AllFreeNovel
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Naomi and Camden live with their crew across the bridge in Savannah, but the rest of us are right here on Oakley, giving us every opportunity to turn the “it takes a village” mentality into an everyday reality. I never imagined I’d raise my kids with both my sisters close enough to see them multiple times a week, but now that I am, I can’t imagine doing it any other way.
Something tells me our scheming grandmother knew exactly what she was doing when she wrote her will in a way that required us to spend time on Oakley. She wanted us to love this place like she did. She wanted us to have the home she knewwe deserved. I wish—not for the first time—that she could have lived long enough to see it.
“That smile is going to wreck some hearts,” Sadie says, tilting her head toward Liam who has dropped all his bags and is chasing his little brother toward the surf. Nat and Genny are running too, Leelee close behind.
“It already has,” I say, thinking of Izzy, who has harbored the biggest crush on Liam for years now.
Liam stops and drops onto the sand, letting his brother, along with his cousins dogpile him. He laughs as they take him down, disappearing in a wiggling mass of kids. Only Genny stands back, watching with hands on her hips instead of climbing all over her older cousin like she used to do.
Something stretches and tugs in my heart. Genny is growing up. It’s an unusual sensation to be both excited about something and terrified to see it happen all at the same time.
“Does he look more like Jake than he used to?” Sadie asks, shifting David from one hip to the other.
“The older he gets,” Naomi says. “Though he smiles a lot more than his uncle.”
“Everyone smiles a lot more than his uncle,” I joke. It’s true, but Jake smiles a lot—forme.
We finally reach the tent, and I drop into the beach chair Jake has just set out for himself. “Why, thank you, darling,” I say, and Jake rolls his eyes. I pull out a bottle of sunscreen and hold it up. “Can you get the girls? They’ll fry if we don’t, and if you go now, you’ll catch them before they get wet.” When he doesn’t look enthused, I add, “I’ll let you get me next.”
“On it,” Jake says quickly.
“I’ll help,” Camden says. “Ezra needs it too, even if he doesn’t think so.”
“Mandy, you go with Daddy, okay?” Naomi says. “He’ll put some sunscreen on you. Camden, don’t forget the tops of her feet!”
Camden lifts a hand in acknowledgment, then Naomi and Sadie drop into chairs next to me, a twin in each of their laps.
“How is it having Camden home?” I ask. “Are you used to it yet?”
Naomi’s husband just retired after years of playing professional hockey, so his busy work and travel schedule basically stopped overnight.
Naomi smiles. “Is it terrible if I say it’s ninety-five percent great and five percentoh my word, Camden, please go find something to do?” Naomi snuggles Daniel—or did she switch him for David when I wasn’t looking?—a little closer. “Maybe even ninety-nine percent great. But yeah. He’s a little like a lost puppy right now, which is making it incredibly hard formeto get work done, because he’s home all day, and he just wants to … hang out.”
I grin. “Hang out,huh? Is that what we’re calling it these days? The new Netflix and chill?”
Naomi smirks. “Okay, thehanging outpart has been really great.”
“I bet it has,” Sadie says. “If we didn’thang outin the middle of the day during nap time, we never would. Once seven p.m. rolls around, I’m good for nothing but sitting on the couch and nursing babies.”
“Seriously, my heart’s breaking for you both,” I say. “All that time with your husbands just lounging around the house. It must be so terrible.”
Sometimes it feels like Jake and I are hardly in the same room until we’re collapsing into bed, too exhausted to do anything but kiss each other goodnight and pass out. Betweenrunning the inn, and maintaining Jake’s law practice, and keeping up with the girls, we’re both running ourselves ragged.
Daytime sex? I can’t even imagine it.
Sadie nudges my knee. “Hey,” she gently says. “Just plan something. Put in on the calendar.”
“I didn’t say we neverhang out. Just not in the middle of the day.”
“Whatever works for you,” Sadie says. “You know the girls are always welcome to stay with me and Ben.”
“Or us,” Naomi says. “Just say when.”
“Help?” a voice calls from behind us. We all spin and see Merritt approaching, her arms full of bags and towels and a very squirmy baby boy.
I’m the only one not currently holding a kid, so I jump up and rescue Merritt, lifting Charlie out of her arms. “Oh my gosh, Mer,” I say, as I snuggle the baby against my chest. “Has he gotten bigger since I last saw him? You’re trying to catch up with your cousins, huh?” Charlie grins a toothless grin and lifts his slobbery hand to my cheek.
“It’s amazing what a little consistency can do,” Merritt says. “Are we the last ones here?”
