Page 129 of Succeeding Love

“Happiest place in the world,” I said once again.

She giggled. “The happiest.”

Epilogue

Feighlynn

Three Years and Seven Months Later…

Standing at the kitchen sink, I took a second to enjoy the peace in the cool stream of the AC. I could still hear the squealing and laughter of half a dozen toddlers and other kids out in the backyard. The pool was in full use and we had a water slide set up with a bounce house in the back of the yard.

Preston, on a break from college, was acting as lifeguard for Joy’s third birthday party, and Jessie was helping Kate scoop ice cream into dozens of little cones for everyone to eat with their cake. The cake was minnie mouse themed, and now I have pink frosting down the front of my shirt.

I used washing the cake knife and my shirt as an excuse to get out of the heat for a second. I knew how torturous it was being this pregnant during a Texas summer, but my pregnant brain forgot that as I was planning our daughter’s party.

“There you are,” a deep, inviting voice made me grin as my husband approached me from behind. “I was looking for you.”

“I’m hot,” I whined, leaning back against the hard chest of this incredible man.

“Yeah, you are,” he murmured suggestively, bending over me to rub his hands down my swollen belly. He cradled themunder my abdomen and lifted, helping to relieve the strain on my insides.

I sighed in relief. “I love when you do that.”

He chuckled in the sexy way he does, kissing the top of my head. “I love doing it for you.” Rubbing his thumbs over where little feet started pressing against my womb, he murmured, “This little guy is ready to come out.”

“Kevin the third,” I giggled.

“That’s not his name,” Vin grunted.

“It is if I get a hold of that birth certificate first.”

“That will not be an issue,” he laughed softly against my ear. “I’ll slip the nurse a fifty to bring all the paperwork to me.”

“Fine,” I smiled, leaning into him. “Phillip it is.”

“I thought you liked Phillip?”

I shrugged. “I like Kevin a whole lot, though.”

“You’re sweet, baby,” he snuggled my neck. “Do you not like Phillip after all? We could have another Disney movie night with the kids to come up with a name like we did for Joy.”

I confessed I got Jessie and Kevin’s names from Disney movies after we named our daughter Joy. Joy was also from a Pixar classic. He pointed out that I usually pick characters that act most like me to fixate on, so I stepped back and let him pick this baby’s name.

Phillip.

Vin told me about a friend that he deployed with that never made it back home, and when he suggested the name, I knew it was important to him. Al even teared up a bit when heheard the name. Emma knew who Phillip was to our husbands, and we sat and listened as the men reminisced the rest of the night. It was a sweet moment for the guys to tell stories about their fallen friend.

“I was just teasing you, Kevin the first. I think Phillip is the perfect name.”

I felt his smile against my skin before he kissed my neck one more time. His soothing hands on my belly were so tender and nurturing, I could never imagine naming our child anything else.

“Daddy! Daddy!” Joy suddenly came hurrying into the kitchen, dragging someone behind her. “Joy gib cake to Ick!”

Vin laughed, slowly releasing my belly to shake Nick’s hand. “Hey. Glad you could make it.”

“Thanks for the invite,” Nick said, then smiled down at Joy. “Maybell has your present, sweet girl.”

“Pe-sent!” Joy threw her hands in the air and cheered.

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