Page 178 of Too Far

“Mommy!”

“Shh,” I hush. She had ear tubes put in and her adenoids removed. She shouldnotbe screaming at her regular volume.

“Where Lanie? I want Lanie!”

“Shh,” I soothe again.

Decker hurries to my side to assist, running a soothing hand over our sweet girl’s head.

“Dylan’s still getting her ear tubes, baby. She’s almost done. She’ll be with you soon.”

“Lanie.” Delilah sniffs, followed by a pathetic “ow.”

“Try not to talk. We’ll call the nurse and see if we can get you a popsicle.”

“Wed,” she requests pathetically, wiping at her sleepy eyes. “Boo for Lanie.”

Decker cups her tiny cheek, palming half her face. He scowls as he inspects her, swiping at a bit of medical tape residue near her hairline.

“She’s fine,” Kylian assures him from the doorway. He’s squinting at a device. “Totally routine, unremarkable procedure. The surgeon will be by to say the same thing soon.”

It’s no surprise he accessed the surgery report before the doctor’s even done with our other child.

A nurse buzzes into the room, a popsicle already in hand. Thankfully, it’s red. There’s no reasoning with a toddler who sets her mind to something, especially when she shares DNA with Decker Crusade.

“She did wonderfully,” the nurse informs us, checking Delilah’s vitals and inputting the data into her chart.

“Can we hold her?” I ask.

“Of course. We already removed the IV and all the monitors. Just try not to jostle her head and neck too much.”

Decker is lifting her to his chest before the nurse has finished her instructions. He lowers to the bed, looking so large and protective with our tiny daughter in his arms.

“Dada,” she sighs, snuggling into his chest.

He holds her and soothes her, smoothing a hand over her hair and helping her rotate her popsicle so it doesn’t drip.

I shift from hip to hip for a moment, in awe, as always, by the love my guys have for our children.

Kylian appears behind me, his mouth at my ear. “You did so well, baby. You’re so strong, holding us all together. You’re an amazing mother.”

With a cleansing breath, I lean back, letting him hold me. When I release the air from my lungs, I release all the tension that has gathered over the last few hours with it. Because we made it past the worst of it.

“Where is she?” Kendrick demands from somewhere close by.

I stiffen as a bolt of adrenaline surges through my veins.

“She’s fine,” Kylian placates. “You know how he gets about his babies.”

I will my racing heart to calm, but the anxiety I had just quelled is ramping up again.

“I think Dylan will want—”

“I’ll go,” he insists, guiding me toward Decker and Delilah.

We love to tease Kylian that Lanie is actually his biological child, given the connection between the two of them. Kylian loves all our babies, but what he and Dylan share is on another level.

“I’ll text you pics, and as soon as Lilah falls asleep—in approximately ninety seconds from the look of things—you can join us.”

Relief washes over me. It’s a solid plan. I may be a good mother, but our family would be chaos without Kylian’s calm, sensible leadership.

Decker is humming to our girl, and her eyes are already closing as she lets her half-eaten popsicle rest in her mouth. Decker removes it and hands it to a nurse, then wraps both arms protectively around our little girl.

“I love you,” Kylian whispers in my ear. He approaches the bed, kisses Delilah on the head, and repeats the sentiment to her.