“I want to see,” Remi said, standing on his tiptoes trying to get a look.
“Let’s sit on the couch so Remi can meet her, too,” Daniel said.
Avaleigh nodded and in moments she was seated with Remi on one side talking to his new sister telling her how he’d always protect her and how she could sleep in his room any time she wanted to, and Daniel very gently unwrapping Angelle where she lay on Avaleigh’s thighs, so he could count her fingers and toes.
Kaid and Delilah shared a look then Delilah walked over and leaned down so she could kiss Avaleigh’s cheek. “I love you. Congratulations.”
“I love you, too, Delilah,” Avaleigh looked up and said.
“Congratulations, Daniel,” Delilah said, reaching out and touching his shoulder, before hugging Remi. “Take care of your sister, little Dragon,” Delilah said.
“I will,” Remi answered, looking up at Delilah as he beamed a megawatt smile at her. “Thank you for our baby,” he said excitedly.
“You’re very welcome,” Delilah said. Delilah stepped back to where Kaid waited. Kaid winked at Avaleigh when she glanced up at him, as he placed the baby carrier on the floor near the front door. Then he and Delilah quietly slipped out of the door, so Avaleigh, Daniel, and Remi could all get to know the baby, and the baby them, without anyone else around.
“They’re already in love with her,” Kaid said, as they walked toward their own home.
“Yes, they are. And what a great idea to keep Remi home from school so he could be included,” Delilah said.
“Yeah, I agree,” Kaid answered.
“You know? Every time I watch Avaleigh mothering, I wonder if perhaps my own mother would have been like Avaleigh, given the chance,” Delilah said.
“I have no doubt that your mother would have been every bit as loving, fierce, and nurturing to you as Avaleigh is to her children,” Kaid said firmly.
“How do you know?” Delilah asked.
“Because I see the same things in you when you are mothering our baby. You are a fantastic mother, Delilah. An amazing Mate, and a spectacular female. All of that is because of who you are in here,” he said, tapping her chest where her heart lay. “Some of it’s learned, yeah. But a lot of it is who you are, who you were made to be, which tells me that your parents must have been amazing people as well,” Kaid said.
Delilah leaned on Kaid as they slowly made their way up the steps and into their home. “I love you, my Bear.”
“I love you, too, Monster.”
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
Avaleigh sat on her sofa and smiled as Remi made his way around the room offering everyone a sandwich, or chips and dip. He was thrilled that his Mama finally got a baby party and didn’t seem to mind in the least that all the gifts were building supplies and gift cards to building supply stores.
He settled in beside her to talk to Angelle and let his new sister grip his finger as he spoke to her.
“So, we figured since the whole point of this party was to make a bigger place for your family, we’d give the newest member of your family a gift,” Maverik said. He looked toward Valerie who handed him what looked like a frame that had been boxed. “This is for Angelle, for when she gets older and has questions.”
Avaleigh accepted the gift and unwrapped it curiously, wondering what the heck Maverik could have thought of for Angelle. She found a scrapbook inside a box. It was decorated with pretty flowers and lace, around one simple word — ‘ME’. Avaleigh glanced at Maverik who looked back at her solemnly, waiting to see if what he and Valerie had done was okay.
Avaleigh opened the book and right away she sighed and got emotional. “Oh, Maverik. Valerie, what a wonderful idea.”
“What is it?” Remi asked, looking at the book from beside her.
Avaleigh kept turning pages until she got to the very end.
“We left the rest of it empty, so you can add things like the first day she came home photos, and as she grows up photos,” Valerie said.
“It’s perfect. It’s such a beautiful gift,” Avaleigh said.
“What is it?” Remi insisted again.
“It’s a book that has pictures of Angelle’s birth mommy and her birth daddy,” Avaleigh said, showing Remi.
“And it’s got all the information on them both that we could find on the internet. That way if she ever has questions, she has a good starting point, and she’ll know that she was loved by everybody, even them,” Valerie said.
