“How do we look?” Nik asks proudly.
“It’s so stinking adorable! Where did you find this? When?”
He shrugs. “Gotta leave a little mystery in our marriage, right, little man?” he asks our son who gives him a big smile.
Nik and I waited exactly six weeks after he was born to get married. We wanted to be able to celebrate our marriage the “right way”. Wink. Wink.
Even though that night we still had him at home with us, we still enjoyed our night together as a married couple.
Nik kisses me on top of the head and gives me a knowing grin.
“What do you need me to do before everyone gets here?”
“I think we’re ready. Dad wants to help grill the burgers but everything else is ready to go. Mom’s bringing potato salad, too.”
“Oooh, she is? I actually texted her about that.”
“I should be surprised but I’m not. She’s such a sucker for you.”
Nik grins shamelessly and steals our baby from me. Not so much steals since the two are practically inseparable, but it would sure be nice if he favored me once in a while.
“Gotta teach my guy how to charm the ladies from the start, right?”
“If he’s got even a smidgen of you in him, then he’s going to be a charmer regardless,” Grace says, rolling her eyes.
The doorbell rings and immediately opens, my parents’ voices filling the small space.
“Where’s my boy?” my dad shouts. Jackson squeals at Papa’s voice, his second favorite guy in the universe, and squirms out of Nik’s hands.
Jackson moves as quickly as his little legs can carry him to my dad, giggling the whole way.
A half hour later, the backyard is flooded with our family. Four kids under the age of two between Lucy, Josie, and me. My parents have taken to assuming the role of grandparents to little Jay as well, and I’ve never seen them so happy or enjoy life more.
It’s hard to believe that just two years ago I saw myself getting married to a man who I had to pretend to be someone else around. I can’t imagine a life other than the one I have now. Nik and Jackson are my everything.
My entire family is here, along with Nik’s and some of our friends he’s introduced me to. Brandon and Savannah, Mia and Cole, and all their kids.
“Niko, can you grab one of those juice boxes for Jay?” Josie asks, her hands resting on her incredibly large belly. She’s due with number two any day now.
“Sure thing,” Nik says, bringing an apple juice box over to where Jay is sitting, a plate of food in front of him.
“Niko?” Savannah asks, laughing.
“She’s the only one who’s allowed to call me that,” Nik says, shooting a pointed look at Savannah, making me laugh.
The party to celebrate a year of Jackson’s life is full of laughter and chatter. There’s no drama, no arguments, no awkwardness.
“How you doing, mama?” Nik asks me quietly.
“I’m doing perfect.”
He places a hand on my stomach. “We ready to tell everyone?”
“It’s not too early?”
“We’re out of the first trimester. I think it’s time.”
“Okay then.”
“It’s time!” Dean shouts. “Holy crap! It’s time! It’s time!”
“Wow, that’s weird, right?” Nik says to me.
“Pretty sure they’re talking about something else entirely,” I tell him, pointing to his sister who is standing in a pool of water, holding her belly.
“Oh! Oh crap! It’s time! Get her outta here! We don’t need a repeat of the last time someone went into labor in this house.”
Suddenly there’s a flurry of activity as we try to usher Josie out the door. She, however, has other plans. “Stop it. I want to see Jackson eat his cake first. We’ve got plenty of time. I don’t even feel my contractions yet.”
“Take it from me, Josie. Don’t assume…”
“Oh hush. Your situation was completely different. Give the boy his cake so I can see him eat it then we’ll go… oh! oh no…”
“Not again,” Nik groans. “When you get to the eighth month with this one, we’re just going to camp out at the hospital.”
“At least this time we have a doctor and nurse here,” I remind him, pointing to Cole and Mia who are helping Josie as she moves to the house, Dean by her side.
“This house is cursed.”
“Nah. I’d say it’s the opposite. It’s the perfect house, right? It’s where we got our start together.”
He kisses me hard, right in front of our family who’s running around trying to help Josie.
“By the way, everyone! Ash and I are expecting another baby!”
“Oh my gosh, you tell me this now?” Josie moans. “I mean, yay! But remind me again after I give birth, okay?”
“You got it, sis!” Nik hollers.
“I love you,” I tell him.
“Not nearly as much as I love you,” Nik argues.
Author’s Note
Chick-fil-A is incredibly delicious (truly – it is) but unfortunately, coming from a small town myself, I don’t get to enjoy it unless I go into the “big city”. Big city is a relative term here. Ha! Anyway, this is mainly because their restaurants aren’t typically in smaller towns. I know this. I took a little bit of creative license here and incorporated a restaurant into the tiny town of Liberty, Michigan. If you’re wondering, the small town I live in has around 11,000 people. The fictional town of Liberty, MI is about half the size. So yeah, there’s no way a CFA would have a restaurant there, but a girl can dream, right? That’s what books are for. Go ahead. Dream up your perfect town and restaurant combo. It’s fun.
Acknowledgments
God is the Almighty One who gives me the courage to hit publish, the ideas for my stories, the time and ability. Without Him, I would not survive. I am so blessed to know Him and His love for me.
My family stepped up in a big way for Together. I struggled while writing not because I didn’t feel the story or love it, but because our family, like so many others, has been dealing with a lot of hard times. One thing I appreciate about the four other humans who live in this home with me, is that they not only encourage, they remind me why I do what I do. They’re not ashamed to say they’re proud of me or tell everyone they know that I write romance books for a living.
I truly believe that books are an important part of our world. We learn from them, find an escape, fall in love, are encouraged, get lost, relax, lose ourselves, and discover things about ourselves. Reading is my escape and to have a family that supports me in giving back some of those stories is incredibly humbling.
So to my family who lives through my stress, thank you. I could not love you more or be happier to have you as mine.
Jill, I have no words for how much I cherish our friendship. I love you so much.
Andrea, Rachel, ladies in The Walk, and all my author friends, thank you for allowing me to be a part of your world. You are the reason being an author is the best job in the entire world.
Kate, Maria, and Amie — there are no three people who push me or help me more. You’re invaluable to me and I love you dearly.