Anything for Her Family
Page 17
Laughing, Jared wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, covering her mouth in a kiss that sealed and confirmed their love.
“Jared?” she murmured against his lips. He groaned, pulling her closer, aching with need.
“Mmm…what?”
“Do you suppose we could get to work on the first dozen pretty soon?”
Jared laughed, hugging her tight. “You’ve got a deal, Nat.” He kissed her again, his heart full. “A definite deal.”
Epilogue
Three months later
“Dad, what’s an anniversity?” Terry struggled with the tails of his dress shirt, trying without much success to tuck them into his pants. He wished he could have worn his favorite T-shirt, but his mom had said this was a special anniversity party and he had to dress up.
“Anniversary, Son,” Jared corrected, stepping into the twins’ bedroom to help them dress. “It’s like a birthday, except it’s a party to celebrate a special occasion. In this case, we’re celebrating when your mom and I got married three months ago.” It was hard to believe, Jared thought with a smile. It had been the most wonderful months of his life. He glanced at the boys, then smiled. The most wonderful months of all their lives.
“So do you get presents and stuff?” Timmy asked, frowning as he tried to button his own shirt. He missed a button, making the shirttails uneven. One side wouldn’t fit into his pants.
Jared laughed. “Yeah, I guess so.” Gently, he hauled Timmy to him and quickly rebuttoned his shirt, helping him tuck it into his pants. With a quick kiss to his son’s cheek, he stood, going to the dresser to get a comb.
“Ah jeez, do we gotta comb our hair, too?” Terry complained with a scowl, bouncing on his bed. “I hate combing my hair.”
“Yeah, I know, Son,” Jared said, trying not to smile, “but it will make your mom happy.”
“All right,” Terry said, willing to do anything to make his mom happy. She was so cool. It was fun having a mom again. A real mom this time.
“Dad?” Timmy sat on the bed next to his brother. “Is Uncle Jake and Uncle Josh coming for the anniversity party?”
“Yep, even Aunt Rebecca.” Jared pulled Timmy into place so he could comb his hair.
“Ah, she’s a girl,” Terry complained. “She’s no fun.”
“You know,” Jared said carefully, his chest full of pride, “when Mom has our baby, it could be a girl.”
“Nah, never,” Terry said. “We don’t want any smelly girls in the house, do we, Timmy?”
“Nah, no girls, Dad.” Timmy glanced up at his father.
Terry scrubbed at his itchy nose, then ran a hand through his hair, mussing it again. “Can’t you talk to Mom and ask her for a boy baby?”
“Well…” Jared said, trying not to laugh. “I’ll ask her, but I’m not sure Mom has any say in it.”
“Ask me what?” Natalie asked with a smile, pushing the boys’ door open and stepping into the room. Quickly, her gaze lovingly went over her sons and then shifted to her husband. Her heart filled with love and joy.
“Mom, Timmy and I don’t want a girl baby. We want a boy baby, okay?”
Natalie laid a hand to her stomach, which seemed to be growing bigger with each passing day. Just as it had with the boys.
“And how much longer till we get the baby?” Timmy asked, scratching his own nose. “It’s been forever.”
Natalie laughed, then bent and sat down on the bed next to Terry. Timmy escaped his father’s comb and climbed up next to her on the other side, snuggling close.
She glanced up at Jared, saw his smile and smiled in return. “Well, it’s going to be about six more months, probably.”
“Ah jeez, what’s taking so long? I wanted to take the baby to school for show and tell,” Terry complained. “I promised all the guys I’d bring my new brother.”
“So you want another brother,” Natalie said, wrapping an arm around each of her sons and drawing them close.
“Yep,” Terry said.
“And what about you?” Natalie asked, turning to Timmy with a smile.
“I…I’d like another brother, too.”
She glanced up at her husband, her heart filled with love. “And what about you, Daddy? What do you want?”
Jared grinned at her. “A healthy baby, Nat. Our baby. That’s all that’s important.”
“Well…” she began slowly. “I was going to tell you this later, after dinner—”
“Tell me what?” Instantly worried, Jared moved closer to her, going down on one knee on the floor so they were at eye level. “Are you okay, Nat? You went to the doctor this morning, and with the dinner tonight and all, we haven’t really had a chance to talk.” He glanced at the boys. Privately, he added silently.
She laughed at the worry on his face, worry fueled by love, the kind of love she’d never thought she’d ever have. Her heart swelled just a bit more.
“I’m fine, honey,” she said, reaching for his hand. “Just fine.” She turned to her sons. “Well, boys, you’ll be happy to know that the baby is a boy—”
Whoops of joy filled the air as the twins bounced and high-fived each other across her growing lap.
“Easy, easy, guys.” Worried they might hurt Nat, Jared took each twin by his hand, setting them on their feet next to him. But he couldn’t contain a grin of pure masculine pride as his gaze met his wife’s. “So it is a boy?”
“Yep,” she said with a laugh, knowing that in spite of Jared’s claim that he didn’t care about the sex of the baby, he, too, had wanted a boy. He wanted his own Ryan clan, just like his grandfather Tommy had. “But there’s not going to be just one baby boy, hon.”
Confused, he searched her face with his eyes. “What do you mean?”
Natalie sighed, placing a hand on her belly, where the babies were rambunctiously vying for space. “Apparently, according to the doctor, we’re going to have two baby boys.”
Jared merely stared at her for a moment. “Twins? We’re going to have twins?”
She nodded slowly. “Yep.” She rubbed a hand over her belly again. “Twin boys, from what the doctor tells me.”
“You mean we’re getting two brothers instead of just one?” Terry asked, wriggling in front of his father to see his mom.
“That’s right, honey.”
“And no smelly girl sisters?”
“Nope, honey, not this time, I’m afraid.”
Terry grinned. “Cool.”
“Yeah, cool,” Timmy added.
“Do…do you mind, honey?” Natalie asked, her gaze going to Jared’s.
“Mind?” Jared grabbed her and lifted her into the air, twirling her in a circle before remembering her condition. Gently, he set her down on her feet, keeping his arms around her. “Twins. Nat, there isn’t anything—not anything—that could make me happier.” His gaze softened as he drew her closer. “I love you, honey.” He laid his forehead against hers. “I love you so much.”
“Oh, Jared.” She lifted her arms and circled them around his neck. “And I love you, too. I’ve never been happier in my life.”
Terry rolled his eyes. “Yuck, they’re gonna start kissing again.” He turned to his brother. “They’re always kissing,” he complained. “Let’s go find Grandpop and tell him we’re each getting a brother.”
Jared and Natalie watched the twins race out of the room. “Our children,” Jared said with a smile.
“Our boys,” Natalie added, nestling closer to her husband and laying his hand on her belly. “Four of them,” she added, glancing up at him. “Jared, I’d like to name one of the babies Jesse.” Her gaze searched his, not sure how he’d react.
His throat swelled with tears, with love. “Oh, Nat, nothing would please me more.”
“I…I know it can never make up for the brother you lost, but—”
He squeezed her hand. “I love the idea, hon.” He lifted her hand for a kiss. “Thank you. I love you, Nat.”
“I love you, too, honey.”
> “Let’s go celebrate our anniversary, and our family.” Taking her hand, Jared led her out of the boys’ bedroom, his heart soaring, knowing that no matter what, they were and always would be…a family.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-1362-3
ANYTHING FOR HER FAMILY
Copyright © 2002 by Sharon De Vita
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