Family Breakfast

FAMILY brEAKFAST

" O kay, who ordered the Floridian French toast?" Our waitress bustles up to our table, balancing several plates of sweet and savory breakfast foods on a tray.

Jake half-raises his hand, setting aside his cup of coffee. "Oh yeah, that's me. Put it right here, Tammy." He slides the crayons and colorful placemat he was doodling on closer to Jamie.

Tammy sets down a plate of stacked French toast, piled high with fresh strawberries, blueberries, and kiwi. The whole tower is dusted with powdered sugar. Next to the plate of French toast, she arranges smaller side plates of scrambled eggs and sausage links.

Jake groans with delight, dropping his napkin in his lap.

Next to me, Tuomas is double-fisting crayons, kicking his legs in his highchair as the waitress places a plate of Mickey Mouse pancakes in front of him. Jamie gets the same thing. The pancakes even have little blueberries for eyes and an orange slice mouth. The boys' favorite part is the dollop of whipped cream dusted with rainbow sprinkles. Jamie wastes no time stabbing at the cream with his fork, licking it off the tines.

Tuo whines, impatient for me to cut his pancake. I lean back first, letting Tammy set down my ham and cheese omelette and hashbrowns.

"Need anything else right now?" she asks, spying the pile of empty coffee creamer cartons. "More creamer, hon? And I'll bring over a fresh pot of decaf."

"Yeah. Thanks, Tam."

"Not a problem. Y'all enjoy." She scoops the empties into her hand. Tucking her tray under her arm, she walks away.

"Looks good," says Jake, drizzling syrup on Jamie's pancake. They're both wearing their hats on backwards. Jake's is black, while Jamie's is blue. They're both wearing Rays hockey T-shirts too. Like father, like son.

Fuck me, they look so goddamn cute together. Watching them wield their forks in sync, I feel like the Grinch when his heart grew three sizes.

"Dada!" Tuo shrieks.

I jolt, moving my hand away before he can stab me with his fork. Extracting the sticky weapon from his tiny fist, I slide his plate a little closer and start cutting his pancake into bite-sized pieces. "Wow, this looks so yummy. Is it good, Jaim-Jam?"

"So good," Jamie chimes.

Tuo babbles in a mix of English and Finnish, eating the cut pieces of pancake with his fingers.

This is one of our favorite local beach diners. It's a slow Tuesday, so we pretty much have the place to ourselves. Today is just one of those days where the Price Family is a scattered mess. I've had Tuo with me all morning, getting him over to urgent care to check about a possible ear infection. Jake just finished practice and grabbed Jamie from pre-K. Meanwhile, Mars went with Rachel to her ten-week ultrasound appointment.

"Have you heard from them?" Jake asks me.

"Yeah, Mars said they were finishing up as I pulled in." That was fifteen minutes ago. They should be here any minute.

Jake and I hate missing any of the new baby's doctor appointments, but life doesn't stop just because we'd all like to be there. Besides, the OBGYN had to reschedule Rachel at the last minute, which left us with little choice.

At least Mars was there.

Tammy comes by with the pot of decaf and fills my mug. Reaching into her apron, she places a pile of fresh creamers by my plate.

"Thanks, Tam," I say again.

She nods and walks away.

I finish cutting Tuo's pancake and hand him back his fork. I still as I feel Jake's eyes on me, and glance across the table. He's sitting there, holding his coffee mug with both hands. "What is it?" I ask, shoulders tensing. "What's wrong?"

He rolls his eyes. "Does something have to be wrong?"

"You're not eating," I press, glancing down at his plate. "That's what you ordered, right?"

"I was distracted," he replies, taking a sip of his coffee.

"By what?" I glance surreptitiously over my shoulder, curious to see what would stop Jake Price from pounding a fresh stack of French toast. This diner has brought us no small amount of entertainment in the past. A few weeks ago, a pair of teenage lovers had a sobbing, melodramatic breakup in the booth right behind us. I thought Mars was gonna knock their heads together. It was highly entertaining.

Oh, and once a lady went into labor waiting for her takeout order. Her water literally broke on the floor, and she was still complaining that her grits weren't ready.

Then there was the time the cops came in and busted a pair of tough looking guys at the counter wearing leather biker cuts. That may have unlocked an unexpected fantasy that ended with me busting in on Jake in our home gym, handcuffing him to the workout bench, and fucking him senseless.

Glancing over my shoulder, I see there's no one seated behind us. The only other patrons in the whole diner are the old guys up at the counter. They're just a pair of regulars like us, wholly devoid of entertainment value.

I look back at Jake. "What distraction?"

He snorts, setting his coffee down. "Seriously?"

I raise a brow in question.

" You , Cay. You're the distraction."

"Me? How the hell am I distracting you?"

He huffs, snatching up his fork. "I'm sorry, but my smokin' hot husband is sitting across from me wearing a T-shirt tight enough to see his fuck—" He winces at my glare. We're both trying to curse less in front of the boys. "Tight enough to see his pecs," he goes on. "It just made me a little sentimental is all."

I glance down at my fitted tee. "My shirt made you sentimental?"

