Brothers at War [#Wattys2017]

epilogue

"Mum?" I sat up at the sound of my daughter's voice and watched as she walked into the room, wiping her hands on her jeans as she did.

"Callie?" I chuckled.

"How do you feel about me, you know—"

"Having sex? Absolutely not. I'd rather not be a grandmother at my age." Callie might have been seventeen now and practically an adult, but she was still my baby as far as I was concerned.

"Firstly, if I was having sex, I definitely wouldn't tell you. Secondly, I meant how do you feel about me dating, but it's great to know you think I've actually got a sex life." I found myself rubbing my stomach, smiling to myself as I felt my little boy kicking, and I then found myself remembering the first time that Callie had kicked.

"Dating. That's a different story entirely. I'd be extremely happy if you told me that you were seeing someone but your father, on the other hand, would refuse to accept that his little girl is almost an adult."

"Dad has Sarah to keep him busy and it's only another month before Logan provides him with another challenge. But, if you and dad could use protection from now on, because I don't want another sibling ten months' down the line."

I knew that Callie loved being the big sister, and I knew that she absolutely adored her baby sister. Just like I knew she would adore her baby brother when he was born. But, she was right, Sarah and Logan were extremely close in age.

Sarah had barely turned seven weeks' old when I found out I was pregnant with Logan. It had been a shock and I had immediately gone into panic mode, wondering how the hell we were going to cope with two children who were only eleven months apart, but Callie had been there to calm me down.

She had assured me that she would be here to babysit and she promised that she wouldn't go anywhere until Sarah and Logan were older. Given that there was a seventeen-year age gap between herself and Sarah, I expected her to envy the arrival of her younger siblings, but she had been excited when she found out I was pregnant with Sarah.

"What your father and I do in the bedroom is no concern of yours, baby girl," I grinned before attempting to move into a more comfortable position. Logan had spent the last month using my insides as a football and he was constantly causing me extreme discomfort which made it practically impossible to get any sleep, and it was beginning to take its toll. "Anyway. Tell me about this boy you're dating."

"How—"

"A mother always knows. So, what's his name and when do I get to meet him?"

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"If you could give mummy a break, that would be great," I muttered to my stomach as I lay in bed, waiting for my husband to get home.

Callie had spent the night with Sarah, telling me that I needed a break, and reiterating that she meant what she said when she told me that she was going to be there for her siblings.