“Daddy! Daddy! DADDY!” Cohen’s warm breath hits my ear and his whisper is loud enough to wake the dead.
I groan, knowing that there is no way Cohen’s going to sleep anytime soon. I feel like I just fell asleep seconds ago, which isn’t far from the truth.
“C-Man, what are you doing awake?”
“Got things to do, Daddy!” Jesus, he’s starting to sound more and more like Maddox daily. Ever since they bonded when the girls were in the hospital, I feel like my son is turning into a Locke clone.
“Son.”
“Daddy.”
Melissa snickers next to me, and I know she gets a kick out of our four-year-old turning into some little mini alpha boy.
“Cohen, why don’t we go to sleep for just a few more minutes?” Or hours, I silently add.
“Can’t.”
“Annnnd why can’t we do that?” I finally peek my eyes open and jump when I realize how close he is to my face. “Jesus, son, do you have to sneak up like that?”
He giggles softly. “I didn’t sneak up on you. I was just talking to you, Daddy. We have to go . . . Go now!”
“Okay, okay.” I throw back the covers, remembering a second too late that I’m still naked from taking Melissa just a few hours before.
“HA! Daddy has his wiener rings in! Daddy, your wiener is funny looking with Mommy’s earrings in there!” He starts dancing around the room, chanting about my goddamn wiener rings.
Melissa sits up and starts laughing uncontrollably. I look over at her and notice that the sheet has pooled around her waist about the same time Cohen does. I hold my breath . . . waiting for it.
“Mommy! Boobies! Mommy has boobies. Boobies. Boobies! Ha ha ha! I want Lucky Charms for breakfast! Let’s go! I’ll go get my girls!”
It’s my turn to laugh now. Melissa is blushing about ten shades of red, and I’m standing in the middle of the bedroom, naked as the day I was born, laughing at my wife.
As hectic as my life is between Cohen and all his crazy fun, two little girls who seem to do nothing but wake and eat with a little sleep sprinkled in there, and a full-time job, it’s moments like this that make me realize just how lucky we are and just how blessed we are to be here.
It hasn’t been easy. Melissa had to stay in the hospital for two weeks after she woke up. The doctors wanted to make sure that she was completely cleared before they would release her, and I was okay with that.
Lillian was able to come home with Melissa, exactly a month after she was born. She’s such a strong little girl. Taking Melissa and Lillian home was bittersweet. In one hand, it felt so good to have them home, but I think we all felt the hole from that not having Lyndsie home with us left.
It was for almost three weeks full of daily hospital visits later that we were able to take Lyndsie home. She had issues with her reflux that just kept setting us back, but finally, almost two months after she was born, we were able to bring her home and complete the Cage family.
Cohen took to his sisters instantly. He helps with everything he can. He holds the bottles while we feed them; he talks to them and sings to them. And every night he tells them everything he’s going to teach them when they get older.
I love watching them interact. Knowing that he feels the need to protect his sisters makes me smile. Those poor girls are going to love when they get older and have two shadows over them. There’s no way in hell that Cohen or I will let anything happen to our two princesses.
Melissa finally got her casts off both her arm and leg removed about a month ago. She’s had some issues with gaining her full strength back, but she keeps at her physical therapy, determined to heal.
It hasn’t been the easiest of times, but we’re together, and I’ll take a bumpy road over the alternative any day.
Melissa and I get ready in a comfortable silence, listening to Cohen chatter in the girls’ room through their baby monitors.
“Come on, my Beast. Let’s go get that crazy boy out of the nursery before he wakes up the girls. Good thing they can sleep through anything.”
She starts walking out of the room, only limping slightly, and my mouth waters when I see the yoga pants she’s put on hugging her perfect ass.
Ever since we got the go-ahead from the doctors, we’ve been almost insatiable. Doesn’t take a doctor to tell me that I’m channeling my fear from almost losing her into sex. Melissa isn’t complaining. If my diving into her sweet body daily gives my mind peace, she’s more than happy to help out there.
I have to give myself a few minutes to calm down before I can follow her out of the room. Just one glance at her tight body and I’m ready to lock the door and throw her back on the bed.
“Come on, Cohen. Let the girls sleep some more.” I smile when her voice comes over the monitor, before I finally walk out of our bedroom and down into the kitchen to start breakfast.