Safe with Me

“Mommy!” Sophie exclaims and runs over to Stacy, hugging her around the knees.

“That’s a great color on you, man,” Luke taunts Caleb who scowls. No one in the room has moved besides Sophie and Jules has hit record on her phone.

The guys are sitting on the floor, around the girls’ small craft table. Josie and Maddie have set up a tea party with what look to be brand new American Girl dolls – holy crap, that must have cost them a fortune – and they all, every last one of them, are wearing tiaras.

Tiaras.

Even Sgt. Bix is seated dutifully between Josie and Maddie, sporting a princess tiara on his head, his bad ear flopping over the side. His eyebrows move up and down as he surveys the scene.

“Wow, you’re so pretty, Matt,” I mutter, not able to hold it in anymore.

“Okay, tea party is over,” Caleb announces and pulls the pink tiara from his head and hands it to Maddie.

“But you only had one cup,” she complains.

“That was plenty,” he mutters with a scowl and pulls himself up off the floor.

“Isaac, are you wearing a necklace?” Will asks, howling in laughter and pointing at his brothers.

“Sophie wanted me to wear it,” Isaac responds, puffing his chest out. “Just you wait,” he points to Luke. “Liv will do the same to you.”

“This is so going on YouTube,” Jules mutters and continues to film.

“Turn that off now, Jules,” Matt instructs her, his voice hard.

“Not a chance in the world,” she shakes her head and giggles. “This is awesome.”

“Give me your phone!” Caleb lunges for her and she throws the phone to Meg.

“Take it!” She shouts.

Meg easily catches it and continues to film, moving quickly about the room. As Isaac is about to pull the phone from her hand, she throws it to me.

“Legs, I swear to you, if you don’t give me that phone…” Caleb stomps toward me, glowering at me.

“You’ll do what? Spank me?” I smile sweetly and pull the phone out of his reach.

“What is wrong with these women?” Matt asks the room at large. Luke, Will and Nate are laughing so hard they’re holding their stomachs.

“Oh man, this is the best day of my life,” Will sputters as he tries to pull air into his lungs. “I’m so glad we caught it on video.”

“I’m going to break all of your legs,” Caleb promises. “And what is up with your kids being little extortionists?” He asks me.

“What are you talking about?” I ask and look immediately at my girls, who refuse to look up and meet my gaze.

“They talked us into going to the American Girl doll store,” Matts begins. “We figure, sure, we’ll get them a doll. It’ll keep them busy.”

“Seven. Hundred. Dollars.” Isaac stomps his foot with every word. “For three little girls to get a doll and a whole wardrobe for said doll.”

“Why did you buy them so much?” I ask, my eyes wide in shock.

“They lie to you there,” Matt responds with a sigh. “The tags have numbers on them, which we thought were the prices.”

“But no,” Caleb joins in as the rest of us stand in the living room, watching them in awe as they tell their story. “No, it’s a code number that tells you how to find the price on a chart. A chart!”

“So instead of that outfit being eight dollars like we thought, it was forty damn dollars!” Isaac exclaims, pointing to Sophie’s doll.

“Forty dollars for a doll outfit?” Meg asks with wide eyes. “Holy crap.”

During this whole exchange the three little darlings in question have been silently playing with their dolls, as though they’re the only ones in the room.

“And then when we check out, these three smile up at us with the most innocent looks on their faces.” Matt shakes his head in disgust.

“They’re not innocent,” Caleb grumbles. “They’re freaking extortionists.”

“Nate?” Josie has walked over to the tall, dark man and taps his arm to get his attention.

“Yes, beautiful girl,” he replies and squats so he’s eye-level with her.

“Can I have a ride on your motorcycle when it’s sunny outside?” She asks and twirls her hair around her finger, her brown eyes wide and flirty, and if I’m not mistaken, she actually bats her lashes at him.

“Of course you can,” Nate replies with a smile and taps her nose gently with his forefinger.

“Thank you!” She wraps her arms around his shoulders and hugs him and then returns to her doll.

“If she’s already hitting on the guy in the leather jacket with a bike,” Will remarks with a laugh, “You’re going to have your hands full with that one.”

Caleb curses under his breath as the rest of us laugh.

“That, right there, is why we’re only having boys,” Nate tells Jules as he points to Josie.

“I guess we’d better hope this one’s a boy then,” she replies with a grin, watching Nate’s face.

“That’s fine, I just… Wait.” He turns on her and grips her shoulders in his hands, watching her face intently. “What did you just say?”

“I wanted to tell you later when we’re alone, but I can’t keep secrets, and most of our family is here anyway, so…” Jules shrugs and bites her lip, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “We’re gonna have a baby, ace.”