Finding You (31 page)

“Where is everybody?” Nova shouted when she walked in the house noticing it was quiet. Had the house not been hers she certainly would have thought she was in someone else’s home but as she looked around she reassured herself that this was in fact her house, just oddly a very quiet one.

Walking upstairs she finally heard something.  A faint squeal and maybe even a yelp of some sort as she neared her and Ian’s bathroom. 

“You two are going to have me in so much trouble,” she heard Ian say.

Carefully she pushed open the bathroom door to find a floor full of bath water and all because the tub was filled almost completely to the top.  The fact that there were two naked little boys pretending it was a swimming pool also didn’t help.  “Ian,” she said noticing his jeans were completely covered in water.

“The boys wanted to go swimming,” he said smiling as though he had just been caught.

“Mommy, mommy,” the two naked boys screamed climbing out of the tub nearly falling over each other as they tried to run on the wet floor to her.

“Mischief one and Mischief two,” she said just as each of them wrapped their wet little bodies around her legs.  “Did you two talk your daddy into this,” she asked staring at both of her two year olds?

They only smiled refusing to give up either themselves or their father.  She bent down knowing that neither of them where going to fess up.  Ian and the boys were thick as thieves. 

“Well, how was swimming,” she asked staring at the beautiful faces of her two miniature Ian’s that tackled her to the ground.

“So much,” Nick spoke but stopped only to have Jake finish his sentence with “fun, mommy.”

Though their speech was very good for their age she could rarely get either one of them to finish a complete sentence without the other finishing it.  Ian had told her many times to leave it alone and that eventually they would stop doing it but Nova still tried.  

“Well it certainly looks like it was fun.  Which one of you is going to help me clean up all this water?” she asked kissing the tops of their wet little heads.

“Daddy, daddy,” the both yelled getting up and running to their bedroom.

Ian stood up and helped her to her feet.

“Hey beautiful,” he said pulling her in with a very thorough kiss.

“Your native is restless,” she said nibbling at his neck.

“I’ll clean up the water if you get them dressed for bed,” he said pushing her out of the bathroom.

Nova laughed stripping out of her wet clothes and putting on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.  Heading across the hall to their bedroom she heard them giggling when she walked in.  Two naked little boys were jumping on their beds.  “Boys,” she said watching as they abruptly stopped.  “What am I going to do with you two,” she said laughing at their sweet smiles.

“You’re going to love them,” Ian said walking in wrapping his arms around her waist.

The boys ran to them as Ian picked up one and she picked up the other.  “You boys smell really good,” she said tickling Jake’s belly.

“Mommy, mommy,” he squealed trying to wiggle out of her arms.  “No way mischief one, I need kisses first,” she said pretending to tickle him again.

Ian drew in closer with Nick and all three of her boys planted kisses on her.

After the boys had their bedtime stories, one read by her and the other by Ian, they closed their eyes and fell fast asleep.

Ian had already retreated to the bedroom but Nova sat just a minute longer staring at her beautiful boys.  She had always figured the boys would look like Ian but after mom had given her photos of Ian and Brandon at the same age there was no denying it.  There was only one difference, they had her eyes. 

She tucked the covers in around them tight and remembered that just yesterday it seemed they had come into this world and now they were already two.  She closed her eyes remembering that night.  Jacob Brandon came first and Nicolas Ian followed.  Everything about the boys had been an adventure that brought her so much joy.  For all the thoughts she had about being a good mother, the moment she looked at her boys for the first time, all her fears went away.  Being a mother was an instinct just as Ian found fatherhood to be.  It didn’t require books, it was just natural.  Not that there hadn’t been a few surprises along the way but she and Ian had made it through fine.

Ian had always been the calmer one when it came to all the mischief the boys got into, hence her nicknames for the boys.  Ian just seemed to have a different connection with them than she did.  No doubt it was because Ian understood their twin bond which Nova absolutely loved.  Having the boys had just made their life together complete.  They still spent weekends in the den, Ian in his blue jeans and no shirt and her tucked in right beside him along with two little boys who fit right together with them.

“Hmm, hmm,” she heard from the door as she turned to look at Ian standing shirtless in his jeans.

He still could make her completely undone just by staring at her with his eyes.

“Mrs. Strong,” he whispered taking her by her hand and leading her into their bedroom.  “You just looked at me like I was some kind of Greek God,” he said as he swatted her on her ass.

“Ian, you are never going to let me live that down are you?”

“Hell no babe, I love it when you look at me that way.  It’s almost as good as the way you look at me right before I make you…”

She didn’t let him finish his sentence; she already had her mouth on his and her legs wrapped around his waist.

“My, my,” he said holding her tightly against him; “My native is restless, isn’t she?”

“Always, Sir.  Always.”

I am blessed with some of the most amazing friends and family.  To all of you, I am so grateful for your love and support and for giving me those hard pushes I needed to actually make the decision to share this story. I am forever grateful.

To “A,” my life just wouldn’t be complete without you in it.  Even though not by blood, you are my sister.  Your support, enthusiasm and honest critique of my writing is worth more than words can ever say.  You are beautiful both inside and out and with you I feel like I can do almost anything.

To my beta readers, AH, JA and TR.  You three are the most amazing women I know.  Thank you for your honesty and support.