Page 127 of Finding Wonderland

Vera

2023

Helping people bring babies into the world was the best feeling in the world for Vera, but there was just something extra special when it was her grandbabies. It had been three months since she’d helped Alexis deliver Archer and Reese, and Vera still couldn’t stop thinking about it. Alexis had been an absolute rockstar. Vera had let her break protocol by not having her deliver in the operating room, but it had all been worth the risk in the end.

Because now Vera was happily cuddling Archer and Reese as they slept on her chest in the recliner. They reminded Vera so much of Ellie and Brayden; they even looked like them. Vera couldn’t believe that somehow, it had been seventeen years since Ellie and Brayden were sleeping on her chest as she cuddled them. More often than not, Isla and Vera preferred contact naps over putting their kids down in their beds. Their kids preferred it, too.

And now so did their grandkids.

But Vera wouldn’t have it any other way. She savored the time she got with her grandkids because she knew time was fleeting. Vera still couldn’t believe Ellie and Brayden had started their senior year of high school. Brayden already had colleges trying to recruit him for their hockey teams, while Ellie was still a shining star on the stage.

Ellie was currently playing Katherine in the Moonflower Cove Theatre’s production of Newsies and loving every second of it. Isla and Vera had gone to opening night the night before, and offered to babysit so Alexis and Blake could see the show without worrying about the babies. Vera hated losing Ellie’s performance as she always made it a point to go to them all, but she’d settle for baby cuddles instead.

“Grandbabies look good on you,” Isla chuckled as she walked into the living room. She pulled the ottoman closer to the recliner as she marveled at Archer and Reese. Vera loved watching Isla; loved seeing the way she smiled as she gently touched Reese’s little fingers. “You doing, okay? Need me to get you anything?”

“I’m good.” Vera kissed Archer’s head. “They should be up soon and we’ll need to feed them. Do you want to get their bottles ready?”

“Of course.”

Kissing Vera, Isla headed off into the kitchen. Alexis was breastfeeding, so she’d left them plenty of milk to get them through the few hours she would be away. All Isla had to do was warm up the bottles in the fancy bottle warmer machine they so didn’t have when Ellie and Brayden were younger.

Archer stirred awake at the sound of the bottle warmer turning on. He reminded Vera of their dogs when their automatic food bowl went off. She laughed as she adjusted him in her arms carefully. It had been a while since she’d juggled two babies, but it was just like riding a bike.

“Hey, sweet baby,” Vera cooed as Archer looked up at her. “Do you hear Grammy getting your bottle ready?”

He seemed to understand what Vera was saying and started to cry. Which, of course, woke Reese up. She also started to cry and Vera carefully put down the footrest of the recliner and stood. Thankfully, Isla met her quickly and took Archer from her as she bounced him in her arms.

“Oh, what did Nana do to you, babies?”

“That wasn’t me,” Vera laughed as she bounced Reese, which helped to calm the infant's crying. “They heard their bottle warmer.”

“I swear, they have the best hearing and smelling. I swear they know as soon as Alexis enters a room.”

“Remember how Ellie and Brayden used to do that too?”

“And Everleigh,” Isla sighed, a happy smile on her face. “I miss our babies being babies.”

“Me, too. But being Grammy and Nana is pretty fun, too.”

Isla put her arm around Vera’s waist and pulled her in for a kiss. “There is no one I’d rather be on this journey with than you.”

“Ditto, babe.”

Archer’s scream in protest grew louder as they both laughed. Isla tried to get him to calm down, but Archer was having none of it. At least Reese had settled down enough that she was no longer crying.

“Geez,” Everleigh breezed into the kitchen from the stairs, a Mason-like smirk on her face, “do you two even know how to take care of babies?”

“We kept you alive, didn’t we?”

“Barely.”

Grabbing a juice from the fridge, Everleigh headed off into the living room without another word. Isla and Vera couldn’t help but laugh at their youngest daughter. They both knew she was teasing, which only added to the fact that she had one of the best senses of humor out of all their kids.

Her new service dog, Willow, was following behind her. Willow was a two-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever who had been with them for a few months. Mason and Mallory had trained her just for Everleigh, and she’d been a perfect addition to their family. Although they knew that Everleigh could maintain her diabetes without a dog, having Willow gave both Isla and Vera extra peace of mind.

“You know, she has a point. How did we ever do this with Ellie and Brayden?”

“Well, for starters, we were a lot younger back then.” Smirking, Isla took the bottles out of the warmer and handed one to Vera. They headed back into the living room as they settled on the couch beside each other. “And your boobs worked back then.”

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