Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
I followed, watching him strut in front of me. “We’ll see.” He gave me a sly glance over the shoulder, meaning the competition was on.
Beau
Four Days Later
Dash was on his A-game with Livie by his side. She was hypnotized in delight at her daddy’s adherence to complicated schedules and remarkable organizational skills. Mia held my right hand, Ava had my left, and West was snugly bundled on my chest. In a show of love and devotion, Livie lifted her hand to tuck into Dash’s as he pointed his other finger this way and that, instructing the porters who gathered our luggage and assorted baby and children’s contraptions from the car to the cruise ship.
Our coordinating outfits were another Dash induced reality. He found Disney character fabric and had most of our clothing made. The girls donned matching sundresses and sandals, their long hair in braided pigtails, and sunglasses on. The only way to tell them apart outside of personality, was the placement of birthmarks along their arms. West wore the same fabric onesie paired with a baby cap.
Dash commissioned two Hawaiian-style button-ups in the same material as our children and khaki shorts. My ball cap was new, and turned backward, not a Disney hat, but color coordinated with the rest of our clothing. Watching everyone else in their normal clothes, I felt like we may have gone overboard.
Today marked the start of their official birthdays. Tonight’s special dinner was private and princess-themed. They each planned to wear different princess costumes. Our girls were three years old and on their very best behavior.
“Beau!” My mom’s voice rose above the sea of people trying to board early.
“Gigi!” the girls sang in unison. At that moment, that “very best behavior” they’d been excelling at went out the window. They broke the handhold and bolted in the direction of my mom’s voice. I’d trained the girls in the same manner I used with Dixie and Duke, and I was seconds away from whistling them back when I spotted my mom busting through the throng. She jogged toward them, meeting in the middle with a near collision.
Dash and I also started that direction. I was amazed at how much my kids adored my mom and Wesley Carter. Even with all the miles between us, we’d somehow managed to make a functioning family. Kailey, my nine-year-old sister, was still as sweet and kind as always. She loved being with my kids and wore a matching dress. So did my mom.
“Happy Birthday!” Mom exclaimed from her knees, squeezing the girls in a giant, four-way hug. “I missed you. Now stand in front of me so I can see if you’ve grown taller.” Mom barely gave them space, and they lined up side by side. Ava was already giggling, knowing where this was headed. Mom stood, her expression serious, eyes measuring the trio. “You have grown! I told you to stop growing so you’ll be my little grandchildren forever.” She feigned anger, hands fisting on her hips. The girls erupted into laughter, insisting they had no say in the matter. It was sweetness and giggles as they piled back into warm hugs. Kailey included.
“Hi, Beau,” Kailey said, separating from the girls to hug me tight before doing the same to Dash. “Hi, Dash. Dad’s coming. He’s getting something for the room.”
As if waiting in the background for his cue, Carter started for us and the girls zoomed toward him, mimicking the scene with my mom. Carter had somehow wormed his way past my barriers and into my heart. Mom glided over to me, not to hug me or even to say hello. She wanted to see West.
“Hi, Linda,” Dash said before dashing off to join Carter. Those two were practically joined at the hip. They spoke every day, sometimes multiple times a day, and saw each other as much as possible.
“Oh, Dash, he’s wearing a matching onesie,” my mom cooed over West. “It’s so cute, Beau. You all are adorable.” I finally got a side hug. “Can I hold him?”
“He’s sleepin’,” I hedged, not quite sure why I played defense. She was unfastening the straps, gathering him into her arms. The little guy in his blanket didn’t wake in the transfer. Yesterday’s flight adventures really knocked him out.
“Let me see my namesake,” Carter said, balancing Ava and Mia on each hip. Livie flailed her arms for Dash to pick her up.
“Dad, his name is Weston, not Wesley,” Kailey chimed in, adding to the other running joke about the similarity to his first name.
“He’s sprouting like a weed,” Carter said, ignoring her. No amount of effort ever changed his mind, convinced we named West after him. “He’s doubled in size since we saw him last. He’s gonna be a big guy.”
“The Carter, Richmond-Brooks family?”
The collective gasps and sudden turns of the girls’ heads, including my mom’s, might have changed the jet stream of the area. Elsa from Frozen waved hello, greeting us. Livie’s eyes went wide, her legs instantly went board straight so Dash would put her down. They all hit the ground, running the few feet to Elsa.