Page 142 of Knight Life In Vegas

She always stuck to Sam like glue, and he didn’t mind one bit, having taken an immediate shine to her as his only sister and youngest sibling. She got more than her share of attention as the only girl in the house besides me, and she soaked it up like a sponge.

“Take me for horsey ride?”

“Sure.” Sam playfully nipped at her small hands cupping his face, making her shriek with laughter, before he hopped out of bed, still holding her in his arms.

He narrowly avoided tripping over his littlest brothers, who were being nudged along by Ollie into the bedroom.

“About time you’re awake,” Ollie said with a wide smile. “Abuelita has been itching to bring out the cake.”

Sam turned back to me briefly. “You’re letting me have cake for breakfast?”

“It would’ve been closer to lunch if you had woken up with the rest of us,” I pointed out.

All of our extended clan were outside. A barbecue seemed easiest to get everyone fed, and everyone had brought a small mountain of gifts for Sam’s birthday.

My tiny boys each latched on to one of my legs, and I cradled their heads. DJ stared up at me, driving his chin in just like Ollie used to do.

“Ready for cake, babies?”

DJ nodded frantically, lifting his arms in a silent request to be picked up. He certainly hadn’t inherited Dylan’s chattiness, but we always knew what he needed anyway.

Ollie scooped up Marcelo before he had a chance to ask for the same. “Let’s go, squirt. The birthday boy is up, and that cake is calling my name.”

When we finally made it downstairs, we were welcomed into the throng of people. Eduardo and Beau manned the grill, Chico and Dylan bringing out a fresh load of sodas and water to arrange on the snack table nearby.

Dylan diverted immediately to me after setting down the drinks. “I see the little ones escaped the kiddo watch.”

“It’s one of their top skills,” I reminded him with a smile.

We had added an outdoor play area a couple of years ago with short fences to keep the kids from sprinting off into the distance, but once they had figured out they could use one another as step ladders, it had become far less effective. I set DJ down inside, where the grandmothers were gushing over all the babies. Ava’s two daughters were running around after each other, Luke keeping a careful watch while holding their son.

“I’ve got them, princess,” Dylan promised. “Go make sure our oldest gets all the attention he deserves.”

Sam and Ollie passed over their siblings, Dylan making sure they each got a hug before I ushered Sam onto the porch.

“Thank you all so much for coming,” I announced, quiet descending as they all turned. “Thirteen years ago, my first baby came into the world and he’s been the light of my life ever since. For a while it was just him and me and Ollie. I never imagined we would have the life we do, with so many people who loved and accepted us right from the start.” I sniffled and Sam didn’t protest when I pulled him into a hug. “I’m so lucky to be your mom. I love you so much and I hope you have the best birthday today.”

He hugged me tighter, reining in his own sniffles. “I love you too, Mom.”

A chorus of happy birthdays sounded from the crowd and Eduardo’s mother came forward with a small cake just for Sam, thirteen candles glowing while everyone sang.

He blew out the candles to a cheer from everyone, and Chico set about slicing up the much larger cakes that had been brought to feed everyone else.

I sat with Sam while he ate his way through the whole thing, just soaking up the sheer amount of love around us.

After everyone had eaten, Chico and Beau started to prep some of our more recently retired horses to take the kids on a trail ride.

Eduardo settled next to me. “Feeling ready for next week?”

With my pack’s encouragement, after the triplets were born I had gone back to dressage, both as a coach and a competitor. Next week was a state competition.

“I don’t know about me, but I’m pretty sure my students are going to medal.”

“You’re a champion to us whether you come home with a medal or not.”

That was another thing they had put on display. We had a whole wall of trophies, medals, and awards in the living room for the whole family. Sam had taken to horse riding like a fish to water under the guidance of the pack, and I knew when he was old enough, his first job would be at the arena working alongside his dads. He had years to go yet before he could be part of the performances, but I was pretty sure the moment the clock struck midnight on his eighteenth birthday, he would be signing the paperwork to be a knight.

“Ollie will be next,” Eduardo said softly. “Only two more months until he’s officially old enough to compete.”

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