things for each of the twins.
“When I’m out tomorrow, I’ll look for some new clothes,” I inform him. “They’re growing so fast. A few things will get wrapped, but most of it is just going right in their closet. The sales are too good to pass up.”
“Wait, you’re going out tomorrow?” he asks with a scowl.
“Of course. It’s black Friday.”
“It’s a freaking blizzard outside.”
I frown. “They’ll have the roads clear by morning. I’ve been driving on snow since the first day I got behind the wheel, you know.”
“Are you going alone?”
“No. Aspen, Ellie, and Nina would be recognized, and it’s not a good idea where security is concerned. But Fallon called me the other day and asked if I’d like to go with her. I’m meeting her at her place in the morning. The twins can hang out with Noah and the kids for the day.”
“If this storm gets worse, just promise me you’ll reconsider.”
“Sam, it’s fine.”
“I won’t have you out driving in this mess, Tash. It’s damn dangerous, and there are too many people on the roads who don’t know what they’re doing. I’ve seen too many horrible accidents, so please don’t go if the storm doesn’t let up.”
“Okay.” I hold up my hands in surrender. “If it isn’t better by morning, we’ll stay home.”
“Thanks.” He tosses the ads on the floor and rests his head against the couch. “I think that’s plenty of things for the kids.”
“I do think that shortly after Christmas, I’ll take Kelsey to get her ears pierced,” I add. “It’ll be one of her gifts.”
“She’s five,” he says, echoing my words back to me.
“Yeah, so?”
“She’s too young for pierced ears.”
“Some kids have their ears pierced when they’re tiny babies,” I say. “She’s old enough, and she’s been asking about it.”
“No,” he says, shaking his head. “My dad made Monica wait until she was ten to get hers done, and Kelsey will wait, too.”
“You’re so strict.”
He shrugs. “I never thought I would be, but I guess I am. Just a little.”
“Okay, no ear piercing, but you get to be the one to tell her that she has to wait five years to get it done.”
“I have no problem with that.”
He crosses his arms over his chest and closes his eyes again.
“You’re tired.”
“A little.”
“You can go to bed. I’ll just order these things here in a few minutes and be right behind you.”
He shakes his head, his eyes still closed. “I like being here with you. I can just chill here until you’re done.”
I smile. I love hanging out with him like this, too. More evenings than not, we end up here on the couch, on different electronics, doing our own things. But we’re together. And it’s so nice.
I didn’t realize I was so alone before Sam and the kids came into my life full time. I didn’t feel lonely, but I was certainly alone when I look back on that time.
And now, I’m never by myself.
I can’t even go to the bathroom without one of the kids asking a question or waiting on the other side of the door.
I finish the last of my wine and just as the clock clicks over to midnight, I go through and check out of the retailers, snagging some fun gifts for the kids.
When I’m finished, I close the computer and set it on the floor, then watch Sam. He’s asleep. Snoring softly.
He should have gone to bed.
God, I love him. Everything about him. He’s handsome and funny. His smile can totally disarm me.
We were thrust into this situation, this family. A year ago, I would have thought it would be awkward.
But it’s not. It’s comforting. Comfortable. And surprisingly easy.
Not that raising twins is easy, not at all. But with Sam here, working with me, it’s not just doable, it’s also fun.
He sniffs and shifts his head, cracking one eye open.
“Are you watching me sleep like a creeper?”
I grin. “Yeah. Kind of.”
“Come on, creeper.” He yawns and stands, holding his hand out for mine. “Let’s go to bed.”
“You’re in such good shape for having a baby just a month ago,” I inform Fallon as we drive from the bigger city not far away back to her house.
The storm had cleared by this morning, and by the time I drove out to the bird sanctuary to pick my friend up, the plows had been out to do their jobs.
I didn’t have to miss Black Friday, after all.
“Yoga,” she says simply. “It does wonders for lots of things. You should come