“I contributed the bands she and her mother wore at the hospital,” Delilah said.
“I saw those,” Avaleigh said, hugging the book to her. “She’ll love this. I have no doubt that it will become one of her most treasured possessions.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Maverik said, going to Avaleigh and hugging her tight. “Love you,” he said, kissing the top of her head.
“I love you, too, Mav,” Avaleigh said, looking up at him. It was clear to everyone there that he and Avaleigh shared a special bond. She had a unique bond with each of them, but Maverik was the only one that had stood with her when she was still attempting to reject Daniel, and she’d never forgotten that.
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
The next day Avaleigh sat rocking Angelle as she sang softly to her to help her drift off to sleep. She was a good baby, who preferred sleeping and eating over everything except going outside with her parents or Remi. As soon as she was sleeping soundly, Avaleigh stood and made her way to Remi’s bedroom. He’d insisted that the bassinet be placed in his room until Angelle had her own room. Avaleigh laid her in the bassinet, then covered her with a light blanket. She smiled down on the sleeping child as she smoothed her hand over the baby’s hair. She never imagined she and Daniel would be blessed with two children — but they had been. They were both still in a state of euphoria over her arrival.
As Avaleigh turned to leave the room, her gaze fell on a small, ceramic, faerie godmother ornament complete with a golden cord, that was hanging beside the bassinet having been securely mounted to the wall. Avaleigh kissed the tips of her fingers and blew a kiss to the ornament. “Thank you,” she whispered. This ornament held some of Angelle’s mother’s ashes. Rather than have her buried among strangers in the cemetery in town, Delilah had chosen to have her cremated. Her ashes were placed in an ornate urn and given to Avaleigh for safe keeping until Angelle was an adult and could keep them herself. All except for a small amount that Delilah had placed inside the faerie godmother ornament that would hang forevermore in Angelle’s room when it was finished, so that Angelle could always watch over her daughter. Avaleigh looked across the room at her daughter sleeping soundly, then she left the room and turned the light off behind her, making sure to take the receiver for the baby monitor with her so she could hear Angelle when she woke.
Avaleigh walked back into the living room and winced at the sound of nail guns and power tools buzzing. She opened the door carefully and peeked out before walking out on her small front porch. Since their welcome party for Angelle the night after she came home, they’d amassed all they needed to complete the renovation so jumped right on it rather than waiting.
“Hello, love,” Daniel called out cheerily from his place on a ladder.
“Hello,” she answered.
“Angelle asleep?” he asked.
“Sound asleep,” Avaleigh said. “She could sleep through a hurricane, I think.”
“That’s a good thing around here,” Maverik commented.
Avaleigh stood on the porch with her hands on her hips watching all her boys in different stages of building the frame of the addition to their house. The plan was to build it, close it in, then tear down the original exterior and remove it before finishing the inside of the extension.
“So, you guys hungry?” Avaleigh asked.
“Oh, yeah,” Bane answered.
“What cha making us?” Bam asked.
“What would you like?” Avaleigh asked.
“Fried chicken,” Kaid said.
“Oh, ye
ah! With some mashed potatoes and gravy,” Goldy added.
“I can do that. Give me about an hour and we’ll be eating,” she said, smiling at them all.
“Thank you guys for doing this. I appreciate each of you so much,” Avaleigh said.
“We appreciate you, too. Always have. Remember all of us sleeping in your bed because nobody wanted to go home and be left out,” Bam said.
“Wait, what?” Daniel asked.
Bane snorted. “Should have been here, Dragon. Good times,” he said, nodding his head. “Good times.”
“I want to know about everybody sleeping in my Mate’s bed,” Daniel insisted, only halfway kidding.
“Don’t be jealous, my love. I didn’t know you then,” Avaleigh said. “And besides, all we did was sleep.”
“Every night?” Daniel asked, looking around at all his clan brothers.
“Well, pretty much. Unless she kicked some of us out and then we slept beside the bed or on the sofa,” Goldy said. “But, yeah, every night.”
