Holiday Hockey Tale The Icebreaker's Impasse (By Ivory Row) novel Chapter 125

Luci

Four Years Later

“Mommy, watch me!” Hayden shouts from across the pool. He does a cannonball and I applaud seriously for him. Cole helps him out and then promptly instructs him on how to make his splash even bigger. He’s the most supportive big brother of all time.

“Why am I pregnant again in this heat?” Sydney groans playfully as she drops into the chair between Stormi and I. She fans herself and leans back, her six–month pregnant stomach protruding prominently.

Easton turns his head toward me while pointing to Hayden before he raises his left arm behind his neck and strips his shirt off in one easy move. Jackson repeats the motion and they leap into the pool to begin chasing our kids.

“Because he takes his shirt off the same way my husband does.” I answer dryly.

“They all four do that. Why is that so damn hot? Like I swear my ovaries sing with certain signature Reed moves and my husband is way too aware of it.” Stormi says lowly.

“Exudes confidence and also they really don’t care about anyone watching though they fully exploit it when they do know we are. Doesn’t help they look like blonde gods.” Sydney shakes her head.

The Reed brothers are still playing hockey for the Puck Kings. In the off season, they run their own pieces of the Reed empire. I watch all of them laughing with their kids or each other right now. They all had their own healing journey to traverse when I met them. You’d have never known it looking in on them from the outside, but it was there. And now each of them are whole and happy.

Even their mom has found her own place in their world. She isn’t here today, but we do have family events with both her and Jason around. They went to special couples counseling three years ago, not to reconcile, but to be better grandparent and parent partners.

Cole is trying to help Hayden escape Easton. Not an easy feat considering he’s so damn tall and stretches easily across the pool.

Becker built this massive pool with rock slide and lazy river at his house this summer. Which was fine with all of us. Easton joked it meant we just send all our kids to their house in the summer. We have a pool, but it’s much smaller than this. Our house has the zip line and built in adventure course. Grandpappy has a big pool and massive playground he calls the grandbaby trap. He also has one of those freestanding popcorn machines with outdoor movie projector.

“These two little ladies were awake.” Grandpappy smiles as he walks my twin girls out the back door. They rub their brown eyes sleepily as they smile. Both have their daddy’s blonde hair and their big brothers‘ please eyes habits. At eighteen months old, they use them freely on their daddy. “Mahmah…” Callie points to me. Alexis simply smiles while clinging to Grandpappy. “Hi my little pumpkins.” They settle into a chair with Grandpappy still a bit dazed from their nap. They swam this morning already and were tired.

I had to stop teaching when I was pregnant with the girls and the doctor placed me on bedrest at seven months. They were born with no issues, though the whole thing had Easton hovering like a protective, stern, grumpy polar bear the last two months of that pregnancy.

While I was off, I started writing some of my bedtime instructions into children’s books.

Sydney really disliked her job so I proposed she quit and become my illustrator. We published our first story, The Two Tales of Firetail, the Ice Dragon. It was a success and we have kept going since then. All the profits from our books go directly to Luci’s Heart. The guys donate large portions to it and it’ll be funded for the rest of our lives with that alone, but I like to contribute. Janet suggested something new this year and the guys jumped right into it. At each game, they feature five foster children who are eligible for adoption. They ensure those kids are in the stands and get to watch themselves on the screen. The whole arena always cheers the loudest for them and you can see the joy on their faces.

“Reminds me Luci, I’ve got almost all the artwork done for the ocean creature versus birds book. I’ll move to the hockey playing dragons book next.” Syd says. “Can you hand me my water cup?” I stand and lean over to grab it, only to catch the grin on her face right before I’m spun around and thrown over Easton’s shoulder. “You look too dry, sweetness.”

“I was sitting with the girls and waiting for your little bunnies to need me.”

“They’re fine. They have Aunt Syd and Grandpappy until they are fully awake. You are needed in the pool.” He tosses me right in and I surface to find him already next to me. “Hi beautiful.”

I wrap my arms around his neck. “Miss me or something?”

“Were you away from my side? There’s your answer. The grandparents offered to keep them all for a few hours tonight if we want to sneak off for an adult only dinner.” He slowly grins. “We’re going to ambush our boys.”

“Adult dinner sounds nice. Are we close to them?” I whisper.

