Page 106 of Christmas with Three Cowboys

“Do we know who the daddy is, specifically?” Darla asks while Sammy pulls up a couple of stools for the two of them.

I shrug. “We do. Dr. Hartman did a test strictly to check the father’s medical history,” I tell Darla. “We’re keeping it to ourselves, though.”

“It doesn’t really matter,” Sammy replies. “They’re lucky little fellas. Coming into a big family like this. I can’t wait to teach them both how to ride.”

“Right now, we plan on taking advantage of a few days of quiet,” Colton quips. “Then we’ve got the shifts organized. Feeding, changing, the whole shebang.”

Ethan chuckles dryly. “Yeah, my boy Colt here set up an entire system.”

“I just want to make sure Melissa gets enough sleep,” Colton replies.

“I got lucky, what can I say?” I chime in, melting in Mitch’s embrace. He’s been such a comfort over this past couple of days. I’m truly blessed. “Three strapping fellas taking good care of us. You two and Jessie and Omar, too. One big, happy, unconventional family.”

“Add twins into the mix and brace yourselves,” Mitch laughs. “They’re going to be a handful. I hope you’re all fully aware of that particular nugget.”

Darla shoots him a cool grin. “Aren’t you the optimist.”

“Avery boys were never not troublemakers,” Sammy says. “Even Mitch. He came to us a tad later, but he grew into the name quickly. Didn’t you, Mitch?”

“And then some.”

“How are you feeling, Momma?” Darla asks me.

There’s water and coffee on the tray. I spring for the coffee, first. Decaf, of course, since I’m nursing. “I’m in need of a good cup of coffee and a lifetime’s worth of sleep, but other than that, I’m good,” I tell Darla. “Frankly, I’m both proud and humbled. I don’t know what I was expecting the labor to be like, but the way it unfolded, man, it was incredible.”

“Oh, I can only imagine,” Darla says.

Colton gives me a soft smile. “You were a veritable warrior, honey.”

“Have you picked out their names yet?” Sammy asks.

“Kyle,” Colton says, nodding at his little bundle of joy. “And that’s Jason over there.” He looks at Ethan’s charge. Both sleep soundly, wrapped in white and pink-nosed, still wrinkly and coming to terms with life outside the womb. “We figured it was the best way to make sure we’d honor their memory while giving our sons names they could be proud of.”

Darla tears up again. “That’s incredible. I swear, your momma and daddy are smiling down on you all from heaven.”

“Couldn’t have done any of this without you, without Sammy,” Ethan cuts in. “Wanna hold these two?”

“You don’t have to ask me twice,” Darla says.

Gingerly, Colton and Ethan give our sons to Darla and Sammy. The former gets Kyle and the latter has Jason, and they’re both over the moon, eyes shining with awe and joy as they get a closer look at the babies. I swoon over Kyle and Jason all the time, too. I can’t blame them. They’re beautiful and pure, innocent and sweet. They’re mine. Ours. And it fills my heart with the purest form of joy, knowing our children will grow up on this ranch, out in the open, surrounded by hills and forests and all of Nebraska’s splendiferous wilderness at their bare feet.

“Jason looks like he’s going to be the top troublemaker,” Sammy says, practically melting as he gazes at twin number two. “I got a feeling.”

“That’s ‘Imma teach this boy to piss everybody off’ in Sammy speak,” Darla grumbles, half-smiling. “And I’ll bet little Kyle here is going to be the leader of the pack. He’s got a certain poise.”

“Pretty sure that’s his pooping face,” Mitch chimes in.

Darla crinkles her nose. “I guess you’re right. The new medication didn’t just give me my taste back, it sharpened my sense of smell, too.”

We all laugh, but something feels different. I look around and notice the subtle glances Colton, Mitch, and Ethan exchange. I’m filled with love and golden sunlight when their eyes meet mine, yet this moment, right here… it’s a signal of change. I’m not sure how to put it into words, except that my instincts have yet to fail me.

“It’s time,” Colton says.

“Couldn’t agree more,” Mitch adds.

“What are you talking about?” I ask, my curiosity piqued, while Darla and Sammy shrug at each other in honest confusion.

“In between labor and diaper changes and feedings, we figured we’d make room for something really important,” Ethan tells me.

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