Page 80 of Unexpected Kisses

She spins in my arms, looking up at me. “What if I can’t? I mean all of the tests I had to do with the clinic showed there was physically no reason for me not to get pregnant, but what if I can’t?”

I dip down and kiss the tip of her nose, squeezing her tighter to me. I skate my gaze between her mouth and her eyes. “If we can’t do it this way, then we’ll work out another way to make you a mom. Don’t give up, Cupcake.”

She smiles softly and drops her forehead against my chest. “How did I get so lucky?”

“I’m pretty sure I’m the lucky one here, Sarah.” I finish with a kiss on the top of her head.

“Unca AJ!” A little voice shouts from behind me. Sarah steps out of my embrace and we turn to find Colton running toward us as fast as his little legs can carry him. He bypasses me and heads straight for Sarah, crashing into her legs with a force that makes her take a step back. She giggles as she bends down to scoop him up. “Aunty Sarah!”

“Colton, my little man.” She rubs his nose with hers, her eyes sparkling in the warm sunlight. Her easy acceptance of him in her life makes me fall harder for her. Watching them together when Colton spent the night with us made me long for our own family—nights enjoying a movie and playing games together and mornings where we share sleepy smiles and breakfast.

Hayley and Lisa make it to us and after our usual greetings, I take their picnic stuff from them and set it up at the table we procured.

“Can I go for a swim, Mommy?”

“In a little while. Let’s wait for everyone else to arrive first.”

“Okay.” He helps me lay out the blankets next to the table, while the girls set out their picnic.

“Aunty Sarah!” I lift my head to see Kenny running straight for us, her smile a mile wide. “Uncle AJ!” She throws herself at me in my crouched position and I fall backward, landing on my ass with a chuckle.

“Kenny!” Theo calls to her. “You can’t run off like that, Munchkin.” He turns to me. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Sorry, Daddy.” Theo musses her hair, then holds out his hand to pull me up.

Emma arrives, chuckling. “Are you okay, AJ? That was quite a landing.”

“Yeah. I should have prepared myself for the attack.” I wipe the grass from my butt.

We introduce everyone and Austin and Kenny take Colton into the fold with ease. Lachlan stands a little away, something I’ve noticed he does. Sarah explained to me he’s on the spectrum and he takes a little while to warm up to new people. Molly and Max arrive and the introductions start all over again.

“Okay, where should we start? On the playground or in the water?” Sarah asks the kids.

“In the water!” Kenny and Colton shout.

“On the playground!” Lachlan and Austin call out at the same time.

“Oh no! Okay, how about this? Let’s start with the water because you won’t be able to swim with full bellies after lunch. Then after lunch, we can play on the playground,” Sarah offers.

“Yay!” Kenny pumps her little fists in the air.

“Yes, let’s do that!” Lachlan says, nodding his head.

We get the kids ready for a swim and head toward the water. The water only comes to above our knees this close to the edge, so Sarah’s tucked her dress up into her panties to keep it dry. We toss a ball around the group, keeping the kids entertained until Colton complains he’s hungry. Piling out of the water, we set about unpacking the coolers and serving the kids their lunch, closely followed by the adults.

As we dig into the salads and sandwiches, chatter starts up. Emma and Lisa have common ground with their teaching backgrounds, so they talk about the areas lacking in the curriculum and how she and Hayley hope to fill some of the holes with their computer games. I think maybe they’ve won Emma over to incorporating the use of their games in her program. Hayley updates Theo and Lachlan on Colton’s progress with the climbing wall they built and Lachlan and Theo share that they’ve built and sold another one and have another order to make. Considering Theo is Lachlan’s stepfather, they are incredibly close.

The thing that becomes obvious to me as the day wears on is how well our families integrate and knit together. The picnic has been easy and comfortable. Kenny and Austin have spent the day fussing over Colton, ensuring he’s not left out, and Colton has soaked up every minute of the attention from the older kids.

As we’re packing up to head home, Hayley stops next to me. “Sarah has a lovely family.”

“I know. Her parents couldn’t make it today, but they’re equally as warm. So different from ours.”

“Yeah. It seems everyone’s family is more loving than ours.” Sadness fills Hayley’s eyes. I know what she means. It’s something I’m adamant to change in my family with Sarah.

“How are Lisa’s parents recovering from their accident?”

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