Page 141 of Enticing Her Love

So much had changed over the past six months, and they’d never been happier. Their siblings had helped her move into Flynn’s house after the plane crash, and life had been a whirlwind ever since. Flynn’s parents had come to visit, and Sutton had fallen as hard for them as she had for Flynn. She and Flynn had finally made it to Ridgeport, and she’d had fun seeing all his old haunts. They tried to see his parents and grandparents often and got together with his siblings when they could, but lately Flynn’s family had been busy, and her and Flynn’s new work schedule had made it difficult to coordinate visits. She knew he was missing them.

After months of meetings and negotiations, Heart Stories had been approved for production. But viewer response to their rainforest episodes had been overwhelmingly positive, and neither she nor Flynn wanted to stop working on Discovery Hour. They’d decided to launch Heart Stories as special-assignment pieces to be aired once a month rather than a scheduled weekly show, allowing them to work on both productions. They were launching Heart Stories in six weeks with the fragmented-world piece Sutton had been working on.

She loved not hiding their relationship, and that freedom brought them closer together. She’d never realized how working toward the one goal she’d set when she was a little girl and living her life as if there were no other path had stifled her in so many ways. Letting go of the confines she’d always lived within had allowed her to feel freer and happier than she ever had. She and Flynn were working as a team, brainstorming ideas, and coming up with stories, which added another new level of joy and frustration. But with Flynn, the pros far outweighed the cons.

“I can’t believe it’s almost Christmas,” her mother said as she wrote a name on a gift tag and taped it to the wrapped gift.

“I can. We’ve been so busy, it seems like the last six months have flown by. I can’t believe our new show airs in six weeks.”

Her mother stopped wrapping and looked at her. “I’m so proud of you, honey.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“You know, I probably don’t tell you that enough. I’m not just proud of you for your professional accomplishments. I’m proud of the person you are, the way you stand up for yourself and others, and the way you love Flynn with your whole heart.”

“I don’t know any other way to love. I only know what I’ve seen with you and Dad. I hope Flynn and I are as close as you two are thirty years from now.”

“You will be. But you know love has its ups and downs, and if you and Flynn ever decide to get married and have a family of your own, you’ll hit trying times like we all do.”

Sutton dreamed of marrying Flynn one day, and she knew when the time was right, they’d get there. They both wanted a family, and with three more adorable babies in their lives, and Jules three months pregnant, she’d been thinking about it a lot more often.

She set the gift aside and began wrapping the last present, a camera for Joey. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“What’s it really like to be a mom?”

“Oh boy.” Her mother sighed. “Do you want the truth or the pretty picture?”

“The truth, of course.”

“Well, honey, being a parent is the most rewarding, thrilling, and terrifying thing I’ve ever done. Imagine holding your fragile new baby who relies on you for everything and sledding down an icy cliff littered with massive boulders you can see a mile away and patches of grass so small, you never see them coming, and all the while, your goal is to hit a tiny ramp at the bottom at just the right angle in order to sail over a ravine filled with hungry crocodiles to get your child safely to adulthood on the other side.”

Sutton laughed. “Wow, Mom. Don’t hold anything back.”

“Hey, you asked, and I know you’ll take that with a grain of salt. Don’t tell Jules any of that.”

“I never would.” Because Jules had gone through chemotherapy when she was young, she faced a higher chance of infertility and miscarriage. She’d gotten lucky, getting pregnant so quickly, and Sutton threw prayers up to the powers that be on a daily basis, hoping to keep Jules and the baby healthy.

“Good. Now let me share the good stuff with you. There is something magical in every baby, and there is no greater joy than discovering what that is in each of them. I loved watching you experience things for the first time and develop opinions and your personality, and I love helping you find your way through the ups and downs of life. And you know how cute babies are and how they make you crazy with their infectious giggles. They’re worth every gray hair and every frustrated tear.”

“Do you ever wish you didn’t have so many of us so fast?”

“I’ve had many moments of feeling like a failure as a parent. I think every parent does. But I can honestly say that I’ve never once wished any of you away. But I did worry that none of you got enough attention or that I’d say or do the wrong thing. I mean, let’s face it, six kids in eight years is a lot.”

“You’re a great mom, and you always were, but I don’t know how you stayed sane.”

“Who said I did?” She laughed. “There were nights when I was so exhausted, I’d yell at your dad for no reason, or sit in the bathroom and cry. When Jules was diagnosed, my mother had to peel me off the floor, and I can’t tell you how many times Margot and Gail did the same. And when your father and I found out we were having Levi and Leni, I bawled my eyes out for you.”

“Why for me?”

“Honey, you were my first baby girl after rambunctious boys. Selfishly, I was loving my time with you. You had just gotten me all to yourself when the boys were at preschool, and you flourished. I knew how demanding twins were and what a toll another set of twins would take on our family. Jock and Archer had each other, but I worried about you getting enough attention. Thank God for your grandmother. She was always there to help me with you kids, but I needed to be with the babies when I was nursing them, and you were always such a good girl. Even at two, you entertained yourself and almost never cried, and frankly, I was concerned that you were too good. My mother told me I was right. That was hard to hear, but it was the truth, so I asked her if she’d spend time alone with you, and you loved it. You’d pack your toys in your little backpack and wait by the window at the same time every day. You two would go to the park or play in the garden. And as all you kids got older, she’d come get you at what we called the witching hour. When things were craziest.”

“I remember that. I enjoyed that time with her.”

“I know you did, honey. I wish we had more time together when you were a little girl. I did make time every night to read to you before bed. That was our time. After every story, you’d ask me to stay, and I’d say, If I stay, I get to snuggle with you. That’s a good thing, or what Daddy and I call a plus. And you’d say, I’ll tell you a story! That’s a plus. I’d tease you and say something like, Does the story have a bad guy in it? Because that’s not a plus. We’d spend ten minutes making up a pros and cons list, and of course you’d convince me to stay even longer. Those are some of my favorite memories, but then you got old enough to read your own stories, and you didn’t need me as much.”

Sutton had forgotten about those times, but it was all coming back to her now. “That’s when I started making pros and cons lists.”