Lane
Five Years Later

I collapsed onto the giant beach blanket that Bear and Dax had just set up. I’d spent the entire morning putting together the snacks, decorating the cake and doing all the other logistics that came with having a beach birthday. The guys chipped in where they could, but they had their own tasks to finish. You’d think three highly-competent contractors and a successful public defense lawyer would be more than capable of executing a smooth family outing. But we had a little gremlin running around who made even the most simple things ten times harder. Even with a team of four, Jacob was a handful. Bear thinks he got that from me.

“You didn't just give him those green eyes of yours, Lane. It’s the attitude, too,” he’d said right as Jacob entered the terrible twos. I, however, contested the claim. We agreed to disagree.

The July sun beat down on North Avenue Beach, baking the whole stretch of white sand into gold. Ahead of us, Lake Michigan shimmered in blue, the crashing low waves melting against the distant roar of the city.

There were other people roaming the beach, but underneath the sprawling shade of our umbrella, the world was reduced to just five.

“Okay, buddy, don’t blow until we finish the song!” Silas laughed, wrangling Jacob on his hip as I set up the three candles in the chocolate cake I'd baked last night, and lit them. Sy’s long blonde hair was tied back, and his massive chest was bronzed by the sun. The beach was his idea and he looked right at home.

Dax sat cross-legged on the blanket to my left, taking photos and looking awfully domesticated for an ex underground MMA fighter. But his genuine, warm smiles were no longer rare, not since Jacob had been born. Bear was taking drinks out of the cooler and watching everything unfold with his eagle eyes. After five years, we'd finally found our rhythm.

I got to my knees and raised the cake closer to our son's face as Sy dipped him. Jacob's chubby little hands hovered menacingly over the candles, itching with the urge to smash the entire thing.

“Ready?” asked Bear, starting the countdown. He had a relaxed smile crinkling the corners of his dark brown eyes. “On three okay? One, two, three.”

We sang happy birthday, our voices blending together, though Sy was up there in performance, much to Dax and Bear's annoyance. The second the final note left our lips, Jacob blew out the candles, a look of intense focus on his face.

We clapped and I quickly removed the candles. In those brief seconds I handed them over for Dax to discard, chaos erupted.

Jacob wiggled his little body in Sy's arms and reared back. That should've been the warning sign but, in cinematic slow motion, he face-planted straight into the cake with a mischievous shriek.

Dax snorted, a sharp, genuine laugh escaping him as he reached out with a towel to clean our son up. "Good job, killer. Maximum destruction.”

Sy just looked flat out disappointed. While the two of them got the little one cleaned up, Bear shifted closer to me on the blanket. His solid, broad shoulder brushed mine, grounded and warm. “Oh. That reminds me, we've got something for you.”

He reached into his canvas dry-bag and pulled out a small, pocket-sized square box wrapped in plush, midnight-blue velvet. He pressed it into my hand and Dax and Sy paused in trying to get chocolate cake out of our squealing toddler's nose to watch.

I blinked, looking at all of them in confusion. “But it's Jacob's birthday, not mine.”

Dax rolled his eyes. “Oh, get over yourself, Red. Just open it.”

“We all went in on it,” Sy added, and having successfully cleaned up Cake Gate, he sunk onto his haunches and passed the boy to Dax. "Think of it as a five-year survival anniversary."

The weighted, magnetic snap popped open with a satisfying click. Resting against a white satin interior was a delicate, shimmering chain of yellow gold. But it was the centerpiece that made my eyes fill with tears—a modern, horizontal trinity setting holding three distinctly cut, brilliant gemstones.

A deep, midnight sapphire. A warm, honey-bright citrine. A sharp, vibrant emerald.

Sapphire, for Bear's grounding nature and dependable strength. Citrine, for Silas's warmth and bright smiles that keep the world spinning even on the worst days. And emerald, Dax's raw vitality that had become my pulse.

I swallowed back tears. Bear took the necklace from the box, his rough, calloused fingers working the clasp with great care as I turned and lifted my hair. He fastened it around my neck, his lips pressing a soft, lingering kiss against my temple

"Thank you," I choked out, turning around to face them. I didn't care about the crowded beach. I didn't care who saw us, or what anyone in this city thought. This was my family, my peace, my world and my heart was full to bursting with them. “I love you guys.”

I pressed a fierce kiss to Bear's lips, then reached out to pull Sy down by the back of his neck for a lingering kiss. I lastly turned to Dax and caught his jaw, kissing him so hard I could taste the hint of salt water on his skin.

“We love you too,” he said softly, nuzzling his nose once against mine.

“Alright, birthday boy,” Sy announced, jumping up and shaking the sand from his frame. He gave me a wink. “How about we give Mama a break, huh? Who wants to play kickball?”

“Me! I do it!” Jacob squealed, completely forgetting all about the cake as he scrambled out of Dax's lap. He took off at a full run toward the shoreline, tripping over his own feet once before bouncing right back up as though nothing happened.

“I've got eyes on him,” Dax said, throwing me one last lingering look before getting up and jogging after Jacob. Sy was already halfway to the water, setting up a makeshift base with an empty cooler.

Bear lazed back under the umbrella, propping himself up on one elbow as we watched the three of them play together.

“It really doesn't get any better than this, does it?” murmured Bear, his eyes fixed on our son laughing in the surf.

I smiled, the secret I'd been keeping for the last few weeks spreading an electric warmth through my chest. I reached out and took one of Bear's heavy hands.

“Oh, I don't know,” I said casually, guiding his palm to my still-flat belly. “I think we have room for better. What do you think?”

Bear froze, his eyes snapping down to our joined hands on my stomach. I waited for the penny to drop and when it did, his whole face lit up with a stupid grin. His fingers twitched on my skin.

“Lane, are you..?” he asked quietly.

I nodded my head yes, laughing.

He gave a shout that drew some attention from other beach goers, but neither one of us cared. He pulled me closer, rolling us over until I was on top of him. He cradled my face, looking up at me with wonder in his eyes, and I hoped that he would reserve that expression for me for the rest of our lives.

“I love you, so much Whittaker,” he said, leaning up to crush his lips to mine. “I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you…” he mumbled between each kiss, passion and tenderness swapping between us until I felt dizzy.

I could still hear Dax, Sy and Jacob laughing in the background, and for the first time in my life, I had no regrets about any of the choices I'd made. I knew I would do it all over again, walk whatever roads I had to as long as they led me back here.

To my family.