“Yes. You get Hay Hay. He’ll be right behind you. I got the big one.” He says and then nods. I turn and hurry to grab Hayden.

“MOMMY! Help Coco!” But Cole is trapped too.

“DADDY! Not fair! Sneak attacks are not allowed.” Cole shouts, grinning.

“Says who?! Uncle Becker made the rules, and you know he allows all forms of surprises.”

Easton lifts him and tosses him into the water. He’s grown so much I can’t pick him up anymore. Our giant nine–year–old whose heart is still bigger than ten of him put together.

“Hi Mommy.” Hayden says softly as I hug him.

“Hi HayHay. Having fun?” I push back his wet blonde hair. All my kids have it, that ash blonde color like their daddy. Only the girls got my brown eyes and my facial features. Hayden’s eyes are the exact same color as Easton’s. Cole’s only have a hint of blue around his irises, the only bit of Lorelei he seems to have inherited. She’s not intruded or contacted us about him after that day she gave me her grandfather’s watch. I sent her the video of him opening it. In it, he thanked her for sending it to him. She even sent me back a sentence saying how much that meant to her, but that was it. She continues to act in movies, but mostly overseas or in smaller roles. Cole knows where she is and that it’s his choice if he ever wants to contact her or see her. To this day, he’s expressed no interest.

“Yes. Love Uncle Becker’s pool.” He grins that big toothy smile.

“HayHay come on. We have to get the other kids.” Cole whispers to him. “Hi Mommy.” He pecks my cheek and I squeeze him quickly before he swims off toward Barrett and the rest of the older cousins. I thought he’d change over to calling me Mom as he’s gotten older, but he explained to me one day that he wants to keep calling me Mommy for now. A way to separate me from his other mom he said.

“Full children assault coming, I take it?” Easton swims back to me with his brothers joining.

“Yep. Which means I am leaving you guys because it will get crazy.” I tilt my head up for his kiss before swimming to the edge to watch. The four brothers along with Banning pretend they are not paying attention as the kids try to ambush them. Instead, the kids are dunked or tossed. Half of them didn’t even try, they were laughing so much. Easton laughs as he lifts

Hayden onto his shoulders and goes back to tickling Cole.

I’ll return to teaching this fall, but it will be different. Barrett started showing focus issues like Banning last year at school. Banning immediately started working on teaching him ways to combat it. One of his friends has hyperactivity and is struggling like Barrett. Cue my husband and his twin, the problem solvers when it comes to our children, to devise a solution.

Traditional school is known to fail kids like Barrett and his friend. Easton and Jackson came up with building a new school for preschool through sixth grade that has a different structure. Based more off European schools with extra recess time spread throughout the day. The kids will only sit in a classroom for an hour and then will move into a physical or sensory activity for twenty minutes. This will repeat all day. Music and art classes will be offered with teachers who are taught therapy management for ADHD, hyperactivity alone and even children with possible trauma triggers. Tamara has been assisting with the structure for this and will be on site for true counseling sessions with kids certain days. I’ll be the half–day preschool teacher there. Easton offered for me to stay home, but I love teaching. Kylie will be joining me as one of the kindergarten teachers. Syd is looking at teaching art there in a year after the baby is born. When Easton realized I wanted to teach, he decided to build a daycare in the school for the teachers. The girls will be able to be nearby all day for me.

Later that afternoon, we get all the kids bathed and ready to stay at Grandpappy’s while we go out to eat. “Can I wear jammies, Daddy?” Hayhay asks and Easton nods.

“You pick which ones you want, Hayhay.”

Hayden naturally goes running to Cole’s room to ask what he is wearing. He comes running back in and chooses his Darth Vader pajamas. “Coco and I match.” He proclaims proudly.

“Let’s get dressed little ladies.” Easton calls and his girls run to him. He blows raspberries on their necks to their giggling delight. “Dada! Tissy. Real tissy.” Alexis says giggling. He obliges, kissing them both on the cheek before we change them into their jammies. He places them on the floor with their magnet blocks so he can help Hayhay with his shirt.

Cole steps in and kisses his little sisters as they play on the floor while I pack up some toys. Grandpappy has his own toy emporium, but the girls have two favorite lovies and Hayden has two action figures that travel everywhere.

“Hi princesses. We’re going to Grandpappy’s house. Papa B is going to make chocolate chip cookies and they’ll be all warm and gooey he promised when we start the movie.”

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