Page 210 of Surprisingly Us

“Remember to close the trap door.” Barrett calls after them before popping a handful of Goldfish in his mouth. “Why are these so addictive?” He asks Chloe, reaching for another handful.

She laughs. “Because you love salty snacks.”

Griffin finally releases his boys. After a quick hug for their mom, Cooper and Beckett race for the table of snacks.

Griffin rubs his back. “Man, that’s getting harder to do.”

Emma stands to wrap her arms around his waist, and smiles up at him. “They’re getting big.”

Griffin presses a kiss to her lips. “Yeah, it makes me happy and sad at the same time.”

When the group has ransacked the table of snacks, they run off toward the treehouse. A few years ago, Hunter and I spent a weekend attempting to replace the old, rotting boards, but ended up hiring a crew to redo the whole treehouse. We kept it rustic, though, wanting to ensure our kids get the same experience we had.

“How was the lake?” I ask Jerrod.

“Busy, but always fun with this group.” He gives me a squeeze on the shoulder, and I hand him one of the craft beers from the cooler that Griffin and Hunter stocked.

Jerrod and I are still co-chairs of The Spencer Foundation, and the organization is flourishing. While we still work with many local nonprofits in NYC and around the country, we’ve expanded our reach to work globally with developing countries on water sanitation and hygiene projects, as well as working with a large corporation on expanding digital health community. After our grandfather retired, he and Edith moved to Florida, but they visit so frequently it feels like they still live in the city.

“Look who’s up from their nap,” Chloe coos at the appearance of the wobbly, dark-haired toddler walking across the lawn. It’s my two-year-old daughter, Millie, who is now sneaking up behind Sophie’s chair a playful smile on her lips.

“Who’s that behind my chair?” Sophie asks in an exaggerated voice.

Millie lets out a spirited scream and runs straight for my legs.

“Dada, Sophie get me.” She looks up at me with her big blue eyes, laughing.

I swing Millie up into my arms and give her a squeeze. She wraps her arms around me and it’s the best feeling in the world. I never knew having a tiny human clinging to my chest calling me ‘dada’ would be the peak of my existence. It’s fucking awesome.

“That's because she wants a snuggle.” I squeeze her tight. “And you give the best hugs, Millie Rose.”

After another tight squeeze, she gives me a kiss on the lips then wriggles free to wander over to where Harper, Barrett and Chloe’s four-year-old daughter, Rowan, Hannah and James’s three-year-old daughter, and Maxwell, Sebastian and Ramsey’s three-year-old son, are playing at the water table. That group is too focused on how many buckets of water they can fill up to even bother with snacks.

I turn to find Lettie coming down the path with our newborn son cradled to her chest. I greet her with a kiss, then take Wesley from her.

“I was just coming to get Millie up,” I tell her.

She gives me a sleepy smile. “We napped together so I was already there.”

She tosses the burp cloth over my shoulder. “He just ate and I didn’t get a good burp from him yet.”

I rub soothing circles over his back and give him a few gentle pats. “You know burping is my specialty.”

“Yes,” her lips twitch, “you’ve come a long way in that department.”

Her smile lights up her blue eyes. It’s been nine years since she walked down the aisle to me on that beach in St. Thomas, yet I find myself falling more in love with her each day that passes. And seeing Lettie as a mom has only made my love for her deepen.

After fifteen years with The City Ballet, seven as a principal dancer, Lettie retired from dancing professionally three years ago, and we immediately got pregnant with Millie. A few months ago, Wesley was born, and this weekend is his first visit to Lake George.

“What can I get you, Princess? A drink? Something to eat?” I wrap an arm around her and she curls into my side.

“Nothing right now.” She stares out at the water. “This is perfect.”

After Lettie retired, she took the director role at Leg-Up and has continued teaching a few classes a week because she loves it so much. Madelyn, who has been taking classes at Leg-Up for the last eight years, just graduated from high school, and is interning at Leg-Up this summer to help with their mobile dance program. We’re both still big Taylor Swift stans and Millie is becoming one too.

This is how it is now. Unfinished games of cornhole, two hours to herd everyone onto the boat, and countless mugs of abandoned coffee scattered between the three lake houses. And don’t even get me started on how many bottles of sunscreen we go through.

All our lives are busy, but as a group, we plan out two weekends every summer to spend together at Lake George.

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