A Midsummer's Caress

Chapter 32

A slow two years had passed since the birth of little Kian. Willow was almost five years old and was starting Kindergarten in the fall and was very excited about going to "big girl school". Kian was a rambunctious two year old who absolutely looked up to his father. Harlow was still working as a video game tester and still very much loved her job. The club hadn't had any lockdowns since Kian was born to everyone's relief and Jax was trying very hard to get out of gun-running and into legitimate business ventures. Gemma had thrown a couple family dinners at her house and the club had thrown a few BBQ's at the clubhouse. Life seemed to be good for the Quinn household. Harlow had trouble every now and then with the knowledge that she'd never have any more children but Quinn always told her if she wanted more children, they could always adopt a child. That was weighing heavy on her mind now that Kian was two.

They only had one bedroom left and it had been used as a guest room but she was more than happy to turn it into another child's room if they were to adopt. With Willow heading into Kindergarten and Kian going to daycare everyday, Harlow had enough time to make changes to the room if needed. There had been one instance since Kian was born that they had housed two of Quinn's brothers because the law was looking for them. She hated not having the guest bedroom but didn't want to go looking for a bigger house either. She loved the house she'd bought and didn't want to move. She had wonderful memories in that house! Besides, it was her children's childhood home. She didn't want to disrupt their lives by moving if she didn't have to. As she tried to work, she sighed heavily. She wanted at least one more child, maybe two, but they hadn't talked extensively about adopting. She hoped Quinn would be ok with expanding their family again. Her phone buzzed bringing her out of her thoughts. Quinn was texting her asking if it were ok if Tig and Chibs came to dinner making her laugh. She replied it was ok with her and she'd see them after work. That was one thing she loved about Quinn, he always asked her if it was ok for his brothers to come over instead of just assuming it was.

By five pm, she shut her console down and left to go pick up Willow and Kian from daycare. There was still a month before school started again so Willow was in daycare still. Harlow had gotten everything on the school's list of supplies and was as prepared as she could be for her little girl to start school. When she picked up the kids from daycare, Willow asked what was for dinner making Harlow laugh. She told the pair she was making enchiladas making the little girl squeal in delight. When they arrived home, the two children ran off to go play while Harlow got to preparing dinner. She'd need to make two pans so there was plenty for everyone. Grown men ate a lot! A pitcher of tea needed to be made as well. She was cooking the meat in one skillet, had the tea boiling in a pot next to it, and was chopping an onion when the sound of a few motorcycles could be heard coming up the road. She had to smile when the door finally opened and the sound of heavy boots could be heard entering the kitchen.

"Afternoon, Baby Doll. Smells good in here." Quinn told her as he slid his arms around her waist.

"Thanks. Dinner is still a ways off from being done." She told him.

"That's ok. Tig and Chibs are here too so I'll keep them entertained while you make dinner." Quinn replied before kissing her cheek.

She finished chopping her onion and put some of it in with the meat. The tea was done boiling so she took it off the stove so she could make the pitcher of tea. After stirring the meat so it would all cook evenly, she moved to set the table. Having that done, she poured a large mason jar of her homemade enchilada sauce in a pan to heat up. Dinner was slowly coming together as Quinn sat in the living room chatting with Tig and Chibs. The two children were in Willow's room playing together and actually getting along. Every so often she could hear their laughter which always made her smile. Suddenly Kian came running from the hallway with Willow close behind chasing him. Both were laughing as they ran. Little Kian tripped and hit his head on the edge of the coffee table and immediately began to cry. Quinn tapped his lap so the boy ran over and climbed in his daddy's lap. The tall blond held him close and let him cry. He explained that they shouldn't be running in the house because they could fall and hurt themselves. He made Willow apologize to her brother who only nodded as tears still streaked down his little cheeks.