Camo and Navy Blue [Book Two]

Nineteen

Olivia

I walked up the path and to the front door of my house. I knew I lived here, even if I haven't slept in my bedroom in months. But instead of just opening the door, I rang the bell and stepped back. 

The front door opened slowly after several moments, and I looked down to see Lilly standing there. She gnawed on her bottom lip before hesitantly stepping forward. She stopped herself when she was getting ready to hug me.

"Lilly, it's okay," I whispered, as I dropped my duffle bag to the ground. My daughter quickly bridged the gap between us and hugged me tightly. I caressed her braided brown hair as tears burned my eyes. 

"Your belly is big," she breathed, and I chuckled softly and nodded. Lilly stepped back and looked at me.

"Not nearly as big as when I was pregnant with Toby and Jasper," I replied. She reached out and grabbed my hand before pulling me into the house. I had to turn back and grab my bag, but she didn't notice because she was yelling for Elliot.

Elliot came running down the stairs, and he walked straight to me. Elliot looped his arms around my body and dipped me back slightly before kissing me deeply. I was shocked at how much passion was behind this kiss, especially since we had seen each other just a few hours ago.

"Welcome home," Elliot smiled, once he parted.

"Um, I may not be home for good..." I whispered.

"I guess we will have to see where the night takes us, huh?"

"I guess... Where are the boys?" I questioned, as Lilly took the duffle bag from my hand and ran it upstairs.

"Mo and Kathleen are getting them dressed. They just took bathes since they were running through the sprinkler when I got home."

I nodded slowly and took a slow breath. I can do this.

///

My sons and eldest daughters came downstairs together. Maureen and Kathleen hugged me, then Jacob clung to me for nearly five minutes. The twins stood to the side, and I was assuming they were just waiting for permission to go outside and get away from me.

But when Jacob stood back, my sons held hands and walked towards me. Elliot stepped closer to me and got ready to grab the boys if they did something.

"Hi," I breathed quietly.

"Daddy said you are sleeping over tonight. Does that mean we can play games all together?" Jasper asked. My eyes went wide, and I glanced at my husband.

"Um, if you want to play games, we can," I struggled to speak.

"Even Candy Land?" Toby asked, which shocked me. My sons haven't spoken this calmly to me in a while. Their little faces weren't contorted with anger, and they almost had a little smiles on their lips.

"Maybe... if we can all agree on that," I smiled. My sons nodded and ran outside together, Jacob and Lilly right behind them. I took a shaky breath and ran a hand through my hair.

"That went well," Maureen spoke, and I nodded.

"Too well."

"Liv-"

"What if they lose at whatever game we play and throw a tantrum? Elliot, I love my sons. Don't get me wrong... It's just that things can change quickly. We know that better than most," I whimpered. Elliot wrapped his arms around me in a tight embrace. He pressed a kiss to my hair before speaking.

"Everything will go well, Liv. I promise."

///

Elliot

My wife was nervous, even when I told her not to be. She kept looking over her shoulder and kept an eye on the boys at all times. When I was grilling steak for dinner, she kept Maureen in the kitchen with her and the boys as they prepped the side dishes. 

We all sat together at the picnic table on the back porch, and Olivia sat beside me. We held hands as I led us in prayer before digging in.

"Dad said your appointment went well," Maureen spoke, as she put some salad on Toby's plate. My wife nodded slowly and gently caressed her belly.

"Y-yeah, it went fine. It was the anatomy scan, so it was a longer scan. We got to see the baby for longer than usual."

"Is it cute?" Lilly asked. I looked at my wife and she smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, he's very cute. He's got chubby little cheeks," Olivia replied. 

"It's a boy?" Kathleen mused.

"Yup, the last little Stabler in our family is going to be a boy," I confirmed.

The kids were excited about getting a baby brother, even the twins. Halfway through dinner, Jasper got up and walked to Olivia. I watched as her breathing hitched, and she looked nervously at our five-year-old.

"Mama?" Jasper asked as he came over and grabbed the hem of her shirt.

"Yes?" Olivia asked nervously. She reached out and gently touched his back, and I watched as Jasper stepped closer to her.

"Can I still cuddle with you, even if I'm going to be a big brother?" He asked. The question was not what she had expected, especially since she hadn't cuddled our sons since before they ran away.

"I will always wanna cuddle with you, Jasper. The same with Tobias... Just because you are going to be a big brother doesn't mean you aren't my baby," Olivia breathed. Jasper smiled up at her, his two front teeth missing. 

"Right now?"

"You want to cuddle right now?" Olivia whispered.

"I can bring my plate over and at least sit on your lap," He replied.

"I think we can make that work," Olivia replied. Jasper ran to grab his plate as Olivia wiped tears from her cheeks. She looked at me and gave me a shaky smile.