“How did you ever sleep with all these bodies in your way?” Daniel said, shaking his head with a smile on his face.
Avaleigh shrugged. “They’re my boys.”
Chapter 10
Halloween Night
“Bane? Are you about ready?” Janie called.
“Almost,” Bane replied, looking at his reflection in the full length mirror in his and Janie’s bedroom. His expression was less than thrilled as he lifted a foot and glared at the huge rabbit’s foot he wore. “This is so not cool,” he mumbled.
“Bane?” Janie called. “They’re ready, been ready, I can’t keep them still much longer.”
“I know. I’m coming, heart,” he answered defeatedly. He tried a bright smile on his face and decided it was enough to fool his kids into thinking he was enjoying himself, and opened the door to go join his family.
The huge rabbit’s feet he wore thumped as he made his way up the hallway to the living room. The moment his gaze fell on his family, his smile went from fake to real. They looked great, and were so excited to go trick-or-treating.
“Ya’ll look awesome,” he said, taking the time to look at each of them in turn.
“Do I look like the Mad Hatter?” Daisy asked, turning in a circle to show off her black and white checkered tutu skirt and the matching top with tuxedo lapels. She lifted her hands to her top hat to bring attention to it. “Look, I have a clock and rabbit ears on my hat!” she said excitedly.
“You look amazing. You are the best Mad Hatter I’ve ever seen,” Bane encouraged.
“And Mama gave me a real teacup to carry around upside down,” Daisy said, smiling and holding it out for Bane to see.
“That just adds to the perfection,” Bane agreed.
“I look dumb,” Brandt said, holding out his arms. “Until, I do this!” he said, opening his mouth and hissing while showing off his glow in the dark vampire teeth.
“Whoa!” Bane said, taking a few steps back. “You scared me! I wasn’t sure it was you. That’s a great costume. You make people think you’re this crazy grinning cat, then at the last minute you become vampire grinning cat! That has got to be the only Vampire Cheshire Cat costume in the whole existence of the entire world!” Bane said enthusiastically.
“Yep,” Brandt agreed, then walked over to grab his Halloween bag.
Daisy rushed over to get her own Halloween bag, and Janie walked over to Bane. “And do I look like Alice?” she said, placing her hands on his biceps, or at least where they should have been if the costume wasn’t so large and enhanced. Janie smiled seductively up at Bane.
“Alice keeps being naughty, she may need a bit of a spanking later,” Bane whispered, before smoothing a hand over the swell of her bottom while the kids were otherwise preoccupied.
“Promises, promises,” Janie teased.
“Oh, it’s not a promise. It’s a date,” Bane said on a soft growl while he let his gaze travel from her head to her toes and back again. “Damn,” Bane said. “Didn’t realize how much I loved Alice in Wonderland.”
“I know!” Daisy said. “Isn’t it the best idea?”
“It is,” Bane agreed. “And it’s time, we’re late, so everybody got everything?”
“We got our light up punkin necklaces,” Brandt said, looking down at the flashing pumpkins that hung almost to his waist.
“And our bags,” Daisy added.
“And the extra bags and a flashlight,” Janie said.
“Then, let’s go. We got candy to collect,” Bane said, bringing up the rear as they all ran for the door.
“We’re taking our own vehicle, so go ahead and get in. We’ll drive up to Uncle Kaid’s and wait for everyone else,” Bane instructed.
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
Bam stood in front of his home watching Analise twirl in her blue velvet Merida costume, with the glow in the dark Halloween necklace. “You look great, my baby. You might really be Merida!” he said.
“Even with the orange pumpkins?” Analise asked.
“Especially with the orange pumpkins,” he answered. “They accentuate your pretty hair and your smile,” he said, nodding decisively.
“Okay,” she said, looking down at the glowing necklace that hung from her neck. Delilah had bought two dozen of the glow in the dark necklaces and insisted that everyone have at least one so that they’d all be easily seen in the dark as they trick-or-treated.
