“Lots of memories in here,” he states.
“Yeah.” I turn on my side and stare at him. He grins that goofy Clark grin and everything suddenly seems so perfect.
“You sure you’re doing OK still?” he asks. I know he’s referring to the crazy Anthony situation which I’m still grappling with if I’m being honest with myself.
Shrugging, I gaze into his eyes. “It’ll take some time. It’s a lot to process, but I think I’m going to be fine.”
He takes my hand in his and brings it to his lips. “No matter what happens over the next few weeks with our dream job, I’m glad we got stuck working together and I’m glad you came back into my life.”
“Me too,” I whisper. “I love you, Clark Moore.”
His grin widens and he leans forward and kisses me gently before pulling back to search my eyes. “I love you, too, Megan Lennox, always have and always will.” I blush as we continue to stare into each other’s eyes.
“You think it’ll always be this crazy?” I ask.
“What? Us?” he asks. I nod and he looks back over at his parents’ house as Ash runs outside with Kent chasing after him growling like a lion with Vera giggling in his arms. He looks back at me. “Uh, yeah. I think it will, but it’ll be the best type of crazy, I can promise you that.”
I laugh. My heart feels so full it could burst. “Come on, let’s go back to the party,” I state as I get up on all fours to crawl over to the new ladder. I turn back around as I get on the ladder. “But tonight, you and I are going to fulfill my childhood fantasy of doing it in the treehouse,” I tell him with a wink.
“That could be arranged.”
“Oh, it has been, and it will be,” I assure him.
He smirks and follows me back inside. We walk around the garage and enter the side door and I freeze.
The door is closed slightly, and I hear his parents inside. “Jesus,” I mutter, and then I see it, a small sign next to the laundry room that had just read “laundry room” earlier, now says “occupied” in red backlit text.
“What in the…” Clark trails off, yanking on my hand as he pulls me toward the breakfast room.
“Was that…were your parents…” I scramble for words. Clark and I had once walked in on them as kids. They tried to say that they were doing laundry. And after that, every time they said they were doing laundry, Clark and I would run out of the house screaming and giggling. I smile at the memory.
“Uh, yeah, but the sign is new,” he states.
“Oh, shit, you saw my sign,” Kent says as he runs up to us with a laugh and claps Clark on his back.
“Yeah, how does that work?”
“Motion sensors,” Kent states with a wink. “But no one is going to tell them that, OK?”
We nod, and I pretend to zip my lips closed.
“Good,” Kent says as he bounces Vera in his arms. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go find Ash. Apparently, Vera is ‘it’ in this epic game of tag.”
He heads off bouncing his daughter whose baby giggles echo down the hallway as he runs out the side door with her.
“I can’t believe you guys rigged the laundry room,” Clark says on a huff as he sits down at the breakfast table.
Di and Lanie shrug. “We have children now, we can’t have their retinas burned out by finding their grandparents in the laundry room,” Lanie explains.
“I still have nightmares,” Kylie concedes as she leans on Levi’s shoulder.
Clark looks around at all his siblings and their significant others as Ash, Kent, and Vera zoom past us. Ash trips and Kent reaches down and grabs him, hoisting him over one shoulder with Vera on the other. Both kids are giggling and Kent grins as he looks down at all of us. He glances between Di and Kylie. “You guys are up. We need more of these rugrats.”
Di giggles. “Let’s just get through my wedding first, OK?”
Kylie rolls her eyes. “Dude, our house isn’t even done yet and someone”—she glances at Levi—“hasn’t popped the question yet.”
Levi smirks. “All in good time.”
Tabby coughs and everyone turns to look at her.
“No,” Kent’s face goes white.
“Uh, yes?” Tabby says, patting her belly.
“No…no, no, no,” Kent repeats.
Tabby glares at him. “Yes, yes, yes.”
“Double fudge cakes,” Kent exclaims.
Garrett, Brixton, and Levi chuckle under their breath as they uncomfortably look between Tabby and Kent. Di, Lanie, and Kylie squeal in delight and pounce on Tabby, pulling her into a group hug.
“Get over here, Megladon!” Di says with a chuckle as she motions for me to join their girl hug. I get up and walk over and am yanked into the circle.
“Damn, bro. Your spermies are out of control. And you all were worried about me in college,” Clark says with a smirk.
“Eff off,” Kent huffs. He looks back at Tabby as we all pull away from our group hug. “When? How?”
Tabby rolls her eyes. “Remember our trip to Levi’s island in August? I think that might be it.”
“That was almost three months ago! You’ve been sitting on this information for two months?” Kent cries out as he sets Ash down who scrambles away, clearly sensing the adult conversation. He passes Vera to Clark. Vera grabs Clark's finger and curls up against his chest, putting her thumb in her mouth.
Tabby looks sheepish. “I wasn’t sure at first. And then I went to the doctor a few weeks ago. And I was looking for a good time to mention it. You’ve been busy in the postseason. So, I figured I’d wait. And here we are.”
He glares at her. “Thanks for letting me know before the kid is born.”
Tabby stands up and puts her hands on her hips. “Sorry that I was trying to help you focus. Meanwhile, I had to hide two months of vomiting from you. So, don’t even start with me.”
I look at Clark and raise my eyebrows. Everyone else is looking everywhere but at Kent and Tabby.
“You’re sick?” Kent asks, his entire demeanor changing as he starts to walk over to his wife.
She shrugs. “I was…at first. But I’m starting to feel better this week.”
He gets down on one knee and cautiously reaches out to Tabby’s belly that’s not even showing yet. “I can’t believe it,” he whispers.
Tabby places a hand under Kent’s chin and he looks up at her in awe. Every woman at the table is now visibly swooning as he reaches out to touch Tabby’s cheek. “You’re amazing,” he says quietly.
I feel like a voyeur. I can’t look away.
Tabby grins. “Maybe it’s a boy this time,” she says.
Kent shrugs. “I don’t care if it’s a boy or a girl as long as it’s healthy. I love you, Tabby Cat,” he says as he leans up and plants a kiss on his wife’s lips. He picks her up as he stands and twirls her in a circle.
I glance over at Di who is mouthing to Garrett, “I want a baby too.” Garrett’s face goes pale but he nods. She grins. I chuckle as I elbow Clark who’s trying not to laugh too much because Vera is now falling asleep against him.