Kissing her forehead, I smile. "Shallow is sexy."
Once everyone settles down, Ford tells Shay she's awesome, and she says he's totally awesome too. At least, I think that's what they're saying. I admit I can't see past Bebe's eyes on me. All I can hear is my heart beating.
I was born poor white trash to a junkie mom in a world I barely understand. Now I'm standing in front of a group of people who give a shit if I live or die. I have a sweet little girl who plans to teach me everything she learns at school since I wasn't paying attention the first time around. I have a brother who knows what I'm thinking even when I don't. Mostly, I have a woman who sees how I am and how I wish to be.
By the power invested in Elvis by the great state of Arkansas, he declares us husbands and wives. The tricky stuff is over, and now we get to the best part…the rest of our lives.
Epilogue
Bebe
March arrives with two feet of snow and Pax on a mission. He lights candles every night and prays with Tallulah for a baby. Shay tells me to sit with my legs in the air to ensure optimal sperm infiltration. Darby says I should listen to Dean Martin like she did to get pregnant. Jenn suggests eating lots of pepper. Lupe wants me to try guacamole. Not because it'll make me fertile, but she thinks I'm missing out.
Even Ford gets into the action by claiming he slaughtered a goat to the god of baby-making mojo.
I don't listen to Dean Martin, sit with my legs in the air, or eat pepper. Oh, and I still think guacamole looks like snot. Despite all that, I get pregnant in March.
By the time Tallulah begins preschool, I waddle more than walk. Pax constantly talks to the baby, trying to teach it to take his side in arguments. He also devises a dozen new sexual positions for my comfort.
Sabrina Perri is born the day before Thanksgiving. Exhausted, I doze off to Pax humming Cat Scratch Fever to our baby girl. The next day, we return home, where Tallulah watches her sister for hours before realizing babies are boring. Pax takes longer to get the message. Eventually, the two of them run around in the backyard with Folgers. I hear them making plans for when Sabrina is old enough to join the fun.
Sabrina is a good baby like her big sister. She hates books though and is more interested in sports. Sabrina never aces tests like Tallulah, but she wins trophies in more than one sport. Pax and Ford never miss her games.
Arriving two years after Sabrina, Vanessa is nothing like her sisters. She looks like a mini-Pax with her blue eyes and blonde hair. The little girl never knows where anything is and often seems lost in her own house. Shay declares Vanessa our pretty, dumb child. I kick her when she says that, but my sister-in-law isn't wrong.
What Vanessa lacks in brains and physical coordination, she makes up in art. Our girl is always sketching, especially Pax on his Harley. Fixing cars is her second passion, and she plans to open a shop when she's old enough. Pax loves this idea, telling Ford that he doesn't need a son when Vanessa shares his love of bikes.
Not long after Vanessa joins the family, Shay and Ford have their first child. Clint is a big boy, but easy-going. I tell Shay she got lucky like me. Our mellow firstborns allowed us to get the hang of being moms.
After Clint is born, Shay spends most days at my house while her brothers are at school. Though already close friends, we become sisters during this period. We even plan our last babies' births to fall months apart.
Pax and I have a boy for our last child. Roy proves to be the oddest kid anyone's ever known. Even smart as hell, he hates school. Roy only listens to big band music, something we blame on Darby. He wears sleeveless shirts and faux hawks. One day, Roy paints his nails like his sisters. The next day, he takes a bat to a local boy picking on Vanessa. The kid is secretly my favorite because he's like no one I've ever met. Pax is the same kind of original. They both surprise and amuse me. Neither one cares about the world's rules, so they write their own.
Eventually, our tri-level house proves too small, so we move into a newly renovated two-story a few blocks from Darby's place. Ford and Shay choose an identical house to ours down the street from us. The brothers never stop competing.
The first few months after Perri's death, Darby seems overwhelmed. The legal issues are ironed out. Jenn's health improves. The city settles down. Even with the pressure off, Darby still cries whenever she thinks of Perri. Even loving being a mom, she never wanted a second chance paid in someone's blood.