Page 101 of Hart Breaker

It’s also more exhausting than I expected.

Oh, we have plenty of help; her family is full of help. There’s been more than once in the two weeks since Ezra’s birth that I was truly concerned Tessa and Molly were going to play a game of tug of war with Ez.

Riley laughed her ass off and nearly popped a stitch from her C-section doing one of those seriously beautiful belly laughs at seeing my reaction.

There was a second when both of us considered the one-and-done thing, but we were at a family function and swore that Kendall, Maggie’s Mom, and Sarah, Iz’s, were more uptight than Tessa, Jade, and Phoebe, who have more than one. Jade, Mom, Ryan, and surprisingly Jackson are so incredibly at ease around our child, no matter the sound, smell, or bodily fluids that come out of tiny little Ez. So, we’ve decided on tabling the decision for now and revisiting it in a year. And yes, that’s all in two weeks. Two.

“Uncle Hart?” Lily whispers when she walks into the family room where we are watching films and Riley is asleep.

I pat the spot beside me. “Climb up here and snuggle in.”

She does just that.

I wrap an arm around her and pull her closer.

She leans over and smiles, whispering an almost inaudible, “Ezy, you gotta hurry up and grow so we can play.”

“I’d prefer you both stop growing and stay little forever.”

“Why?” she asks.

Not wanting to get deep, I go with, “Easier to hold.”

“Can I hold Ezy?”

“You hungry? Wanna get something to eat first?”

“Dad says I gotta wait till he gets up. Ry, she just had a baby.”

“Yeah, well, a girl’s gotta eat, right?”

I help her slide off the couch and stand up, holding Ezra a little tighter.

Once we are in the kitchen, she talks at her normal level. “We got sweet toast?”

Sweet toast is French toast.

“We do.”

“Dad says it’s the best.”

“You gonna eat an egg to get some protein in you so you can grow muscles like me?”

“Got the cold kind?” she asks.

“You bet I do.”

I grab Lily two hard-boiled eggs, hoping she’ll eat them both, but I’m pretty sure she won’t.

“Hey,” Riley yawns, holding out the phone. “Ava.”

“Am I on speaker?” Ava asks.

“Ava, what’s the good word?” I ask as Riley takes Ezra and I grab the bread needed to make Lily’s sweet toast.

“Ryder’s been found not guilty.”

I hold back the desire to yell, “Fuck yes!” and go with, “That’s awesome news. Is there more?”

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