena. The fucking dream team." He smirks.

"Language," I scold.

"He's like, two hours old." He chuckles.

"I can see it now. All four of our boys are going to grow up with potty mouths."

He shrugs. "They could do worse."

"You're right. Happy and healthy with potty mouths. I'll take it."

"Well, Momma, what are you thinking for a name for this little guy?" he asks.

"I have so many," I tell him, mentally going through my list of names. "Did you have a favorite?" There are so many it's hard to choose. You'd think after naming three, it would be easier, but here we are.

"There is one that stood out to me." Stanley doesn't take his eyes off our new baby boy.

"Is it a secret?" I tease. He pulls his gaze away and sticks his tongue out at me. "Give me six weeks," I toss out.

"Lena," he growls, and my grin grows.

"Come on, Daddy, let's hear it. What name are you thinking?"

His eyes go back to our son. They're soft and dreamy. It's the look he saves for me and our boys, and it melts my heart every damn time I see it on his face.

"Conrad."

"Oh! That wasn't on my list, but I love it." I repeat it over in my head, and I know instantly that it fits.

"Yeah?"

"Conrad Riggins. It's perfect." He starts to fuss in his daddy's arms. "It's about time for him to eat."

"Yeah. Let me wrap him up. This I am definitely a pro at," he says with a chuckle. "You can feed, and then I'll bring the boys in to meet their new little brother." He stands and wraps Conrad back up in his blanket and places him in my arms. It takes Conrad a few minutes to latch on, but he finally does.

"I love you, Conrad Riggins," I say softly. He stops eating and starts to fuss a little. I hold him closer, trying to soothe him, but his little face is still scrunched up like he's ready to let loose a wail any minute. I pat his bottom, but that doesn't seem to be helping either.

"Hey, buddy, what's going on?" Stanley, who is sitting on the bed next to me with his arm around my shoulders, reaches out and wraps the other around our son so that we're both enfolded in the safety of his arms.

Instantly, Conrad quiets, and he latches back on.

"He just needed his daddy's touch," I whisper.

"Touch by touch, I'll be there for all of you." Stanley kisses my temple, and tears well in my eyes. How is it possible to be this happy? To have this much good in your life? I give all the credit to the man beside me.

Call it magic. Call it luck. I don't care what you call it, because whatever it is, it's also love. So much love, my heart can hardly contain it.