Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 60219 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 301(@200wpm)___ 241(@250wpm)___ 201(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60219 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 301(@200wpm)___ 241(@250wpm)___ 201(@300wpm)
As long as Mallory was happy, I would keep having kids. If I had my way, I would end up with enough to field my own team one day, one at every position. I turned my attention back to the boys tossing the ball to each other and Ryan helping guide them in their form as best he could.
When the game started, I fell into the routine of coaching, though admittedly a lot calmer with the little ones than I was with the high school kids. It had become an easy transition, and there were colleges contacting me as well as major league clubs, asking if I wanted to coach at a higher level. Maybe one day I would. But for right now, there wasn’t anything about my life I wanted to change—or was willing to.
Little league games were fun on their own, mostly just seeing the kids learn through play and act like their heroes. Owen ended up getting a hit in his first at bat, a squeaker between first and second, and was so happy that I thought he might smile for a year. Leo also ended up with a hit, a blooper to center that sent Ryan jumping in excitement at third base and forgetting to wave another kid home.
Even with the error in coaching, we ended up winning, and I fulfilled my promise. A pizza party was on me. We went out to the local pizzeria, and the boys piled in wearing their uniforms and took up their party room. It was chaos but delightful chaos as the boys ate and made noise and otherwise acted like happy boys.
Allison offered to take the girls home, but Mallory wanted to stay. She didn’t mind the noise. It was a celebration, after all. When we finally got Owen into the car, I thought he would be wired for a while, but only a minute or two into driving and he had his head laying against his sister’s car seat, both of them sound asleep.
“Oh no,” Mallory said. “He’s out.”
“That’s okay,” I said. “It was a big day.”
“It’s getting late. He needs a bath before he goes to bed. I just don’t want to wake him up.”
“Dirt’s good for him,” I laughed. “He’ll be fine. I’ll tell you what. I’ll be in charge of laundry tomorrow. I’ll wash the sheets for him and get everything clean.”
She laughed. “All right then,” she said. “I get the day off.”
“Sure,” I said. “You chill out tomorrow. I’ll handle everything. You just be cute and bake our new baby.”
She laughed and leaned her head on my shoulder as I drove. I kissed the top of her head.
When we got home, I scooped up Owen, and Mallory grabbed our little girl. We took them upstairs and tucked them into bed, Owen sleepily getting undressed before zonking out again. It was one of the nice things about both kids. They slept like rocks at night.
After putting them both to bed, I headed back to the living room where Mallory was sitting on the couch. We had brought home one of the pizzas, and she was happily snacking on a slice. I went into the kitchen and grabbed a beer and a water bottle, bringing her the water as I sat down and cracked open the bottle.
“True crime or subversive comedy?” she asked, the remote in her hand.
“I’ve had enough murder and mayhem stories this week,” I said, thinking back to the marathon of shows Mallory had been binging on over the last week or two. “Let’s do the belly laughs.”
“Oh, the baby agrees,” she said, suddenly holding her stomach.
I grinned and put my hand over her belly, feeling the little one kick and wiggle inside.
“I think it’s more the pizza,” I said. “Pepperoni and pineapple, just like Daddy.”
“I swear,” she said, shaking her head. “I would have never put pineapple on pizza before I got pregnant. This is your fault. If I did this in front of Tamara, she would have a heart attack.”
“Good thing she’s not here right now,” I said. “When is she moving here again?”
“Approximately never,” she laughed. “But she will happily take the basement bedroom six weeks at a time if we will let her.”
“You know I don’t mind,” I said. “I want this house full to the brim with love and laughter. I get to have my friends in town all the time. If Tamara wants to come hang out, she can come as often as she wants.”
She smiled and leaned in for a kiss. I could taste the tomato sauce on her lips and suddenly wanted a slice myself.
Grabbing a piece of the pizza, I leaned back and settled in for the show. After I finished my food and beer, I slid until my head was in her lap and my ear pushed against her belly. She kissed my forehead and stroked my hair as we watched TV, laughing along with the show and me feeling my third baby kicking away happily.