Mending Heart |18+|

Bonus Chapter 3

Get With the Program

"Sometimes the most shocking surprises are also the most beautiful surprises."

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[3 years later]

"Asher, stop running!" I shouted after the twins, bouncing a cranky one-year old River on my hip. "Parker!"

I swear to God, these kids were going to be the death of me.

"Your brothers are crazy," I cooed at River, planting a soft kiss on his nose. "Yes they are. And they're going to drive mommy crazy too!"

When Ethan suggested we should try for another baby after the twins' first birthday, I thought why the hell not? A big family was something I always longed for when I was younger, and the twins were angels. Or so I thought.

As soon as they started walking, my adorable green-eyes babies went from angels to daredevils.

Drawings on the walls.

Broken toys.

Furniture broken.

Although I would never admit it out loud, I'm not sure if I would have agreed to more kids if the twins started acting this way before I got pregnant again. Of course Ethan was as supportive as ever, but there was only so much he could do in the middle of the night when River was screaming his head off because he wanted me to hold him.

While the twins were dependent on each other, River was a mama's boy through and through. Not that I was complaining – because at the end of the day, there was nothing better than having him fall asleep in my arms.

"Are you ready for your playdate with Jennifer?" I asked an oblivious River, finally reaching the bottom of the stairs. I really should talk to Ethan about a house with less stairs. It was exhausting carrying a twenty-five pound baby in your arms all day. Every time I set him down, River would scream bloody murder.

His face was scrunched up in concentration as he continued to fumble with the toy car in his hands. "You look real excited, buddy." I laughed, swinging the door open.

"Eric is never allowed to go away ever again." Megan let out a frustrated groan as her son Julian ran past me.

"Julian –" She called after him, stepping inside. "How many times have I told you not to run in other people's homes!"

"Do you need help?" I cocked an eyebrow, watching her struggle to balance Jennifer's car seat and diaper bag.

"I need wine." Megan glared at me, walking straight towards the living room.

"It's 11 AM, Megan." I laughed, setting River down on the floor. I watched as his little feet carried him towards where the other boys were playing in the playroom. Megan and I probably had ten minutes of peace and quiet before someone tried to poke their eyes out – we might as well enjoy it. 

"God, I forgot what it was like to take care of a newborn." Megan collapsed on the couch, baby Jennifer still sound asleep in her car seat.

"She can't be that bad." I replied, taking a seat across from her. I had yet to change out of my pajamas for the day, my hair was loosely tied in a bun, and there was two-day-old spit up on my shirt. All in all, I'd say this was a major improvement from earlier in the week.

"Kenzie," Megan deadpanned, and it was then that I really saw the exhaustion on her face. The longer I scanned her face, the more pronounced the bags under her eyes became and she too looked like she hadn't showered in a few days. "She won't stop crying! No matter what I do, she just won't stop crying at night. Last night, I had to call my mom to come stay with Julian while I drove her around for three hours. Three hours!"