I loved the complex simplicity of it. The order and the routine but also the chaos. Babies were fucking chaos and they knew it. I even loved the noise, the ever-present noise of people and crying and what the fuck was that? and living. Living was loud—and so was love—and I treasured it all more than I could explain.
"There you go, you little Hobbitses," I said, setting Sawyer and Savvi back in their crib. We had two cribs. We had two of everything. Still, they only slept when they were together. "You have full bellies and clean diapers. You can sleep for another few hours." Savvi babbled at me indignantly. "Then, you can play quietly but it's too early for us to wake Momma."
Sensing the cause was hopeless, Sawyer flopped back to the mattress and shoved his thumb in his mouth. He always gave in first. His sister was a different story. After a pause, Savvi brought her blanket to her chest and wobbled over to her side.
I watched them as I backed out of the room. They'd babble to each other for a few minutes but they'd nod off after that. The trick was making sure they believed it was sleepytime. If they thought their Momma was awake, rattling around the kitchen and fixing toast, they'd throw all of hell and damnation at me until I picked them up and allowed them to toddle free.
I climbed back into bed beside Jasper. Her hair was half in its usual bun, half out, and her plaid shirt had slipped down her shoulder. It was my shirt but it was hers. Anything that was mine was hers.
"Did they settle down after their bottles?"
"Mostly," I replied, tucking her ass into my lap. "They'll be all right in there for an hour or two if they don't. They can talk to each other."
Jasper reached for the video monitor on her bedside table. The screen showed the twins were lying on their sides, facing each other. Sawyer still had his thumb in his mouth but that didn't stop him from babbling to Savvi. She had the blanket under her head and yammered back at her brother with a quick kick of her little legs.
"They're the cutest things in the world," she whispered.
"I know." When she continued watching, I took the monitor from her hand and returned it to the table. "They'll still be cute in an hour."
"If you're trying to tell me you won't be grumbly and growly for me in an hour, I'm going to have to disagree with you there, husband. You're grumbly and growly all the time."
"You're right about that, Peach. I am." I kissed that exposed shoulder all the way to the base of her throat. "Always."
Thank you for reading! I hope you loved Linden and Jasper! If you’d like to read a baby brunch bonus chapter featuring Jasper, Linden, Magnolia, Rob, Ash, Zelda, some Walsh family friends, and (of course) Grandmazilla, sign up at https://geni.us/BATBBC
Join Kate Canterbary’s Office Memos mailing list (https://geni.us/officememos) for occasional news and updates, as well as new release alerts, exclusive extended epilogues and bonus scenes, and cake. There’s always cake.
Visit Kate’s private reader group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheWalshery/) to chat about books, get early peeks at new books, and hang out with over booklovers!
If newsletters aren’t your jam, follow Kate on BookBub (https://geni.us/KCBB) for preorder and new release alerts.
Also By Kate Canterbary
The Santillian Triplets
The Magnolia Chronicles — Magnolia
Boss in the Bedsheets — Ash and Zelda
The Belle and the Beard — Linden and Jasper-Anne
Vital Signs
Before Girl — Cal and Stella
The Worst Guy — Sebastian Stremmel’s story ~ coming soon
Benchmarks Series
Professional Development — Drew and Tara
Orientation — Jory and Max
The Walsh Series
Underneath It All – Matt and Lauren
The Space Between – Patrick and Andy
Necessary Restorations – Sam and Tiel
The Cornerstone – Shannon and Will
Restored — Sam and Tiel
The Spire — Erin and Nick
Preservation — Riley and Alexandra
Thresholds — The Walsh Family
Foundations — Matt and Lauren
Walsh Family Spinoff Standalones
Missing In Action — Wes and Tom
Coastal Elite — Jordan and April
Talbott’s Cove
Fresh Catch — Owen and Cole
Hard Pressed — Jackson and Annette
Far Cry — Brooke and JJ
Rough Sketch — Gus and Neera
Get exclusive sneak previews of upcoming releases through Kate's newsletter and private reader group, The Canterbary Tales, on Facebook.
Acknowledgments
The Belle and the Beard is my twenty-first published novel.
I can only speak for my own creative process and the labor of love that is telling the stories of the people in my head, though I’m comfortable saying it doesn’t get easier. The stories, the journeys, they couples—they’re all different. No two are ever written the same way.
And I’m extremely grateful to the people who put up with me as I discover the new ways I’ll create each day. I’m thankful to loved ones and dear friends who allow me to continue figuring this out.
