Chapter 15

CHAPTER

FIFTEEN

Lena

I'm sitting outside on the back porch listening to the crickets. I love this little piece of heaven we've made here. The boys love it too. They spent the entire day outside, running and playing, and it fills my heart with so much joy. I put them all to bed about twenty minutes ago, but Conrad insisted he needed another drink of water just as we were heading out here to have a glass of wine and decompress from the day.

Stanley chuckled at our four-year-old and led him back to his room with the promise of a sip of water. My husband is great with our boys. He is patient and loving, and seeing him with them makes my heart swell.

The patio door opens, and Stanley steps outside. He has the bottle of wine in his hands, and wordlessly, I lift my cup for a refill. "Con asleep?" I ask him.

"Finally. Grant also decided he needed a drink, and Royce heard us and proceeded to tell me from his bed, yelling out the door, that he's ten and shouldn't have to go to bed at the same time as the babies, which means Owen piped up from his room, and said the same." He laughs.

"I swear those kids have super human hearing unless I'm telling them to pick up their toys, or clothes." I'm smiling because it's true, and because I wouldn't change them. Not a single thing. I love every minute of being their mother, and I love even more so watching them grow into their own personalities.

Royce is steadfast and serious. As the oldest, he takes his job very seriously. He guides his younger brothers, teaching them things from sports, to helping them with homework. He also has a tender outgoing side that he reserves for those closest to him. Royce is a born leader, not just because he's the oldest.

Owen is eight, and he's quiet, unless he's around his brothers. He's still the quietest of the five, but those eyes of his tell me he's taking it all in, watching and learning every single day. He's a wiz at numbers, and his teachers keep telling me how advanced he is and that we should bump him up a few grades. Stanley and I discussed it, and we don't want that. We want him to be exactly who he is. An eight-year-old little boy who loves math. We want him to be eight, not eighteen. I know that they're all going to grow up, but I want that to be as slowly as possible.

Grant, who is six, is a mix of all five of my boys. He's the one who can be serious like Royce, or silly like his younger brothers. He's the middle brother, and he's like a sponge, soaking up as much time as he can get with the older two, but never refuses to play or help his younger brothers. He has a sweet tooth that is for not only sweets, but for life.

Conrad is four, and he's such a hoot. He's ornery and sweet at the same time. He looks up to his three older brothers and tries to boss his youngest around like it's his job. He's always acting silly to get us all to laugh or gain our attention. He's outgoing and doesn't know a stranger.

Marshall, the baby, is two, and he's the one that completed our family. He loves to snuggle, and I just know his heart is going to be huge, with all the love he has to give. He tries to mimic everything his four older brothers do, and it's rather comical. He's two going on twelve, but I guess that's to be expected with older brothers.

All five of my boys are unique in their own ways, and it thrills me to watch them grow into their own personalities. Being a mother is something I always wanted to do and those five boys, and their daddy, they've given me so much happiness and love in this lifetime.

"What are you thinking about over there?" Stanley asks me.

"Just about life. How fortunate we are."

Stanley reaches over and offers me his hand, and I take it. We're sitting on the double lounger that my husband insisted we needed because us having each our own was me being too far away from him. I acted like I was letting him have his way, when really, inside, my heart was flopping around in my chest. We've been married for twelve years and have five amazing sons, and this man—my husband still causes me to swoon over the things he does and says to me. We're still us from before kids, and I know without a shadow of a doubt we'll still be us when we're sitting here on this back porch in thirty years. It's a bone deep feeling in my gut, and I always trust my gut.

"I love you, Lena Riggins."

I smile up at the night sky. "I love you too."

"Babe, I want to run something past you." Stanley comes walking in the door. He took the boys on an adventure on our land, giving me some time to do some deep cleaning in the house. He actually suggested I take the boys so he could do the deep cleaning he knows I've been wanting to do, but I told him to go. I enjoy cleaning, and he doesn't get to spend as much time with the boys as I do. It's a win-win for all of us.

"What's up?" I ask as I finish folding the final load of laundry. For now, that is. With seven of us in this house, laundry is never-ending.

"I want to dig a pond. A really big pond. Okay, probably more like a lake."

I can't help the laughter that bubbles out of me. "You want to build a lake?"

"Yes." He nods, his face serious.

"Tell me more." I put the towels in the closet in our master bathroom, and move to sit next to him on the bed, giving him my full attention.

"Think about it. We could get a boat, which is why we need a lake. It would be a pontoon, oh maybe bigger, yeah, we'll need a speed boat too so we can all relax, but the boys could water ski. We could buy a couple of jet skis too."

"That all sounds like fun," I tell him.

He nods. "This place is our own little oasis, and adding the lake would give the boys something else to do. Think of all the summer fun."

"What brought this on?"

"We were hiking through the woods, and Grant asked about fishing. That's something else we could do. We could set up tents next to the lake and do some night fishing. It'll be great."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

I smile. "You don't need my permission, Stanley. This is something you want. I say go for it."

"I'll build you a gazebo," he adds. "I know how much you loved the pier from our honeymoon, and we'll do something similar with a gazebo out on the water."

I stand and move to step in front of him. He opens his legs, and his hands grip the backs of my thighs, pulling me close as I run my fingers through his hair. "I love you. Not for the things you give me, but for the way you love me and our boys. I mentioned that years ago, Stanley Riggins."

"I never forget anything where you or our kids are concerned." He tilts his head back and I kiss his lips.

"Well, it looks like we're building a lake."

"It's going to add value to the property, not that we would ever want to leave here, but I can see it, baby. The boys having a blast all summer long. It's going to be so much fun."

My husband is still a big kid at heart. I think I am too, and seeing his eyes light up when he talks about his plans for our lake, I can't help but join him in his excitement. I'm all for anything that keeps my boys here and entertained.

I love the idea of having this be our own place, not having to worry about outsiders or drunk drivers on other boats. I hope that the boys continue to come here and enjoy this space once they're out on their own.