The Gray Brothers: The Beginning✔️ (Kindle version)

No more!

Patty

My husband lost his damn mind after discovering that I was pregnant again. I didn't understand because I was on birth control and took it religiously.

The twins were about two, and I figured we were done with having children, but we weren't. The doctor confirmed it. Boy, I had questions. It seems birth control is ineffective when you're on antibiotics.

I was not a happy camper when I got home.

"How?" Nate asked me.

"Because someone upstairs thinks this is hilarious!"

"Why are you getting mad at me?"

"Because I told you that I wasn't feeling good, so I was on antibiotics."

"Wait a minute. You jumped me. Remember?"

I remembered what happened that night. "Oh, yeah." Well, shit.

"Oh, yeah," he mocked me.

"You're getting snipped. Schedule a damn appointment."

He rolled his eyes.

"Are you coming or what?" I asked.

"Where are we going?"

"To the bedroom, duh." I rolled my eyes at him.

Who argues with that logic? This pregnancy differed from the others, making me more romantic, and Nate loved every minute.

He also got snipped. Five kids were plenty, plus Maggie was at our house a lot. She and the boys fought like cats and dogs except for Nash, who took a shine to her.

Baby Nolan arrived. When deciding his name, we picked it at random. I love babies, but I'm not having any more kids. By the age of twenty-five, I had five kids, which was plenty.

*****

Someone knocked on the door. I opened it to a little girl with brown curls and blue eyes.

"Hi, Pat." She grinned.

"Hi, Maggie." I smiled.

"Do you like my dress?" She twirled.

"It's beautiful."

"Thank you. Mommy bought it for me because she is going out of town with Daddy."

"Would you like to stay here for a few days while they're gone?"

"I can't. Mommy said that I already have a babysitter." She frowned.

Nate walked in and saw us. "Maggie, are you wearing a new dress?"

"Yes! Do you like my dress, Nate?"

"Yes, I do. It's beautiful." Nate crouched in front of her. "Maggie, would you like to have some ice cream?"

Her face lit up. "Really?"

"Sure, Pat and I will have a bowl, won't we?"

"Sure, we are. A scoop of ice cream won't hurt." I got out the ice cream and pulled down bowls. I dropped a scoop into eight bowls, and Nate called the boys down. I placed them on the table, and each boy took a seat while Nate placed Maggie on the counter.

"Why is she sitting on the counter?" Nixon asked.

"Because all girls are princesses, you treat them like it," Nate said.

"Is Mom a princess?" Nathan asked him.

He looked at me. "Nope, she is my queen."

"Do princesses always wear pretty dresses?" Nash asked.

"The special ones do. Boys, we should treat girls like princesses, and they should wear a pretty dress and never cry," Nate said.

The boys stared at him except for Nolan, who was too busy with his ice cream to notice.

"Well, is Maggie a princess?" Nash asked him.

"I'm not sure. Why?"

"Because she's wearing a pretty dress." Nash had the same expression and steel-grey eyes that Nate had for me. Oh, boy.

*****

My life with Nate and the boys was incredible. We had our disputes, but we're the best team out there. Life became even more interesting for us with a girl living next door.

I can see why Lucille became so endeared with me. When you have a house full of boys, you need girl time. With Maggie, I got it. Brian and Tricia always traveled, so Nate and I spent time with Maggie.

We wanted her to have a family and parental figure, which she lacked at home. What happened next would change everything?