44. Belong Together

CHAPTER 44

BELONG TOGETHER

MARK AMBOR

Epilogue- Chase

“Where’s Dani?”

“Making out with Xander in the pool.”

“What? Oh hell no, not in my pool,” Ren announces as she tries to get up out of the chair and just glares at me when she realizes she’s stuck. “You did this to me.”

“Damn right.” I kiss the top of her head and give her belly a gentle rub before I head over to the door and look out. “They’re fine. Besides, it’s not like she’s going to end up like—shit, you’re right.” I slide the door open. “Hey, assholes! No knocking people up in my pool unless it’s me knocking up Ren.”

“You can’t stop me! Also, why are you so fucking gross, Coop?!” Dani yells back, flipping me off and laughing.

“I feel like I swallowed the fucking sun,” Ren complains as return to my seat next to her. “The thermostat says seventy and you’re in a hoodie while I melt!”

“We could go join them in the pool. Can you still hold your breath while you suck?—”

“They’re coming!” Devin yells as he whips around the corner, sliding to a stop. “They’re coming. Not like that! I mean, like, in the gate, right now!”

“Okay?”

“But it’s a surprise. Aren’t we supposed to hide or something?”

“Devin, are you seriously asking if we’re going to jump out and yell ‘ surprise’ when they come in? Do you think that’s wise?” Ren asks, trying to hold back the laughter as I head for the door. I’m not waiting for them. I’m too stoked. “Go get Jamie and help them.”

I step outside in time to see Steve sticking out of one side of the car and Ethan on the other, arms flailing as they take potshots at each other. They already bicker like it’s been fifty years—it’s perfect. For both of them. Ethan’s become part of the family and I’ve never seen Steve act so natural and happy before. I jog over and hop in the front seat, looking back at the two of them as they struggle. “You, uh, get a manual with that thing?”

“No! Did you get one? If so, I need to fucking borrow it! I have no idea what the hell I’m doing, as Ethan reminds me every fucking five minutes.” Steve sighs, exasperated. He only calls him Ethan when he’s annoyed. “How the fuck do you get it out? Putting it in was so simple. How come pulling it out isn’t?”

“Oh, sure, cause he’s gonna know how to pull anything out? Have you seen his wife?” Ethan snipes back. He’s getting a lot better at that. We’re a bad influence on the poor guy. “Also, don’t call her ‘ it ’ just because we haven’t picked a name!”

“Click the button, the red one. No, the other one. Just, yeah, there you go!” I raise my fists and stare into tiny green eyes as I whisper yell, “Freeeeedom!” She gurgles and tries to laugh as she kicks her feet. She’s beautiful.

“I thought this was your first kid?” Ethan stares at me, trying to figure out how I learned to work a car seat. I glance out the front window at Devin and smile before I go grab the diaper bag out of the back.

Babies haven’t changed since I raised Dev, but the toys and contraptions all have. Internet videos have helped. But I have the same car seat already setup in the SUV and Jamie and I have used Lulu as a test baby to make sure we know how to get the real baby out when the time comes. We give her plenty of treats and eventually Devin always comes out to rescue her. We’ve got it down to thirty seconds to get the whole car seat out and attached to the stroller. Ren keeps saying something about whiplash, but Lulu’s fine!

The hugs and photos start as soon as Steve and Ethan step through the door. Steve even starts a game of make Lexi hold the baby, which makes her freak out and run away. She’s convinced she’ll drop the kid or warp her mind just by holding her. Lexi’s more into puppies than babies; that’s never going to change. Jamie’s the same, but he’ll at least hold the kid. Once the oohs and aahs are all taken care of, everyone heads outside to the pool to get the grill fired up and the adoption shower going.

I hang back and sit on the couch next to Ren instead of helping her up when she holds her arms out. She looks so pitiful and so beautiful all at once. I wrap my arm as far around her as I can, kissing her neck and smelling her shampoo.

“Chase, we should go outside with everyone else.”

“They can wait.” I kiss along her neck, my fingers playing with the hem of her dress, pulling it up her leg. “We should go back to Germany. Or to the bedroom. Or the gym. Or right here.”

