Moving to Juniper was one of the best decisions I ever made. I got my hunky fireman, and now I’ll have my little one, too.
Epilogue
Trace-Five Years Later
I’m not sure how she gets more beautiful every time I see her. It’s been five-and-a-half years, and I still feel the same spark every time she walks into the room. Paige has an amused smirk on her face because I’ve given in to our daughters again. I catch hell at the station for letting not one, but five females run my house. My wife, my twin daughters, and my two female cats. We caved, and Roger ended up with his second female cat. Little Squeaky was too much for the ornery old cat to handle, so we got Squishy to entertain her. Roger has his two girlfriends now. The cat condo is full, Roger is a happy cat, and we are overrun with females, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
My girls have invited me to play Barbie doll party, and I’m expected to dress up to attend the party. Mia and Melody gave me strict instructions, and Paige is helping with my outfit. She looks over and raises an eyebrow. “One day, you’re going to have to learn to say no. I mean, we have a cat condo, an old cat with two girlfriends, and now you’re wearing a suit to a Barbie doll party. I think this may call for an intervention.”
I stop fighting with my tie and walk over to wrap my arms around her. Her tiny baby bump presses against my stomach, and I smile. “I’ll never say no to you or our children, for the most part, until they want to date. Then it’s a solid ‘hell no, you’re joining a convent.’”
Paige laughs and helps me finish dressing before shaking her head. “You don’t want to keep the kids waiting.”
After I knock on the twins’ door, Mia calls for me to enter, and I push the door open. Poor Squishy is glaring at me from her “throne” as she sits in the Barbie living room and acts like a sofa for two dolls. Squeaky takes to her job a little easier and purrs for Melody while wrapping her paws around the Barbie doll propped in front of her chest. As Mia looks up, her bottom lip begins to tremble while she complains. “Daddy, Squishy keeps standing up and knocking over all my Barbies. She doesn’t want to be at our party.” My heart breaks in my chest, but I know it’s time to be firm.
Both girls look so much like Paige; I have a hard time telling them no. After taking Mia’s tiny hand, I pull her onto my lap. “Sweetheart, Squishy is a cat, and she may not want to play. We can’t force them, but I want to play Barbies with you, and look, Squeaky is happy to play. You know what else? I bet Mommy would play with us, too, if you asked her.”
Paige easily agrees, and the crisis is averted. After the Barbie party, we set up a movie in the family room for the girls so we can have a few minutes of down time. The two female cats run to hide out in the cat condo with Roger.
We’re discussing dinner when my mom calls and offers to come over and watch the girls so we can have a night out. Moo-Moo and Paw are missing their girls. After telling Mom I’ll talk to Paige and call her right back, I kiss my wife’s nose and smile. “Feel like a night out? Mom and Dad just offered to watch the zoo for us to go out.”
Her eyes glow as she bubbles. “Let’s do it!”