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Keelan | Three Years Later

" H ey! Who said this is where your shoes go!" I say, tripping over yet another pair of chucks left at the bottom of the stairs.

"Sorry, Dad!" One of the twins, I'm sure it was Alex, runs up the stairs, brushing past me.

"You okay?" Rina says, setting her laptop on the kitchen island and watching me.

"Yeah, we just need a sign on the steps that says Wild Shoes. Trip Hazard Ahead . That way, I can't get sued for anyone that might fall down those stairs."

She chuckles to herself and wraps her arms around my waist.

"Which is why you are not allowed to go up there," I say, placing a hand on her growing belly.

"Hey, Dad!" That one is Ivan. I'm almost sure of it.

"Yeah, Ivan?"

"Have you seen my shoes?"

I was right.

Rina holds back a laugh. "You totally guessed that, didn't you?"

I smile at her. "As a matter of fact, I have," I say, bending down to pick up one of the pairs of shoes.

Ivan appears at the top of the steps, dark curls falling onto his face. He races down the stairs and reaches for the shoes.

I pull them away. "Why do you need them?"

He huffs. "Tio said he's coming by with something really cool."

I look at Rina. "What is it?'

She shrugs. "Izzy called saying they were coming by with something for us."

I give my excited soon-to-be five-year-old son his shoes. "Okay, okay."

The twins were three when we adopted them. Rina and I knew the second we laid eyes on them they were going to be our kids. One was quiet and reserved, and the other was wild and excitable.

I instantly loved them both.

And just as luck would have it, we established our little family, and not even a year later, we found out Rina was pregnant. We were happy. But given our experience, we took each day as it came, grateful that we would forever be happy with our little family as it was.

But as the months passed and Rina grew, so did our love for the little girl growing inside her. Now, she's due next week. And even if she were to have the baby tomorrow, it would be okay.

The boys are looking forward to their Christmas baby, as they call her, and I wake up every day relieved that this is our life. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

There's a honk in the driveway, and Alex screams from the top of the stairs, "It's them! Oh my god, it's them."

I go to the front, and there, right in our roundabout driveway, is a party bus. Another two of them are parked behind it.

"Whaaaaat?" I say.

The doors open, and Ryker, Izzy, and Stella all come out of the first bus, followed by a bunch of the other teammates and their families.

"What in the world is all this?" Rina asks, standing at my side.

"Well, since you're too pregnant to go to the after-party tonight," Izzy says. "We wanted to bring the party to you."

"One last hurrah before baby comes," Ryker adds.

"But guys," I look at my wife. "Rina hates parties." I turn to her. "I honestly… I don't know what got into them."

Rina looks at me, blinking.

"What?"

"You told them to bring the party buses, didn't you?"

"I mean…"

She slaps me on the chest. "Keelan Landry! I swear you have a serious problem."

"Okay, I was going to have FOMO, I do admit that. But Ri, I've been at every single one since we started this thing."

Our driveway is filling up with kids and teammates.

"One last party. I swear, and then…" I motion with my fingers silence.

" One last party, man child."

The boys are already out the door and running into the bus with their cousin.

Izzy walks up to Rina. "The party will stay outside, okay? That was the deal." She points to me. "Right?"

"Right," I say.

Izzy bends down and says something to Rina's belly. She does every time she sees her best friend.

"So are you staying or…" I hook my thumb over my shoulder and wait for my wife to decide what she wants to do.

"You go. I'll just watch from here," she says decidedly.

"Okay." I give her a peck on the cheek and follow close behind my sons.

In the yard, my kids are already the center of attention, breakdancing the best they can while Stella dances around them.

The neighbors will probably complain about the noise.

But this has always been my dream. To dance. To laugh. To enjoy life with the people I call my family.

And that's how I always hope it will be.

The love doesn’t end here…

If you love these characters—go read Ryker and Izzy’s story in Pucked Together . It’s a brother’s best friend, grumpy goalie meets sassy team photographer romance with all the laughs and love from our Heatwave boys.