"No, a—hole. You made me sentimental."

"How?"

"I don't know, Cay. Maybe because if you had asked me five years ago if I ever would have imagined this as our future, I would have laughed in your face. I mean, you're my husband. We're married ." He lifts his hand, wiggling his ringed finger at me.

A heavy feeling of wanting coils in my gut. "I know. I was there. I put that ring on your finger. Remember?"

He grins. Reaching for his coffee again, he makes sure to keep the ring in my direct line of sight. He knows what it does to me. He knows I'm a possessive fucking asshole. And there's nothing I love more than making the man across this table crawl to me. I love claiming him. I love when our partners watch me fuck him. Hell, if they'd let me, I'd drag us all to a sex club and fuck him in the middle of a crowded room. On a stage. Under a spotlight. He'd take me on his knees, first with his eager mouth. Then he'd bend over, arch that back, and chant my name as I filled him over and over—

"Wipe that look off your face," he mutters, his body tensing as he takes in the change in mine. "Just sit there and eat your omelette. Jesus."

"You started it."

"Well, my husband was humming a Lion Guard song while he cut our baby's pancake, and it took my breath away for a minute. Excuse me for living." He stabs into his stack of French toast and spears a bite into his mouth.

"I was not humming Lion Guard ."

"You were," he counters with a grin. "The boys were watching it last night."

I pause, recalling the tune. Then I scowl down at my food. "Goddamn it."

He chuckles, taking a sip of his coffee. "Regrets?"

I glance up sharply. It's an honest question. My hand reaches out on instinct to stroke Tuomas's soft hair. "None," I reply. "You?"

He's thoughtful for a moment, taking another bite of his French toast and scooting Jamie's cup of chocolate milk closer to the edge of the table. "You know, for the longest time, I regretted the time I lost with Rachel."

I set my fork aside and reach for another creamer. Peeling it open, I tip it into my mug and watch it sink like liquid smoke. "You mean after Seattle?"

He spears one of his sausages and takes a bite. "Yeah, I regretted not getting her name and number. I was so bitter about it. We could have had three more months together. Sometimes I'd just get in my head and get so frustrated, feeling like it was time lost, you know?"

I nod, giving my coffee a swirl with my spoon. "And now? Do you still regret it?"

He huffs. "Hell, no. Our timing was perfect. It had to be…or this couldn't be." He smiles down at Jamie and across the table at Tuomas.

I pause my mug halfway to my lips. This is getting deep for diner talk. We usually reserve this level of introspection for sunset beach walks. "You don't think we'd be married if you had those three extra months with Rachel?"

"Honestly? No."

Fuck. Not gonna lie, that stings a little.

"I think if she had given me even one more inch, I would have taken a mile," he goes on. "I would have buried myself in her and never come up for air. I certainly wouldn't have made the space needed for you to get between us. Hell, I would have met her at the airport instead of you. And I would have done it with a ring in my pocket."

I snort, shaking my head. "You're crazy."

"I prefer tenacious," he says with a grin. It falls as his gaze softens. What is he looking for in me? What does he see? Shifting his coffee aside, he reaches out with the hand wearing my ring and sets it on the table, palm up.

With a sigh, I set my own coffee aside and reach across, placing my hand in his. Jake's fingers wrap around mine and we both squeeze. Fuck, why am I getting emotional right now? "I should have told you sooner," I say, letting my truth free. "I should have told you when you came for me in Duluth. We lost so much time too—"

"No." Jake is shaking his head, a smile tipping his lips. "No, our timing was perfect. Any sooner, and we may have sunk so deep into each other that there'd be no room left for Mars. And where the hell would any of us be without him?" he adds with a shrug.

I glance down again at Ilmari and Rachel's son… our son. My sweet Tuomas. I look across the table at his brother. These boys are my whole world. I never saw myself as a father. I never even saw myself married. Now I'm married three times over. In love three times over. Together, we all share two beautiful children, with another on the way. If even one of our dominoes was out of place, where would we be?

Jake's smile widens as he lets go of my hand. "Yeah, you get it. You see it too, right? Our timing was perfect."

I just nod, holding my coffee with both hands.

Sensing my mood, Jake looks back over at me, his mouth full of French toast and kiwi. His eyes search mine and he sighs. "Will you just say it before it chokes you?"

I smirk, holding his gaze. "I love you, Jake."

"There it is." He smiles from ear to ear. It lights up his whole face. God, I fucking love this man.

Before either of us can say another word, the door to the diner opens, the little bell rattling, and then Mars is there. He's got a hat on with the bill pulled low, and he's still wearing his sunglasses, but I know he's looking right at me, jaw tight.

Fuck, something's wrong.

Mars keeps the door open for Rachel, letting her step in under his arm. She looks spooked too. Jake has his back turned to the door. He can't see them yet. Meanwhile, my heart is coiling in my chest as I think of what to do. If this is bad news, I don't want it here. We can pay the check and go. I can't comfort Rachel or Jake the way I need to in the middle of this damn diner. I set my coffee down, my food forgotten.

Tuomas sees Rachel and his fork clatters down from the table to the floor. He has both hands out, a little pout on his lips. "Mama!"

