Chapter 18
The boys turned two.
They were everywhere. Into everything.
James was still the quiet observer, but now he was putting his observations to use. He figured out how to open childproof locks. How to reach things on high shelves. How to get into the cookie jar without making a sound.
William was still the charmer. He could get away with murder just by smiling. He knew exactly how to bat his eyelashes to get extra cookies, extra hugs, extra attention.
Michael was still the fighter. He ran before he could walk. He climbed before he could crawl properly. He had no fear. He kept Ethan and Claire on their toes.
Ethan loved every minute of it.
He had learned to work from home two days a week. He would sit at his desk in the study, taking conference calls, while the boys played at his feet.
Sometimes they would color on important documents. Sometimes they would try to type on his keyboard. Sometimes they would just climb into his lap and fall asleep.
Ethan never complained.
This was the life he had fought for.
The Second Chance Bakery was thriving.
They had expanded. Opened a second location. Trained twenty more women. Their pastries were now sold in grocery stores across the state.
Claire was busier than ever, but she was happy.
She had found her purpose.
One evening, as Ethan was putting the boys to bed, Claire came into the room. She looked... different.
Nervous. Excited.
“Can we talk?” she said after the boys were asleep.
They went downstairs to the kitchen. Claire poured them both glasses of water. She paced.
“Claire, what is it? You're scaring me.”
She stopped pacing and looked at him.
“I went to the doctor today.”
Ethan's heart dropped.
“Is something wrong? Are you sick?”
“No. No, nothing like that.” Claire took a deep breath. “I'm pregnant.”
Ethan stared at her.
“Pregnant?”
After nine years of trying, after triplets, after everything...
“I know,” Claire said. “It's a surprise. A huge surprise. The doctor says it's a miracle. Given everything, she didn't think it was possible. But here we are.”
Ethan stood. He walked over to her. He placed his hands on her shoulders.
“Are you okay? Is the baby okay?”
“So far, everything looks good. It's early. But the heartbeat is strong. And it's just one this time. Singleton.”
Ethan pulled her into a hug.
He held her tightly.
Another baby.
Another miracle.
“I love you,” he said. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too.”
They stood in the kitchen for a long time, holding each other, thinking about the new life growing inside Claire.
The boys were going to have a sibling.
Their family was going to grow.
Ethan thought about everything they had been through.
The plane crash. The coma. The betrayal. The loss.
And now this.
Another chance.
Another beginning.
He looked down at Claire. She was smiling through her tears.
“We're going to need a bigger house,” he said.
May you like
Claire laughed.
“We're definitely going to need a bigger house.”