“How can you possibly want to make out with me right now? I’m a fucking hot-air balloon, complete with the flamethrower thing inside.”

“You’re beautiful. Absolutely stunning, Sunshine.” She screams as I lift her onto my lap. “You better get used to it, though, because I’m gonna put so many babies in you.”

“Jesus, you really do have a breeding kink, don’t you, Mr. Cooper?”

“Not until I met you, Mrs. Cooper.” Her and her eyes widen as she catches my smirk.

“No! Chase, don’t you fucking dare! If you throw me in that damn pool, I’m going to?—”

I cut her off with a kiss deep enough to take her breath away and remind her how much I love her. “I’m not throwing my pregnant wife into a pool. That’s not what I want. Not what I need. I need you, Ren. I need you so fucking bad it hurts, baby.”

“There are people over! Lots of people!” She tries to pull the hem of her dress back down as I grab her hips, rocking her back and forth.

“Yeah, our friends. People that have known either you or I for most of their lives, or at least know us well enough.” I reply. I love every bit of her, but my favorite thing about her pregnancy has to be how horny it makes her. She’s breathing heavy, chest heaving and begging me to take her right fucking there. “No one would be surprised if we disappear for a few minutes. Come on. Just a quickie?”

“I…don’t wanna climb…the stairs,” she whines between kisses, grabbing my shoulders and rolling her hips. “Fuck, why do you do this to me?”

“I have an idea.” I shift her so I can scoop her up, carrying her toward the garage. She bitches at me, saying I’ll hurt myself doing that someday, but I don’t give a fuck. I carry my queen and I will keep carrying her, seven months pregnant or not. I turn her so she can’t see into the room and once we’re in, the lights flick on.

“SURPRISE!” everyone screams. She throws her arms around my neck and screams back at them while I laugh.

“What the fuck?! Do you want me to go into premature labor?!” I put her down, and she gasps as she takes in the room. There’s no gym anymore. We moved out the equipment and replaced it with a king-size bed. There’s fresh paint and new floors. I even have a locked cabinet for all our toys. When her eyes land on the back of the garage, she covers her mouth and grabs my hand.

“We ripped out the bathroom and redid it so it’s bigger while you were visiting your aunt.”

“But, Chase?”

“You’re having trouble with the stairs and I'm worried you’ll fall, so we’re moving down here for a bit. Look.” I run over and show her the bassinet that Jamie painted for us, and the giant mixed-media piece on the wall that Lexi did with bits and pieces of the life we’ve built together so far. “Your mom and Tommy can take the bedroom upstairs, at least while the contractor finishes their house. I still think they should just move in permanently, but whatever her and Tommy want, they get. We’ll move back upstairs when we’re done having babies.”

“You think we’re having more after this?”

“Oh, I know we are. We have way too much fun making them.”

“Ahh, there are babies present!” Steve jokes. “Gross!”

“Isn’t this party for Steve and Ethan? Did you lie to me?”

“It’s a family baby party. We just paid extra to get ours delivered a little early,” Steve teases, nuzzling the bundle in his arms. She looks so damn small and watching him has all sorts of new fears building in my stomach. It’s not that I’m not happy as hell for Steve and Ethan, but I’m terrified for Ren and I. Dr. Clay says that’s normal, and if I didn’t freak out at least once a day, he’d be worried. Ren must sense the coming panic attack, because she takes my hand, rubbing her thumb on my palm to calm me as Pongo appears at my side, dripping all over the new floor.

“So like, what happens if you have a boy, and they end up dating each other?” Steve asks.

“I will punch you in the face and we’ll deal with it, Stevie.”

“So, nothing new?” Jamie jokes before kissing his wife’s head. “We should practice harder, Angel. And…get another dog?”

“Yes, to another dog!”

Looking around the room as the group continues to laugh and joke with one another, I can’t help getting emotional. We were just three idiots who used to joke about eternal bachelorhood and planned to live together in a big house someday. Now, all three of us found our soulmates. How our little family has grown. And Fast. Warm hands reach up and wipe the tears from my cheeks. I don’t think I ever understood how to love someone as much as I love Ren, but now, looking at my friends—my family—I realize we have everything we need to make this work. All of us.

