Page 143 of The Last Second Chance
Beckett looked down at his wife. “And Joey wasn’t you,” he told her.
“You didn’t even know me then.”
“That doesn’t mean I wasn’t waiting for you.”
“Oh for Christ’s sake, get a room,” Joey muttered.
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Four hours later, Jonathan and Meadow Pierce arrived within two minutes of each other. They were tiny pink bundles of health and dubbed the most perfect set of twins in the world by their parents. Joey thought they were pretty okay. Meadow looked at her with indigo eyes and the slightest frown as if she was trying to figure everything out. “You’ve got time, kid. Don’t try to figure it all out at once,” Joey whispered.
She glanced over at Jax who was holding Jonathan with Carter leaning over his shoulder. The looks of absolute adoration on their faces as they looked at the newborn did something funny to Joey’s gut. She caught Summer’s soft smile and wandered over to her bed to hand over her daughter.
“How do you feel?” Summer asked her.
“Shouldn’t I be the one asking you?” Joey asked depositing Meadow carefully in Summer’s arms.
“I feel tired, and pained, and exhausted, and completely in love right now. Now your turn.”
“I feel most of those things, too.”
“It’s going to be fine, Joey. You’ll find your way through. You’ll be able to forgive. And you’ll be as nauseatingly happy as I am right now.”
Joey shot another glance in Jax’s direction. He was promising Jonathan that he’d teach him and his sister to ride their bikes off the dock into the pond. Summer rolled her eyes. “Can you wait until they’re at least a day or two old before you start teaching them to drive me insane?”
“Sorry, Sis.” Jax handed Jonathan over and kissed Summer on the forehead.
Phoebe snapped yet another picture on her phone. “Mom, enough already,” Carter sighed sliding onto the bed next to Summer. “They’re too young for paparazzi.”
“I can’t help it,” Phoebe sighed. “They’re just so perfect! And I need just the right picture for Facebook and we promised Evan and Aurora we’d bring them pictures of their cousins.”
“When will your parents be here?” Joey asked Summer.
“Dad said they’ll be here before eight tonight. He has the pedal to the metal in the RV.”
Jax glanced at his watch. “We should probably get going. The dogs are going to need let out soon.”
“Yeah, Waffles is probably ready for his dinner soon.”
“How about you? Hungry?” Jax asked.
Joey raised an eyebrow. “Is that really a question you ever have to ask?”
“I’m thinking steaks and baked potatoes.”
Joey’s mouth watered at the thought. “Where is this magical dinner you speak of?”
“Your house. We’ll hit the grocery store on the way.”
“Inviting yourself over?”
“The way to a Joey’s heart is through her stomach.”
They said their good-byes to the exhausted new parents and enthusiastic grandparents. Joey led the way to her truck in the dusk. The visitors lot had cleared out considerably since they arrived and her cherry red pick-up sat by itself against a fence. Driving home would be easier without the handcuffs, she mused.
“I’m still mad at you, by the way,” she said, shutting her door.
“I appreciate your honesty. I’m still not thrilled about you making out with my brother and not telling me about it.”
