And me, I love being a mom. More than I ever thought I would. Sometimes the public might think I’m not the best mom in the world, but to Seven, I’m the greatest mom that ever lived.
“Mommy, why do you look so tired?” Seven asks me in concern. “Dad? Daddy?” He’s scared, and I pick myself up more against the bed.
Akara tells him, “She just brought your baby brother into the world.”
“She’s alright, champ,” Banks says.
“You want to see him?” I ask.
He nods, then grows much quieter seeing the baby in Akara’s hands. He places our newborn back on my chest. Banks lets our five-year-old down.
Seven crawls onto the bed beside me, and I watch Akara go to the windows. He peeks out of the blinds, and he slips Banks a cautious glance. Guns are holstered on their waistband, right next to radios. A mic cord runs behind their necks, earpieces in.
Paparazzi must be swarming the hospital. I let them worry about how the fuck we’re leaving.
“Gentle,” I breathe to our five-year-old. “He’s very fragile. He just took his first breath not too fucking long ago, okay?”
Seven hugs onto me first. “You’re not hurt, are you, Mommy?”
My fucking heart. “I’m okay.” I kiss the top of his head.
Seven has my eye color. Those pools of green look a little more tentative, which is strange for him. He has the Meadows’ thrill-seeking, fearless gene.
Inquisitively, he eyes the newborn who stretches out his hand and yawns.
“This is Blue Meadows,” I tell him, “your baby brother.”
Seven has tears in his eyes. “He’s so small.”
“What’d I say?” Banks smacks Akara’s chest, and we all laugh.
This wasn’t an accidental pregnancy. Blue Moretti Meadows was planned. We got pregnant not too long after I came home from the Summer Games in Athens last year.
My third time at the Olympics.
Banks and Akara return to the bed. They rest their palms on my shoulder, my hands, and we watch as Seven edges closer to our newborn.
He holds Blue’s little hand, and he whispers very quietly, “I’m your big brother, Blue. I’ll always take care of you.” He talks on about showing Blue his toy cars and playing with his cousins, and how much fun they’ll have together—and there isn’t a dry eye between the three of us.
We’re all crying.
Brotherhood—it’s a powerful thing. They know that well. Banks and Akara understand the love of brothers, some formed by time and duty, some formed by blood.
I wipe my face, and Banks and Akara kiss my wet cheeks. While we watch our sons meet, I smile more and more through the deep tidal wave of emotion that swells underneath us. That carries us forward. Onward.
Forever.
And very strongly, I breathe, “My Meadows boys.”
GBANewYork.com – May 3rd
Sullivan Meadows & Husbands Welcome Second Child
Sullivan Meadows, the twenty-seven-year-old Olympic swimmer, gave birth earlier today to a healthy baby boy, Blue Moretti Meadows. Her husbands Akara Meadows & Banks Meadows were lovingly at her side. They’re expected to bring their newborn home to their residence in Philadelphia soon. Blue is the triad’s second child, as Sullivan Meadows notoriously gave birth to a son five-years ago in a highly publicized pregnancy.
Blue’s birth comes a year after Sullivan Meadows dominated the Summer Olympics in Athens. She took home six gold medals in women’s swimming. With three Olympics under her belt, Meadows has a total of thirteen golds, two silvers—fifteen medals overall. She is currently the most decorated female swimmer in history. After being asked whether she’ll be back for the next Summer Games, Meadows replied to GBA News, “If I can swim, I’ll fucking swim. I’m not stopping until I have to.”
Sullivan Meadows is universally regarded as one of the greatest swimmers of all time.
Thank you!
Thank you so much for reading Infamous Like Us!
We hope you enjoyed the final installment in Sulli, Akara, and Banks’ romance. To say these three have our hearts is an understatement. But don’t worry! More in the Like Us series is on the way. The triad will be back as side characters along with all your favorites from the series in Book 11!
MISFITS LIKE US - BOOK 11
Luna Hale & Paul Donnelly
All caught up on the Like Us series but still craving more from Maximoff & Farrow, Jane & Thatcher, Oscar & Jack, and Sulli, Akara & Banks? If you’re the kind of reader that wants to revisit your favorite characters and keep updated on their whereabouts, our Patreon is the place for you! We have bonus scenes, podcasts, and behind-the-scene snippets from the entire Like Us series — featuring all your favorite characters (including side characters!). And there is new content releasing…Every. Single. Month! It’s all available on our Patreon!
Signing up to our Patreon gets you access to all the past bonus scenes (over 300,000 words of material — the size of 3 books!), podcasts, and extras, plus the new content for the month.
Thank you so much for continuing this Like Us series journey with us. We are at Book 10. About to be on Book 11! It’s been a wild ride so far, but this saga isn’t over yet. We’re so very grateful for your continued interest in these characters and the world. We write long series because we love them, and we’re so happy to find readers who love them too.
All the love,
xoxo Krista & Becca
Also by Krista & Becca
ADDICTED SERIES
Addicted to You
Ricochet
Addicted for Now
Thrive
Addicted After All
The Addicted Series Box Set
BAD REPUTATION DUET
Whatever It Takes
Wherever You Are
CALLOWAY SISTERS SERIES
Kiss the Sky
Hothouse Flower
Fuel the Fire
Long Way Down
Some Kind of Perfect
CIRCUS IS FAMILY SERIES
The Failed Audition
The Secret Ex-Boyfriend
LIKE US SERIES
Damaged Like Us
Lovers Like Us
Alphas Like Us
Tangled Like Us
Sinful Like Us
Headstrong Like Us
Charming Like Us
Wild Like Us
Fearless Like Us
Infamous Like Us
Misfits Like Us
Unlucky Like Us
Nobody Like Us
For the most updated list of our books, please visit our website: www.kbritchie.com
About the Authors
Krista & Becca Ritchie are New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors and identical twins—one a science nerd, the other a comic book geek—but with their shared passion for writing, they combined their mental powers as kids and have never stopped telling stories. They love superheroes, flawed characters, and soul mate love.