Falling for Jillian

“You can send them in,” I reply with a smile. “They’re all family.”

“Big family,” she replies and smiles at Zack. “Congratulations again. They’re beautiful.”

“Can I hold one, please?” I ask and hold my arms out. My handsome husband is holding both of our newborn babies, one in the crook of each arm. “Wait, I need a picture of that.”

I grab my phone and snap the photo.

“Can I come in?” Seth asks from the doorway.

“Good timing, buddy. Come stand by your dad so I can take your picture.”

“She’s going to take pictures all the time, isn’t she?” he asks Zack as he joins him at my bedside.

“Yes, I am,” I reply and feel my heart expand at the picture before me. Two handsome guys grin at me over the heads of our babies. After I snap the photo, Seth gently takes our daughter from his dad’s arms, already a pro, and sits in the rocking chair in the corner, gazing down at her with awe.

“I guess that leaves me with my little guy,” I say and sigh with happiness as Zack lays our son in my arms. Zack kisses my forehead and gently pulls the tip of his finger down our son’s cheek. “They’re so small,” I whisper.

“They’ll grow.”

“Where are my grandbabies?” Nancy demands as she stalks into the room with a wide smile and tears in her eyes. “Oh, look how precious they are. Hello, sweet girl.” She kisses both of my cheeks and then my son’s head and looks at me with a hopeful smile.

“Here, you take him,” I offer. Nancy cradles him close and then walks over to sit next to Seth, cooing over both babies.

“They’re gorgeous, just like their mama,” Jeff says with a wink.

“Is this where the party is?” Josh asks from the doorway and saunters in with Cara, Ty, and Lo in tow.

Ty is carrying his daughter, Layla, in his arms.

“Hey, princess.” He kisses my cheek and smiles warmly. “You good?”

“I’m sleepy and happy and sore. And very, very good.”

“They are precious!” Cara exclaims, leaning over the babies before she rushes to me for hugs. Zack is pulled around the room in a flurry of hugs and claps on the back.

“Can I at least hold my niece?” I ask and hold my hands out for the sweet, tiny baby girl. Ty gives her to me, and I grin at the sweet pink flower pinned to her jet-black hair. I can’t wait to dress my daughter up.

“What have you named them?” Lo asks and settles into my brother’s side.

“Well, Mama King is holding Miles Jeffrey King,” I reply with a wide smile at Jeff, who immediately tears up and hugs Zack close.

“And your daughter?” Nancy asks with a rough voice.

“That one has been harder,” Zack replies and shares a glance with me. Harder, right. He just doesn’t know a good girl name when it smacks him in the ass.

“We can’t agree on one,” I reply dryly and nod at Cara when she asks if she can take Layla.

“I’ve always liked the name Sarah,” Seth says as he gazes down at his sister. He hasn’t been able to take his eyes off her. “Mom, can we call her Sarah?”

My heart stops as it always does when Seth calls me Mom. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to it.

I certainly hope not.

“I like Sarah,” I murmur to Zack, who is gazing at me with such fierce love it steals the breath from me.

“Me too.”

“I think it should be Sarah Hope,” Seth continues, “because of how it all started.”

“What do you mean, buddy?” Nancy asks and runs her hand over his hair.

“I hoped for a real family for a long time. That’s really what I wanted for Christmas.” He blushes and shrugs, but doesn’t look away from his baby sister. “Her middle name should be Hope.”

“I think Seth just named his sister,” I reply softly. “Sarah Hope King. Has a nice ring to it.”

Seth smiles proudly. “She’s pretty.”

“Oh! Speaking of pretty, here,” Cara says and hands me her phone. “Look at our wedding photos.”

“Ugh,” I mutter and page through the photos on her phone. It was a beautiful day for a wedding on the Lazy K Ranch. Josh and Cara chose to exchange vows by the big old tree that has all of our initials carved in the side. It’s where he proposed, and it’s their special place. “I look like a cow. At least Lo moved her wedding up so I wasn’t the size of a house in my dress. And I was kind enough to pay her the same respect.” I frown over at my friend as she smiles widely and leans on her husband. “You’re mean.”

“You looked beautiful that day, and every day. You were carrying precious cargo, sugar,” Zack says and kisses my head as he looks at the photos over my shoulder. He leans in and whispers in my ear, “And I can’t wait to see you round with my baby again.”

“Jesus, how many kids do you plan on me popping out?”

“A few more.” He winks.

“Let’s enjoy the two I just popped out this morning for a while before we talk about more.”

Josh hops on the bed next to mine that’s currently empty. “What do you say, baby, wanna take advantage of this semiprivate room? I’ll pull the curtain and everything.”

He wiggles his eyebrows at Cara and we all laugh, but Cara suddenly hands Layla off to Zack and makes a run for the en suite bathroom. We can hear her hurling her guts out and Lo and I share a look of surprise.

“Good God, man. Is this your version of foreplay?” Ty asks with disgust. “You’re lucky she didn’t leave you at the altar.”

Josh shields his hand from Seth’s line of vision and flips Ty off, but Seth laughs and says, “It’s okay, Uncle Josh. I flip people the bird all the time.”

“Seth King,” I say sternly. “You do not.”

“I’m thirteen,” he says with a shrug, as if that explains everything.

“I don’t care if you’re thirty, you will not flip people the bird.”

“Right.” He rolls his eyes, but catches the look on my face and sobers immediately. “I mean, yes ma’am.”

I can’t help but smile over at him. He’s such a smart aleck, and he looks so sweet with Sarah nestled in his arms.

Cara comes stumbling out of the bathroom and looks . . . green.

“You okay?” I ask. “Mom?”

She bites her lip and glances at her husband, who is grinning smugly. “We didn’t want to hijack your special day, but yeah. I’m fine. And very pregnant.”