Two Men and a Baby - Isla Olsen Page 0,54
specially for the occasion.”
Given the proposal earlier, I’m kind of expecting him to produce a ring box, so I’m a little surprised when he places a wrapped package in my hand that’s definitely something soft.
“It’s for your collection,” he says proudly once I’ve unwrapped the paper to reveal a while t-shirt.
The plain black text printed across the front. reads: Stacey + Scott = Luv, except there are red slashes through the ‘Stacey’ and the ‘Scott’, and above the crossed-out words is artfully scrawled ‘Connor’ and ‘Josh’ in the same red.
As soon as I see the text I can’t help sputtering out a laugh. “So this is what happened to that t-shirt after Stacey realized Scott was a total douche…”
“The fact you know it’s a BSC reference just makes me love you even more,” Connor says with a grin.
“You know it’s going to drive me fucking insane having love spelled wrong like that,” I point out.
“Yup.”
“But you know I’ll wear it anyway ‘cause you gave it to me.”
“Yup.”
I chuckle and tilt my head up so I can give him a kiss. “I love it, thank you.”
“Happy birthday, babe.”
Another Epilogue
Connor
I can’t believe my little boy is turning one today. And of course we’re having a big party at Mom and Da’s to celebrate.
But for me this isn’t just a celebration for Chase’s birthday, it’s a marker of all the amazing things that have happened in the past year. I’ve become a father, which is something I didn’t even realize I wanted and definitely didn’t think I’d be able to handle, but it’s made me so freakin’ happy; I’ve found the love of my life and somehow convinced him to love me back and agree to spend the rest of his life with me; and I’ve achieved my goal of moving back to New York and am just about to break ground on my first project as the lead architect—and it’s a big one, too.
“So are you two planning on setting a date anytime soon?” Declan asks as he hands a beer each to Josh and me. “Or are you just going to be engaged forever?”
Obviously drawn by the talk of weddings, my mom seems to appear out of nowhere, accompanied by Rebecca Donovan.
“I think you should at least start putting your name down at places,” Rebecca suggests. “Venues book out very quickly in this city.”
“Although it might be nice to wait to have the wedding until Chase is walking so he can be in the ceremony,” Mom says. “When do you think that will be, Connor? He should really be pulling himself up on furniture by now…”
“Mom, give him a break—all babies develop differently,” I say, unable to keep the defensiveness out of my tone. “Besides, he’s got a big body to pull up—he’ll get there.” According to his pediatrician, he’s in the ninety-ninth percentile for basically everything. He’s not overweight or anything—he’s just big. And just for the record, there is no hundredth percentile.
“So, in answer to your question, Dec,” Josh says with a wry smile, “no, we haven’t set a date. But we will at some point.”
An idea occurs to me but I decide I want to get Josh’s thoughts first before the moms jump in with their opinions, so I take him by the hand and lead him away to talk. “Hey, I was thinking, the newest luxury hotel in Atlantic City will be open in about a eighteen monts. Maybe we should try there?”
Josh offers a sexy smirk. “Do you think if I slept with the architect I could get us a discount?”
I let out a soft chuckle and lean in to press a kiss to the side of his mouth. “I think that could be arranged.”
Josh raises his hand to rub over my jaw, letting out a resigned sigh. “I miss the beard.”
“I know you do.”
“I really liked it.”
“I know.”
He loops his arm around my neck and pulls my head down so he can whisper in my ear. “It felt so fucking good against my ass.”
My response to that is something like “blehgem” because I’m so turned on just thinking about it. But then I remember why I had to lose the beard and my hard-on dies a quick death.
“I’ll grow it back once Chase is over this food-throwing phase, I promise.”
“You’d better,” Josh growls, his eyes narrowed in warning.
To clarify, I’m not completely cleanshaven; if I were I’d look about eighteen. Instead, I have a layer of stubble that requires a lot less maintainence and won’t suffer if I get covered in mashed peas or carrots or Spaghetti-Os, which seems to happen on a daily basis these days.
“Hey, you two, stop making out!” I hear Brendan calling to me and Josh. “It’s time for cake.”
Even though we weren’t technically making out, Josh and I pull away from each other and go to rejoin the party. Usually for these sorts of get togethers we all just sit around on lawn chairs or stand in little clusters to chat while the kids run around playing in the yard. But for this particular occasion Mom has set up a table with little cakes and cookies and finger sandwiches and mini hotdogs and all other kinds of food she deemed appropriate for a one-year-old’s party. There are also streamers and balloons decorating the area around the table, as well as a banner that reads: Happy 1st Birthday Chase.
Laura is seated at that table with Chase on her lap, obviously prepared to help him blow out the candles once the birthday cake comes out. Laura was integrated into this family not long after we moved in together, and, interestingly, she and Cait have become really good friends now. I think they bonded over the whole ‘Getting Knocked Up By a Random Stranger’ thing.
“Aren’t we still waiting for Aidan?” Cait asks as she uses one of her fingers to count the heads of all my siblings while her other arm holds Dylan at her hip.
“Uh, yeah, I think we’re going to have to just go on without Aidan,” Dec says with a soft chuckle. “I’m pretty sure the odds of him even remembering this is on today is basically zero.”
Yeah, that’s true. And ordinarilly I’d be offended, but considering what’s been happening in my brother’s life recently I’m going to give him a pass.
“Has anyone heard him since that whole kareoke declaration thing last week?” Shay asks.
“Has anyone heard from either of them?” Alannah adds.
Several pairs of inquiring eyes turn in Josh’s direction but he merely shakes his head.
“So they’ve either killed each other or they haven’t left bed for the past week,” Heath says.
Brendan nods. “Yeah, I’d say it’s a fifty-fifty chance.”
Shay scoffs. “More like seventy-thirty.”
Talk of Aidan subsides as my mom emerges from the house carrying a birthday cake in the shape of Walter the slug from Beat Bugs—yeah, I don’t care what Laura says, it’s not brainwashing if he actually enjoys it. There’s a single lit candle stuck in Walter’s head and as my mom walks toward the table we all start singing “Happy Birthday”.
She sets the cake down just as we’re finishing the song and Laura encourages Chase to blow the candle out, which of course results in him just spitting all over the cake. Laura blows the candle out and everyone cheers as if Chase has just thrown a winning touchdown pass.
I grab Josh’s hand and lead him toward the table. “Come on, I want to get a picture of all of us.”
As we round the table, Laura gets up and hands Chase to me. “Here, I’ll move so you guys can get a picture.”
“No you won’t,” I tell her firmly. “You’re going to be in this one too.”
She gives a one shouldered shrug. “Okay then.”
I take a seat on the chair and set Chase in my lap, then Laura and Josh huddle in on either side of me. Just as Dec is about to take the picture, Chase shoves his hand into the cake and reaches back to smear blue icing all over my face.
Perfect.
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Also by Isla Olsen
Love & Luck
Fake it ’til You Make Out (Declan’s Book)
Virtually Screwed (Owen’s Book)
Crazy Little Fling (Shay’s Book)
Hopeless Bromantics (Brendan’s Book)
Two Men and a Baby (Connor’s Book)
Can’t Get You Out of My Bed (Aidan’s Book) - coming 2020
Royal & Reckless
The King and Jai (Lukas’s Book)
Three’s a Crown (Aleksandr’s Book) - coming 2o2o