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Story: Between the Stars

“Not a goddamn thing,” he assures me, dipping down to catch my lips. “Even when I almost lost you to him.”

I notice he’s never called Griff by his name. Not once. But then it hits me. He wouldn’t do any of it over again? That surprised me. “Really? You wouldn’t?”

“I wouldn’t.”

“Why?”

His eyes glitter with emotion. “Because experiencing loss and heartache is the only way to truly appreciate happiness.”

“And this is happiness,” I assure him, knowing there’s never anywhere else I want to be.

That is, until my water breaks. Right here on the freaking dance floor on the day we got married.

Jace stops, looks at the puddle between my legs and blows out a breath. “At least I’ll only have one date to remember our anniversary and their birthdays.”

I gape at him, and then burst out laughing.

CHAPTER41

Unforgettable

JACE

So this is what forever feels like.

I thinkI heard this in a song, or maybe a phrase said by my grandfather while thinking of the love of his life. The words were:I don’t wanna go to heaven when heaven’s in my arms.

That’s exactly my thought when I hold Neven and Nora in my arms for the first time. As the sunrise glows through the windows, I bask in… well, love. Because it’s burning through me.

I have a daughter and a son. Creations of Abbi and me together. Our love passed on.

And our love screaming their ever-loving heads off.

“I think I should have rethought these ceilings. Man, their crying really carries.”

Abbi smiles, rocking Neven back and forth. She doesn’t care that he hates everything, she’s all smiles at 3:00 a.m. “It’s normal. What’s not normal is every time I cough, I pee my pants.”

I stare at her, blinking slowly. “Why?”

“I don’t know. My vagina muscles are lazy.”

I laugh, though it’s not appreciated. “Sounds awful. For me too.”

Abbi glares at me. “If you want back in there anytime soon, you’ll take back that statement.”

“I take it back.” I don’t have the energy to argue. I yawn and rock Nora back and forth. Though she’s tamer than her brother, I’m waiting for her to show her true colors. Like a dalmatian getting their spots with age, I know her mean streak is coming. She has fire-red hair like her mama. It’s coming all right. “Are you sure the crying is normal?” I ask over Neven’s wails, my ears ringing.

“Yes, they cry.” She yawns, forcing her eyes open wider. “Even when they don’t want anything. It’s normal.”

I scratch the side of my head and attempt to try the swaddling again. “Weird.”

As I wrap our baby girl in the soft pink swaddle that resembles a straitjacket, her brow scrunches in a pout. Any minute she’s going to join her brother in his anthem of unhappiness.

Not more than two seconds later, she’s crying.

“Okay, little girl. Let’s try something else.” I scoop her up into my arms and walk outside onto the covered wraparound porch surrounding our home. Water cascades in sheets off the metal roof splashing onto the french gutters in the ground. It soaks my bare feet and jeans, but it’s like walking through a warm bath. Thunder rolls through the hills as Nora’s cries begin to subside. I hold her close to my chest, her tiny fragile body relaxing at the sounds of my breathing and voice when I whisper against her head, “Daddy’s got you.”

My eyes catch Abbi’s as she rocks Neven, his mouth attached to her breast. My wife’s beauty has never been more apparent as it is now.

I look up at the sky, stars glittering the horizon as the Darth joins me and lays down, like he can’t stand the crying any longer either.

I glance down at him. “You bite me and I’m taking you to the desert and leaving your ass.”

He doesn’t bother lifting his head.

Sitting in the rocking chair, I lean back and hold Nora closer. She settles into sleep as Abbi joins me with Neven, his belly full and finally sleeping. She smiles at me. “Worth it?”

I glance at the stars again. “Absolutely.”

The End