Page 56 of Secrets Within Us

“I just absolutely love seeing this side of him, it never gets old.” She smiled warmly at the notion of Kip being sweet and doting.

Mike snorted, “Don’t tell him that, he’ll have to go split some wood or something to feel manly again.”

She swatted her husband lovingly and said something to him, but I missed it as another contraction came, stronger than the others, and I turned away so they wouldn’t see me grimace.

Unfortunately, I turned right into Kip as he walked back over to us, carrying Tyler upside down under his arm like a football.

“Hadley?” He put Ty on his feet and cupped my face as I frowned through the pain. “What is it?”

I shook my head, dipping my head and leaning on him as I fought through the pain, and he instantly took over. He held me up and started moving the people and pieces of our life into motion before I even caught my breath to tell him the whole story.

“How long have they been coming?” He asked when I finally took a deep breath and picked my head back up.

“A while.” Shyly, I admitted and grimaced as I saw the dark look on his face. I had never hidden labor pains from him before, and he didn’t seem impressed with my actions. “I wanted you boys to have today. Before I force everyone to hide because of my own weaknesses.”

“Baby,” He growled, running his thumbs over my cold cheeks as he stared into my eyes. “Your desire to stay safe and sound in our own world isn’t a weakness. It’s a coping mechanism and I don’t hold that against you, I never have.”

“But the kids,” I sighed, “Ty wants to go, go, go all the time and—”

But he cut me off, “And he will be just fine, loving on our sweet girls and taking care of you both for a few months.” He leaned in and kissed me, as everyone went on around us with their daily lives in a way I envied. “Had, I am aware of the significance of this week, even if you don’t want to talk about it. It marks eight years.”

“I just don’t want you to regret it someday. Regret me if I can’t get over it.” I hated saying my biggest fears out loud, but I needed to say it in case he really wanted an out.

“For better or worse, darling.” He kissed me again and took a deep breath, making me mirror it. “And besides, I was the grumpy recluse when you found me all those years ago, anyway. I fucking love the peace and quiet.”

“Da-Da-Da-DA!” Dylan cried out, and I chuckled, knowing peace and quiet weren’t in our cards for many years.

I opened my mouth to concede and at least table the discussion for a while when another contraction started, breaking my concentration and making me hum quietly to cope.

“Jesus, honey.” He groaned, putting his arms around my waist and gripping my hips in a tight counter-pressure move that relieved the ache. He mastered it during Tyler’s labor, and I would have been lost without his support each time.

“That’s three minutes apart, Hadley.” Darla chimed in, “Mike, take the kids to dinner and then get them a big ice cream cone from Charlie’s. My guess is we’ll have a baby in a few hours.”

“Let’s go, give Mama a kiss and hug and tell her what a rockstar she is,” Kip said, pulling back as my contraction lessened so Tyler and Dylan could get some love before they ran off with Mike, excited for a dude date and ice cream.

And then Kip picked me up in a bridal carry and got us to the parking lot in record time. When we were almost back home, he reached across the console to take my hand and squeezed it. “Can you believe we’re about to have another perfect little baby to love?”

I smiled across the truck to him and tried to let his unmatched happiness calm the anxiety and nerves building inside of me as the contractions got worse and worse. “There’s no other way I’d want to live this life, Kip.” He parked the truck and leaned over the console to kiss me, “Thank you for finding me all those years ago.”

“Thank you for loving me when I gave you no reason to at all.”

Three hours later I laid in bed, nursing our beautiful tiny little baby girl as Kip laid next to me, watching her suckle and explore her new world.

“I can’t believe we have a daughter,” He whispered, putting his finger against her little hand and smiling when she instantly gripped it. “Daisy would have loved to have a sister.”

He often talked about Daisy and Dalton, and even Molly, and it never once felt like he was comparing or second guessing his decisions with me and our family. They were a part of his life and, by extension, a part of our family. Their room was still pink and blue, but we turned it into a toy room for their siblings, keeping their toys and belongings as part of our everyday lives. Their pictures were no longer in boxes, hidden away or locked in grief, they were hung on the walls next to their siblings and we often explained who they were to Tyler when he asked questions.

Three years ago, before I agreed to bear any more of Kip’s giant babies, he built a massive addition onto the cabin to accommodate our growing family without losing the space we loved and cherished from his first family.

Our house was a home full of love, laughter, and memories, and it gained another family member that day.

The boys stayed at Mike and Darla’s even though I was done laboring early enough for them to come home and meet their baby sister. According to Mike, the sugar high wore off about the time the movie credits rolled for Toy Story and he didn’t have the heart to wake them up to bring them home.

Sleepovers were normal for them at Mike and Darla’s house, and it warmed my heart knowing my kids had a village of people around them to love them and care for them in ways I never did.

So after my shortest labor yet, in a house devoid of roaring T-Rex characters or singing Mickey Mouse stuffed animals, I basked in the silence and ease with two of my favorite people in the world.

“We have to name her,” Kip stated quietly, laying his cheek on my shoulder and nuzzling me. “What do you think about Emma? That one was on the list; do you think it fits?”

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