Page 295 of Second Sets Omnibus
“She’s five,” I groan, swallowing my emotions. “She’s so big.”
“She is,” Kieran agrees, watching her with a big grin.
“That’s a good thing, right? We want Little Pretty Girl to get bigger and grow older.” Rad watches my glossy eyes, softening his confused expression. With ease, he pulls me into his side and kisses my temple. “She’ll always be our baby.”
Oh, swoon. Our baby. Fuck. Don’t tear up. Don’t show them how messed up your emotions are since having her. I swear I’ve turned into a pile of gooey feelings, crying at the drop of a hat. Damn hormones.
“I know. It just feels like yesterday that I went to the hospital and had her.” I shake my head, reliving the memories again.
“Next time, we’ll be there.” Kieran’s eyes fall to the ground. “I promise.”
“Next time?” I ask, scrunching my nose.
“Oh yeah, Pretty Girl! You gave a baby to Kieran. Now the rest of us want a little one. Can you imagine my baby with a mullet? He’s getting a mullet.” He side-eyes the guys. “Don’t laugh at me.” I snort when they start to bicker amongst themselves.
“You really want more?” I ask with slight vulnerabilities.
“Thousands.” Rad waggles his eyebrows.
“Or four.” A slight red tint creeps up Callum’s neck and onto his cheeks.
“We’ll get to that bridge when it comes. In the meantime, we can practice as much as you want,” Asher says with a cocky grin, winking at me.
“We’ll enjoy the baby we have now,” Kieran adds, grinning when Lyric spins in front of him with a giggle.
“Daddies, I wants to go to the fun house,” she says, pointing toward the two-story unicorn house with funny mirrors and bright lights flashing.
“Whoop! Then let’s go to the fun house!” Rad scoops Lyric into his arms, chuckling when she giggles more, and we all head off toward the fun house thirty feet away from the courtyard.
“After this, we’ll do your cake and ice cream,” I say, catching up to her and kissing her cheek.
“Hey, girl! Want me to get that set up?” Olivia asks, running up to my side. “Hey, cutie pie.” She pinches Lyric’s cheeks, much to her disapproval.
“Hey, Liv,” I say, leaning in to hug her with a grin. “That’d be amazing. We’re going there, and then we can do the cake.”
She agrees, rushing off toward the cake as we leave the area, walking to the fun house.
“Wow, this is bitchin’,” Lyric says with a grin, staring up at the house.
“I’m sorry. What did you say?” I huff, raising a brow at my baby girl, who has a knack for saying words she shouldn’t.
“Bitchin’. Cousin Roman says it allllllllll the time.” She raises her chin with confidence, huffing at my downturned face.
“Sorry, Little Blue. That’s a bad word. You shouldn’t say that ever again.” Kieran shakes his head, using his best dad voice to get the desired effect. I can tell the moment sadness crosses his face. He regrets being so stern.
Lyric’s lip pouts out, and she nods, sniffling. “Okay, Daddy. I’m sorry. But you says it all the time.”
I put my hand up to my lips, holding back the laugh that begs to escape. She has them there. They curse all the time without consequence.
“Fuck she’s right,” Rad groans, quickly covering his lips. “I mean, she’s right. No more cussing.”
“I can’t be mad at that,” Kieran whispers in my ear frantically, watching her pouty lip.
“You have to be,” I mumble, leaning into his side. “She won’t learn unless you correct her bad behavior. You did good.” He perks up, kissing me on the cheek when I applaud his effort.
“Let’s go,” Callum says with his eyes lighting up. “I’m going to take her through,” he says excitedly, holding out his hand.
Lyric doesn’t waste a moment, grabbing onto his hand and practically dragging him through the entrance of the fun house, which happens to be a rolling, dark tunnel.