“Shit, I left the burger on!” Devin runs out the door. Xander and Dani follow behind him, offering to help. Ethan and Steve hang back as everyone leaves the room to rejoin the party, and I catch Ethan whispering something as he pushes Steve forward. Steve looks like he swallowed a gallon of sour milk as he steps over to us.

“Coop, uhm, we, uhm, we wanted to ask you something,” he stutters. “Her name?—”

“Don’t hyphenate it, you guys.” I sigh. They fought about this for weeks before they got married, now they’re going to fight about it again. “Come on. LaVonsen sounds perfect.”

“No, we, well, we wanted to know what you’re naming your baby.”

Ren slides up next to me, rubbing her belly as she laughs. “We’re not sure yet, but we won’t be bothered by whatever you two choose for her.”

“I know, I know. I just, well, we…we thought it would be cool if they kind of, uhm, matched in a way? Like, all our kids had names that go together. Not like the same letter or anything, but…”

“Something that makes them family,” Ethan helps Steve find the words.

“Oh, uh, we’re going with Daisy Lou Mae Rae for a girl and—” Ren swats at me as I laugh. “What? I wanted them to match that!”

“Not helping, Puppy.” She pinches my side. “Chase has mentioned the alphabet. We could try filling it in, even though we already have doubles on D.”

“Double Ds,” Steve snorts, and Ethan rolls his eyes. “I kinda like that. So we’d need a B first.”

“No, Bex has the B,” Jamie says as he rejoins us, bringing us all beers and a bottle of water for Ren. “That’s Lexi’s sister. Lex and Bex.”

“Okay, F?” Ethan asks, clearly going through girl names in his head.

“Guess I’m gonna be busy. I have my heart set on Violet and Zoey,” I tease, counting letters on my fingers to annoy Ren.

“Too many babies, Puppy!”

“We’ll see. So what do you guys think you want to name her?”

“Farrah?” Steve asks.

“Fallon? Ethan offers with a shrug.

“Oh, yeah, I like that one more. Fallon LaVonsen? I love it, Sweets!” Steve says before he leans over and kisses Ethan.

“So, what, we get G? Thanks, guys.” I shake my head, knowing I’m on board for this idea.

“Georgie? Oh, maybe Gracie.” Ren lights up. “We could work with that. What do you say, Mr. Cooper?”

“I’m okay with either of those, but if it’s a boy…Graham?” Jamie locks eyes with me as his jaw drops. “Yeah, after you, dickhead.”

“Graham Cooper? They’ll call him Graham Cracker. You can’t do that,” Jamie tries to argue, knowing it’s no use.

“I love it, Chase.” Ren coos and wraps around me, looking down at her growing bump. “What do you think, our little Graham Cracker?”

“I love you. Of course, I’d name my kid after you. Dumbass.” Jamie laughs nervously and rubs the back of his neck until I let go of Ren and hug him so hard I lift him off the ground.

“So now it’s a race to see who gets H?” Steve jokes and slaps Jamie on the back.

“If you fuckers get to V first, I’m gonna deck you. You’re taking the easy way and that’s cheating!”

“Okay, that’s enough! I’m hungry and my feet hurt.” Ren shouts above us. Ethan, Steve, and Jamie all agree with Ren and head toward the door, but I stop and pull her back to me.

“Whoa, what’s the rush, sexy? You were about to soak through my pants a few minutes ago, begging for me.” I wrap my arms around her. “I thought we’d lock the door and see if I can break the bed.”

She takes my hands from her hips and puts them on her belly, and as soon as I tickle the sides, I’m greeted with kicks and punches. “Feisty, like their mother. Gender doesn’t matter, ‘cause this kid isn’t going to take shit from anyone.”

“The baby wants food, and so do I.”

“Alright, my queen. But tonight, I’ll be on my knees for you. Worshiping every single inch of your incredible body.”

“Damn right you will be, my king.”