“I could have really been Merida,” Analise said, pulling her long, red curls from her face as she came to a stop from her last spin. “I’m brave. Aren’t I, Daddy?” she asked.
“You are. You’re the best kind of brave. You think about things first instead of just rushing in. That shows intelligence.” Bam said, smiling at his daughter. She was cautious about most things, preferring to sit back and watch before she made any move or decisions. But once she decided she was going to go with any one thing, no matter what it was, she was all in. She was cautiously brave as Bam liked to put it. She was also very thoughtful, kind and loyal.
“Okay,” Everly called out as the front door opened. “We’re ready,” she said, walking out on the porch pushing Emmalyn’s stroller.
“Wow,” Bam said, taking a moment to admire his wife in her costume. “You’re so pretty, my Ever. You’re just like a picture.”
Everly smiled at Bam, her heart fluttering at his compliment just like it always did, just like the first time he ever spoke to her. “I hoped you’d like it.” She smoothed her hands on the fitted green velvet evening gown she’d bought at Dillard’s to wear as her costume as Merida’s mother. It had a sweetheart neckline and small shoulder sleeves with a tight fit all the way down to her calves where it became more voluminous. She’d hesitated to buy it, but Bam had insisted that Everly could always wear it for a special occasion later on. Bam didn’t care why she wanted to buy it — costume or not — just that she did buy it, because she looked so beautiful in the dress.
“I do,” he said. “Wow,” he repeated just standing there looking at his Mate with a goofy grin on his face. She’d taken golden twine and had worked it through the two thin braids she’d put in the front of her hair, then brought to the back and caught up with a barrette so the braids more or less crowned her. She’d planned to do the same with Analise, but Lise had refused, wanting to leave her curls wild and unruly.
“Daddy, look at Emmalyn. She looks just like a baby bear. Except for the pacifier,” Analise said, turning her head sideways to try to better see Emmalyn. She was kicked back with one leg propped over the side of the stroller seat, and wearing a furry, brown bear suit onesie, and a plastic bear mask, with eye, nose and mouth cutouts. And through the mouth one, she was sucking on her pacifier while banging on her stroller with a handful of plastic keys on a ring.
Bam grinned at his youngest. She was going to be the roughhouser of the two. She was like Analise in stature in build, but had no hesitations about anything. She’d be the one that would jump up and say ‘I’ll do it’ anytime
someone said, ‘What if we…’. The child had no fear.
“Aren’t you just the cutest little baby bear?” Bam asked, walking forward to lift the stroller she was riding in and carry it down the porch steps. He was careful not to dislodge the orange lighted pumpkins that Everly had strung on the stroller to make it easier to see in the dark.
Emmalyn grinned at her daddy and let the pacifier fall from her lips.
“That’s better!” Analise said. “Bears don’t have pacifiers.”
“They might,” Everly said, walking up and taking Emmalyn from Bam so he could put the stroller in the back of their SUV. “If they really, really wanted one.”
Everly strapped Emmalyn into her car seat, then waited while Analise climbed up into the vehicle and got herself settled in her own car seat so she could strap her in, too.
“Do you have your trick-or-treat bag, Lise?” Everly asked.
“I do, Mama,” Analise answered.
“I wonder if Maverik’s going to be on time getting the twins and all ready,” Bam mentioned to Everly as he placed the SUV in gear and drove away from his home.
“Havoc is already ready,” Analise said as she fingered the glowing pumpkins and popped a lollipop into her mouth.
“How do you know that?” Everly asked, looking back at her daughter.
Analise shrugged. “I don’t know. Just do. He looks scary, but not too scary because he knows I don’t like scary.”
“Well, okay, then,” Everly said, turning back around to face forward and glancing over at Bam who was already looking at her with his eyebrows raised.
“Told you,” Bam said.
“I didn’t doubt you. Just not sure it’s a good thing. There are a lot of wild years coming,” Everly explained. “I just don’t want her to get her heart broken.”
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