SIOBHAN

I follow the kids into the primary bedroom where Natasha rests on her side with her blonde hair spread out around her. She smiles at me before cuddling with the kids who climb onto the bed and talk over each other. They’re very proud of Bear for being a good cat daddy.

“He has a big heart,” Jacinda says.

Natasha smiles. “Yes, and he loves you.”

The kids look at me to see if I heard how Bear loves them. I climb onto the bed and smoosh them between their mom and me.

“I love you, too. Where’s my applause?”

The kids imitate Natasha’s clapping before deciding they want to sit on the end of the bed to talk about cats.

“They watched a bunch of cat videos this morning,” Natasha explains when I frown at how amazed the children are behaving about two cats they’ve known for months. “They realize cats can do more than sleep and chase each other. It’s blown their minds.”

Smiling, I whisper, “Indigo slept over last night.”

“How did that go?”

“He’s a quiet sleeper if that’s what you’re asking. No snoring.”

“Well, that’s the important thing. But what about chemistry? Weren’t you worried you might not be able to view him as a man rather than a foster brother?”

“Indigo’s very sexy. He’s also passionate.”

“What does that mean?”

“Horny,” I whisper and glance to see if the kids are listening. When I’m sure they’re sufficiently focused on their hand sizes, I add, “We didn’t make love last night, but we were making out like crazy. I came just from my hand and his crazy hot kisses. I very much want to get him naked tonight.”

Natasha grins at me, nearly giggling over my horniness. “So, is this really happening?”

“Indigo feels so comfortable to be around. Like, I woke up next to him and didn’t worry about bad breath or eye gunk. He’s seen me be a gross weirdo before. He even scraped me off the ground after Carys’s bachelorette party. So, I knew I didn’t have to hide from him. Plus, I like how we can talk about people without me having to explain who everyone is. ”

“Is Indigo here?” Natasha asks, propping herself up to look at the door. “Will he be joining us for lunch?”

“He’s my friend,” Hector tells Natasha.

Jacinda nods. “Indigo is tall and has brown hair and the tattoos.”

We smile at how the kids giggle over how badly Jacinda says his name.

Natasha sighs. “I don’t know why they can say everything else but mangle names.”

“I think they’re faking it,” I say and reach over to pat their little heads. “I think they mangled a few names and people laughed. So, these little goofballs just keep doing it. They can’t even get Pork Chop’s name right, but they say Deirdre’s correctly. Nope, not buying it.”

“Is Deirdre here?” Jacinda asks, nailing the pronunciation.

No, baby, she’s at school like Kiera. They’re going to their daddy’s house tonight. But I’ll bring them over in a few days to play here, okay?”

“Okay,” Jacinda says and pats my cheek. “It’s okay. Don’t cry.”

Grinning, I rest back next to Natasha. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired but fine. The baby has been moving a lot. I like that part.”

“What am I missing?” Hunter asks, entering the room and crawling onto the bed.

Natasha scoots into the middle so we can cuddle against her. I smile at Hunter. Her hair is clipped back in an attempt to tame her overgrown pixie.

“We were talking about how horny Indigo makes Siobhan.”

I lift myself to see Hunter over Natasha. “I’m falling hard for Indigo. More than sex and the baby are involved.”

The three of us look at the kids. Jacinda has rested her head on the bed while Hector slides off the mattress and wanders out of the room.

“I’m assuming your date went well,” Hunter says. “Indigo seemed relaxed when I saw him.”

Nodding, I murmur, “Indigo isn’t what I expected. He has a lot of passion built up inside him. When he kisses me, the world narrows down to only him and me. ”

Hunter gives me a sweet smile and tears up. “I worried you couldn’t love him like he wanted. You can’t know how relieved I am over how things have worked out.”

I reach across Natasha and stroke Hunter’s cheek. She can seem so rational compared to Natasha and me. Some people miss how big her heart is because she doesn’t wear it on her sleeve.

“Everything seems so perfect, you know?” I say, and they nod. “We’re all in the same neighborhood. Our men are best friends. We’re having babies. I can’t believe how it’s fallen into place. I’m not even worried about jinxing it. I feel like Indigo was always meant to be mine, just like Bear and Tack were meant to be yours.”

My friends wear dreamy expressions. At the end of the bed, Jacinda watches us. I crawl down to where she can barely keep her eyes open.

“Are you ready for your nap?” I whisper as I stroke her little cheek.

She gives me that wonderful smile only children can create. There’s such love and innocence in her gaze. I see the same kind of affection in my daughters’ smiles.

I worry a little about how the twins will react in a few days when Indigo becomes a bigger fixture in their lives. For now, though, I choose to remain optimistic.

Picking up Jacinda, I carry the sweet child to her bed. Hector soon climbs in next to his sister.

“I’m not tired,” Hector assures me in between yawns.

Jacinda stares at me with a devious smile and glances at Bear standing at the doorway.

“I have a secret,” she whispers to me.

Leaning closer, I whisper, “What is it?”

“I’m a Muppet,” she tells me, and Hector giggles.

The kids think they’re Muppets because their former last name was Grover like from “Sesame Street.” Bear is always giving them grief over that fact since he hates their dead dad and wants them to view themselves as members of the O’Malley family.

“You are a Muppet. That’s why you’re so cuddly,” I promise.

The kids look at me like I’m awesome as I leave them to nap. Indigo wears a similar expression when he sees me. Nearby, in the kitchen, Tack and Hunter are huddled up, whispering and kissing .

Bear and Natasha are also in a cuddly mood. I normally feel like a fifth wheel when I’m around the two couples. Now I have a handsome fella who might like me rubbing up against him.

I walk to Indigo and try to read his expression. He seems happy and relaxed. I gingerly rest my hand on his chest to see if he’ll become self-conscious about us touching in front of our friends.

Indigo surprises me by wrapping his arms around my shoulders and dropping his lips to mine. His kiss promises we’re on the same page regarding our future.