Jake pauses in cutting more of Jamie's pancake to glance over his shoulder. "Hey, there you are! Sorry we didn't wait, but the boys were getting cranky—" His words stop as Rachel sweeps over to the table and pulls Tuomas from his highchair. Cradling him in her arms, she sits down in the chair at the table's end. She nuzzles him, his sticky hands gripping tight to her shirt as he babbles, all thought of ear pain forgotten in the safety of her arms.

Mars steps in at our side of the table and sits. His sunglasses are off, tucked in at the top of his T-shirt. On instinct, my hand goes to his thigh. I feel the tension rolling off him in waves.

"Just say it," Jake says, his eyes locked on Rachel.

Jamie starts fussing, wanting Rachel to hold him too. She glances from Jake over to me. A weak little smile tips her lips and I relax a little.

"Oh god," Jake says on a breath. "Okay, new rule. You don't get to come in from a visit to the baby doctor with that look on your face ever again." He presses a hand to his chest. "God, my heart's racing so fast."

But I'm less relieved. They were wearing those faces for a reason. And Mars is still coiled under my hand like a damn spring. I keep my eyes on Rachel. "What's wrong?"

Jake tenses again, his gaze darting from Mars down the table to Rachel. "Someone better start talking."

She shifts Tuo to one knee and reaches into her purse. Pulling out a little white card, she extends her arm. Jake snatches for it first, showing me a glimpse of an ultrasound photo. He clutches it with both hands, eyes darting left and right as he soaks it in. Suddenly, he lets out a cartoonish gasp. Leaning back in his chair, he covers his mouth with one hand. He looks to Rachel. "No!"

"Yes," she replies.

"What is it?" I press, ready to flip this goddamn table to get some answers.

"Oh my god," Jake cries. "Oh, no way. Babe—"

"Give me that." I snatch it from his hand. My eyes lock immediately on the typed letters A and B, made all the more pronounced by the sea of black surrounding them. Two gestational sacs…for two babies. A and B. Twins.

Our wife is having twins.

I glance up at my Hurricane. She looks right back at me, shaking her head with tears in her eyes. "Well?" she whispers.

I look from Jake, who is beaming, to Mars, who is almost too calm. I know them both so well. I know exactly what they're thinking in this moment. Jake runs on optimism. He's joked long enough about how much he hoped this would be twins. And for him, everything is sunshine and rainbows. He's not worried about having and raising two more kids. Life is an adventure, and he's just along for the ride.

But I know Mars too. He's a worrier. I'm sure he heard the doctor say "twins" and immediately started calculating worst case scenarios, from possible health complications to budget constraints. It's not negativity; it's pragmatism. He likes organization and plans. And he really dislikes surprises.

And then there's Rachel, who feeds off all our energy like a sponge. If Mars was left to his own devices, he might just drag her down to Worry Town. Jake would celebrate with another round of French toast and then maybe go buy her more diamonds she doesn't need.

Per usual, I'm the middle. I'm the thermostat of this family. My reaction in this moment means everything. I glance around the table and see they're all looking to me, waiting for my response. Slowly, I hand the ultrasound picture back to Rachel. "Four on four? I like it. Feels balanced."

Her bottom lip trembles as she takes back the picture, her fingers brushing mine. "Really? You're not worried?"

I just shrug, my hand going back to Ilmari's knee under the table. "Nah, it'll be great."

She nuzzles Tuo with relief as Mars drops his hand over mine, his tension easing.

I glare at Jake across the table and point at him with my free hand. "No extravagant purchases. No diamonds. No cars."

"Oh, come on," he whines. "We have to do something to celebrate. This is huge! I mean, our wife just told us she's having twins !"

Speaking the words aloud lets the rest of the tension at the table break. In moments, Jake and I are out of our seats and Rachel is in our arms. She cries, pressing her face to Jake's chest as she keeps both arms wrapped around Tuo.

"Come on, babe, don't cry," Jake soothes her. "It's gonna be so great, and we're so happy. Right, Cay?"

I nod. Leaning down, I kiss her temple, her cheek. She turns her face towards me, and I brush a kiss over her lips. "I'm happy," I assure her, saying the words aloud. "We love you, Hurricane."

Mars steps in and picks up a fussing Jamie from his highchair. His free hand brushes up my back to my shoulder. I nudge my hip against his, and he drops his face closer, pressing his forehead to my temple, breathing me in.

Jake makes more room for him between us, wrapping his arm around Mars' waist. He gives Jamie's cheek a kiss, then Rachel, then Tuo. "Come on, we have to celebrate," he says again. "I'm too excited. This energy has to go somewhere."

"Order more French toast," I tease, my hand sweeping Rachel's hair back behind her ear. I can't help it; I kiss her again.

"Book us a babymoon," Rachel offers. She's grinning now, relieved that we're excited.

"Done and done," Jake replies. "God, this is just so amazing. I'm gonna be a twin dad!" He looks across the babies at me, tears in his eyes. "See what I mean? Timing is everything."

I nod, my heart and my hands so full of love for my family.

Our timing was perfect.

And now I have everything.