He followed her in and closed the door. Each of the kids’ rooms had monitors so they could hear anyone who woke in the night—and someone always woke in the night. Since the twins had joined them, it wasn’t unusual for everyone to wake during the night when the babies were crying.
Good times.
The best of times.
After the first three—and after losing Connor before he was born—Mac knew the craziness wouldn’t last forever, and since the twins were the last of their babies, he’d decided to relax and enjoy the chaos. Losing Connor had given him perspective he wouldn’t have had otherwise.
“Why the pensive expression?” Maddie asked when he stood next to her in the bathroom to brush his teeth. “You can’t be seriously upset about the vasectomy.”
“I’m not.”
“Then why the pensiveness?”
“I was thinking about Connor and how much I wish he was here with us.”
“I do, too,” she said on a sigh.
Mac knew better than anyone how deeply she’d grieved the loss of their unborn son.
“Even with all the chaos and lack of sleep,” Maddie said, “I wouldn’t trade any of it.”
“Me either. We know all too well what the alternative to chaos is.”
“Yeah, for sure.”
“And you’re a hundred percent positive we’re done having kids?”
She glared at him, attempting a sinister look that failed miserably. “I am one thousand percent positive I’m done having kids.”
“If you’re sure, then.”
“Mac! You can’t possibly be having second thoughts about the vasectomy.”
He was having second, third, fourth and one hundredth thoughts about the vasectomy. “Not about that. Just whether we’re sure we’re done. What if we get a hankering for more babies in a year or two?”
“I’ll find someone else to father them if that happens.”
He gave her his darkest scowl. “That’s not funny, Madeline.”
“Neither is you thinking I might want more than five children! We’re going to have ten years of teenagers! I am done, done, done!”
“So, what you’re saying, is that you’re sure about this.”
She rolled her eyes and went to get into bed.
He was right behind her.
Even when she was exasperated with him, which was most of the time, she still curled up to him in bed every night, resting her head on his chest while he wrapped his arms around her. “How about one final visit with my boys when they’re still packing a punch?”
“Absolutely not. With my luck, I’d get pregnant with triplets.”
“You can’t get pregnant again yet.”
“Yes, I can. Besides, it hasn’t been six weeks, and I’m still sore as hell from the twins. So put that thing away, cowboy.”
“He’s very sad that no one is paying homage to him in his time of need.”
Maddie lost it laughing. “Do you hear yourself?”