“You know, you inviting my mom over is not going to end well. She’s never going to leave.” Sin chuckles.
He’s kind of right. His mom and dad have been over twice now, the first day we got home from the hospital and then two days ago. His mom keeps asking if I want her to stay with us, but I know she just doesn’t want to give the baby snuggles up. I can’t blame her.
“We should probably get up and get dressed, throw the poopy blow out clothes in the laundry, and wash one of the seventeen bottles in the sink before they get here.”
I’m breastfeeding but also pumping so that Easton can get used to a bottle, too. We’ve been a little preoccupied to keep up with the house cleaning, and I told Sinclair I didn’t want a maid or a cleaning lady in here for a while. I’ll sit in our filth if it means not having strangers walking in and out of rooms while we’re bonding with Easton. But his parents might be offended that the baby’s nursery smells like straight-up shit, so I should get on that.
Sin gives a sigh of annoyance but rolls carefully over the baby to mount me. He sinks between my legs, careful not to put too much pressure on my healing body. It’s still five more weeks until we can have sex, and I know the man is in agony but patiently waiting. Though we’re kissing. A lot. Like right now, when his expert lips find mine and work me to the point of tingly tension even as I basically wear an adult diaper.
“So, can you admit you were wrong? That soul mates do exist?” Sinclair smirks at me haughtily.
“Hm, I see you’ve been talking to Walker.” Little snitch.
“And? Do you believe now?” he presses.
“No, I do believe soul mates exist now. You just have to birth them first.” I glance lovingly down at our son, who is still fast asleep on the bed, just a tiny little bundle on the big mattress.
“I don’t believe that, beautiful. I think you know you’re my soul mate.”
I think I know that, too, but I won’t give him the satisfaction.
Sometimes, I just have to leave these Callahan men on their toes.
After all, he swept me off mine when I was least expecting it.
Epilogue
Sinclair
Four Months Later
Wind gently slides through the trees in our backyard, sending some of the debris of long-fallen autumn leaves twirling around the patio.
It’s not yet spring in Packton, so it’s still chilly, but we had to venture outside. It’s the first day since Easton’s birth that it hasn’t been positively freezing, and that’s cause for all of us to bundle up and take the little guy outside for his first real family barbecue.
“Who decided on a barbecue?” Hayes shivers.
The guy is totally not used to Pennsylvania weather, still, with his California blood.
“We needed a family day, and Easton needs some fresh air. And hamburgers can never be a bad thing,” Mom argues, giving him a play-along look.
The whole crew is here: my parents, Walker and Hannah with their girls, Hayes and Colleen brought Isaiah, and Whitney is on her way with Ian and the boys. Dahlia, Hannah’s sister, also tagged along, and I invited Garrett since he doesn’t have anyone to spend much time with here. It also might be the last time we’re all together in this house. Frankie and I decided to sell it, since it’s a huge ode to my bachelor days. I don’t like the memories I have here and want to create a home that Frankie and I design together. So we’re listing this one and on the hunt for the perfect house that makes us both feel something in our bones.
The last four months have brought all of us closer together as an extended family, with one little boy bridging all the bonds. Easton is a ray of light, and I spend most of my days either thinking about him, holding him, or trying to steal him out of Frankie’s arms. I rush home from work each day, sprinting from the stadium, eager to get home to the two of them. My family.
“You ready for spring training?” Walker asks Frankie as we all sit around the outdoor table.
“To get back to my stomping grounds? Hell yes.” She looks over at Easton where I hold the almost-sleeping baby in my arms. “Going to show this little man the ocean for the first time.”
I know how excited she is to fly to Florida in two days. The three of us are going down for the entirety of spring training. Not only will Frankie be going back to work, training some of the major league players down there, for the first time since Easton was born, but this will be our first big family trip. Her only stipulation was not staying on the Callahan compound. She wants her space and a view of the ocean, which I was all too happy to oblige. Frankie spends so much time with my family, and they all love each other, but Florida is her domain. Plus, I kind of can’t wait to wake up in the house I rented with its beachfront balconies overlooking the surf each morning.
“You ready to be back?” Colleen asks, a worried look on her face.
She and Frankie have been talking about Frankie’s maternity leave ending, and Col just wants to make sure she’s one hundred percent ready. Seth, and a lot of other employees, encouraged her to take a full year. But I know the woman I love; even though Frankie loves Easton more than anything, she’d go insane sitting at home for a year.
“So ready. I’m going to kick my ass and everyone else’s in that gym. Be ready.” She points at Walker and Garrett, who seem to cower.
There is no doubt she’s been itching to get back in the gym and train her players. And I’ve missed her in the building. Even though I’m hard at work in the marketing department, and really enjoying my role, I miss going down to the weight room to pull her away for lunch. I’m also looking forward to staying in Florida for a couple of months. It’s the place we met, the place we fell in love. Going back to the Pistons’ southern facility with our son and our love intact will be a definite change, but an amazing one.
“I want a turn. I love that new baby smell.” Dahlia stalks up to me and scoops up my son right out of my arms.
She’s living in Walker and Hannah’s guest house, a little cottage on their property they built for her. I’m not sure if she’s there permanently or what, but she and Frankie have a similar sense of humor, and she’s watched Easton for us on the two dates we’ve been out on since he was born.
“What’s her deal?” Garrett asks.
“Don’t even think about it.” Walker points a stern finger in his direction.
But Garrett, he doesn’t bother to wipe the wolfish, interested grin off his face.
Uh-oh, I sense trouble there. I’ll have to talk to him about that, warn my friend off, but not now.
Now, I’m focused on my wife dancing with our son to a song only she seems able to hear. She stole the baby back from Dahlia, and the two of them are slowly twirling around the patio.
Easton bobbles his still wobbly neck back and forth, trying to get a good view of his favorite person. Hey, bud, I know how you feel, she’s my favorite too, I think to myself. When his big indigo eyes do latch onto her face, he smiles so wide that you’d have to be dead not to return it. My son isn’t even directing it at me, and I’m grinning like a fool.
And not just at him, but at the woman I love. The one who agreed to marry me on a random Tuesday when I told her I felt like going to the courthouse and doing it. It was becoming a thing in our family, courthouse weddings, and mom definitely wasn’t thrilled. But I just couldn’t wait. And no way was Frankie a big wedding kind of woman. We wanted to be together, so we were, and that was as much nuptial bliss as we needed.