Page 148 of The Bodyguard Situation

She and Lexi have been best friends since they met in college. They’re as close as Billie and Harper.

The nurse nods with a smile. “They’re beautiful. Mom’s asking for some quiet before visitors, but Dad says he’ll be out in a second.”

Weston fans himself with a takeout menu, like he’s just witnessed a miracle.

Asher claps a hand on my shoulder. “You ever think about what you’d do with three at once?”

“Pass out,” I say.

Harper squeezes my hand. “You’d be a great dad.”

I look down at her and smile. “Want to find out?”

Her eyes soften in that way that says she wants that future. One with cribs and midnight feedings and someone laughing in the background while we lose our minds together.

And right then, Easton walks through the doors.

He’s pale, grinning, a little stunned, like someone just told him he’s now the CEO of the moon and handed him three screaming interns. His hair’s a mess, his shirt half untucked, but his eyes shine like the sun.

“They’re here,” he says, his voice hoarse.

We know that, but hearing him say it hits different.

“They’re so damn small,” he adds, rubbing his face. “And perfect. Andloud.”

Billie’s already up and hugging him before he can continue. Carlee wraps her arms around them both. Weston claps him on the back and then immediately starts suggesting names, like Rogue, Riot, and Moxie.

Easton laughs and takes it, arms around the people who care about him the most. I stand back, watching the moment unfold, thinking this is what family looks like. This is my family.

When we’re finally allowed in, the nursery room is quiet. Not silent exactly because there’s a low hum of equipment and the occasional beep of a monitor, but it’s hushed, like everyone knows something sacred just happened.

Lexi is resting, propped up against pillows with a pink flush in her cheeks and that glazed, exhausted look only brand-new mothers have. She’s wearing an expression that’s equal parts disbelief and awe. Easton hasn’t moved more than a foot from her side, his hand on hers, his other arm protectively looped around the tiny bassinet beside them.

There are three of them, all swaddled like little burritos while they sleep.

Two boys and one girl.

The boys are identical—at least from where I’m standing. They wear pale blue hats and have wrinkled little faces. Their pink mouths twitch in their sleep, like they’re all dreaming of milk or mutiny. The baby girl is in the middle, dressed in soft lavender, already squirming a little more than her brothers. I can already tell she’s going to be a handful and give Easton a run for his billions. The thought makes me smirk.

Harper steps closer, her hands clutching the edge of the bassinet as she stares down at them. I move beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist, watching her expression change from surprise and wonder to absolute awe.

“Do they have names yet?” she asks.

Lexi smiles, half delirious but proud. “Almost. We’ve narrowed it down to six hundred.”

Easton grunts. “I was vetoed on anything starting with an X or a Z.”

“You suggested Xander, Xavier, and Xenon,” Lexi mumbles.

“Xenon is cool. Sounds like a superhero,” he says.

“Or a printer,” Weston tells him.

“Or a cult leader,” Billie says, walking over to admire her niece and nephews. “Lex, please don’t let him name the babies something ridiculous.”

“I won’t,” Lexi confirms with a wink. “But if it were up to him …”

Easton places a kiss on Lexi’s head, and I love seeing them together. It’s true love, the real kind.

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