You’ve got me in tears. Was that your goal?

Is that a yes?!?!!!! Note enthusiastic use of exclamation marks!!!

Laughing, she held her phone in her hand, staring down at the screen, hovering on the verge of putting her fears behind her and grabbing on to what she wanted more than she’d wanted anything in fifteen long, torturous years.

She texted one word: Yes. And just that simply, the cloud of disquiet lifted, and the giddy, breathless anticipation came rushing back. How would she survive until Thursday?

Owen invited his mom, Charlie, Katie and Shane to their place for a dinner he and Laura prepared together. He’d taken a couple of days to process what his father had told him, and was ready now to share it with his mom and Katie to begin with and then his other siblings.

While Laura changed Holden into pajamas, he stirred the marinara they’d made from scratch. The activity had helped to keep him busy and focused on the meal rather than what he had to tell his guests.

Laura held Holden’s hand as he toddled from his bedroom to the kitchen.

“Look at my big boy walking like a grown man,” Owen said, scooping him up to places kisses on his neck that resulted in the belly laugh they loved so much.

“Dadadada.”

Owen closed his eyes and breathed in the sweet baby scent of the boy he adored, determined to take this last step to put the past behind him so he could focus entirely on the family he and Laura were creating together.

“I need to get him down before they arrive, or he’ll never go to bed,” Laura said.

Holden had spent the afternoon with Uncle Shane and Aunt Katie and was rubbing at his eyes with tight little fists.

“I’ll take him in.” Any day now, she would have to stop picking up Holden until after the babies were born. Owen settled him in the crib with his blanket, which Holden immediately kicked off. Laughing, Owen covered him again, and Holden kicked it off. “Mommy, someone is misbehaving.”

“Holden, is Daddy being naughty?”

“Gagagaga Dadada.”

“I knew it.” Laura resettled him, turned on the mobile that took his attention off the blanket and swept her fingers through the baby’s downy hair one more time before leaving him to sleep.

“Mommy is good at that,” Owen whispered outside the bedroom door.

“Daddy is good at winding him up at bedtime, which won’t be quite so funny when there’re three of them.”

Owen waggled his brows at her. “Daddy loves when Mommy chastises him.”

Smiling up at him, Laura cupped his cheek and caressed him with her thumb. “You seem good.”

“I feel good, ready to get this over with and start packing for the trip.”

“I’ll be right there with you if it gets hard.”