Kyle had gotten so used to hospitals and the maternity ward. And yet, it never failed to twist his stomach with both nerves and excitement. New life was always amazing, and Jerry and Sarah deserved this, especially after everything they'd been through to get there.

Even if she hadn't believed she could have kids after a complicated miscarriage, magic was possible. And it made Jerry happier than Kyle had ever seen him. Which was saying something since Jerry had been fairly happy ever since Sarah entered his life. They complemented each other so well, Sarah bringing out the protective side in Jerry, him returning hope and meaning where she thought there was none.

And now, just two years after their wedding, they were parents. Kyle knew how much Jerry had wanted this, even if he'd accepted the possibility of never being a father when he'd married Sarah. If anyone deserved the miracle, it was them.

Kay was already there, so Kyle hurried to Sarah's room to meet her. They couldn't linger very long since they'd left a huge number of kids with Jimmy. Even if they were all well-versed in looking after crowds, they tried to keep the pressure off as much as possible.

Flowers filled the immaculate hallways, the number of bouquets outside Sarah's door making it look as if he'd stepped inside a flower shop. Perks of a huge family, he guessed. And every time he thought about it, he found it hard to believe.

He'd grown up alone, cared for by his uncle and his grandmother, barely seeing his mother, never seeing his brothers until he was actually forced to come home. And now, he was surrounded by brothers, sisters-in-laws and nieces and nephews. It became confusing from time to time. Exciting, heartwarming, but confusing.

As he entered Sarah's room, all the confusion ebbed away, leaving room to pure joy. Sarah was alone, looking a bit flushed and uncomfortable, her reddish hair caught in a loose braid. The moment she saw him, her entire face lit up.

"You made it," she said, her voice shaking with emotion. "Did you see him?" She waved at him to come next to the bed.

"No, I came straight here. Saw a photo though. He's cute."

Sarah huffed. "He looks like a creepy, tiny old man. But when I hold him. Oh my God, I never imagined anything could be so soft and smell so sweet."

Kyle knew the feeling. His twins had been tiny compared to Michael and it had taken them a while to switch from looking like tiny, cranky, old people to looking like actual babies. But the softness of them, the way they latched on to him and Kay... The moment Jenny squeezed his finger in her tiny hand. it was the end of him. He never could've imagined he'd end up loving anyone more than he loved Kay, but Jenny and Alex proved him wrong.

It was something he couldn't even put into words, and it made him love Kay even more as well. Because they were a family of their own now, and indestructible unit.

Which was how Sarah and Jerry must have been feeling right then, their little family complete.

The moment Kyle reached the bed, Sarah took his hand and squeezed. "I really hoped I'd get to talk to you alone for a moment. Thank you."

Kyle stared. "Um, for what?"

"Getting stuck inside that elevator with you was the best thing that ever happened to me. And you sending Jerry out with coffee... You changed my life so much!"

"That was you guys. I just... sort of nudged." But his chest warmed with affection for her anyway. After all, he agreed. Sarah was the best thing that could've happened to Jerry.

"Sometimes all we need is a nudge."

Yeah, he agreed. Nudges were very important, so he grinned back at her. "You helped me a lot, too. So in my selfish way, I wanted you in the family."

Sarah laughed. "Not everything is about you, Alpha."

"Have you met me? Of course everything is about me."

"Nope. It's about Tom."

Yeah, as overdramatic as Kyle could be, he could never top Tom. "I'll give you that one."

"But really. Thank you so much. For deciding to barge into my life and care about me. If it wasn't for you, Jerry and I would've never..."

"It was my pleasure. You and Jerry are amazing anyway."

Sarah's smile grew even more. "Wait until you see what we made."

And right on cue, the door opened and Kay and Jerry came in, the baby in his dad's arms. The glow of pride surrounding Jerry was almost palpable.

"Kyle, look," he said, looking just as excited as Sarah. "We did it, we..."

"Yes, you did," Kyle agreed, deciding not to point out that making the kid was the easy part. They still had a few days of respite until Sarah was discharged.

"Anything you guys need, you can always call," Kay said, the smile on her face lighting up the room. "Us or anyone else for that matter. Loads of people ready to tell you what to do."

"I think they'll be fine." Kyle gave Sarah's shoulder one last squeeze and moved away to allow Jerry to sit next to his wife so they could both fawn over the baby.

Sarah was right. He did look like a tiny, grumpy old man. But he was cute.

Kay took his hand the moment he reached her and looked up at him, the excited smile still on her face. He titled his head, studying her carefully. He was surely imagining it, but there seemed to be a bit of longing there. It reminded him of his own thoughts from earlier and the desire weighed even heavier than before.

Once his attention returned to the new parents who sat huddled around their baby, the tug at his heart became almost unbearable. He remembered only too well being in Jerry's position, him and Kay unable to get enough of holding their babies. Damn it, he wanted that again. Badly. Maybe he should try to bring it up. Even if Kay mentioned how hard it was to raise twins and that she was never doing that again, that wasn't an outright refusal to have more kids.

She was joking after all. Hopefully. Maybe they'd get lucky and just have one this time. One was easy after two, right?

"I think we should go," Kay whispered. 

He agreed. Sarah had taken the baby and was probably about to feed him, and she and Jerry needed to do that alone. So they said goodbye and headed out. It was late anyway and they needed to relieve Jimmy of his babysitting duty.

As they got in the car and drove off, Kay leaned against the door and brought her knees to her chest, lost in thought. Kyle glanced at her from time to time. Her golden hair was up in a ponytail, loose tendrils framing her face. She had hoop earrings on and the way the light shone on her skin from the streetlights brought Kyle to an entirely different time and place.

He felt like they were teenagers again, stargazing while their best friends got it on. He'd wanted her so much that night and he'd tried so hard to smother the feeling, thinking it was forbidden, that she was nothing more than his friend.

And the next morning they'd shared a loaded car ride back to Max's ranch, after they left Joey's uncle's cabin because his grandmother had flown in from France.

At that moment, Kay was still in pain after her messy breakup and he was conflicted because he wasn't sure if he still had a girlfriend or not. Either way, he'd wanted to touch her so badly and kept telling himself he couldn't.

Except now she was no longer his heartbroken friend. She was his wife, the mother of his children. But when My Immortal by Evanescence came on the radio, the nostalgia was so real, he felt as if he were back in his Ferrari, driving her to Max's ranch.

The song had her turning to him, a small smile on her face, as if she too was lost in the same memory.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

"A lot of things. My mind's a bit of a mess right now. But..." She tapped her hand against the door in the rhythm of the song. "Do you know what this reminds me of?"

"I know exactly what it reminds you of."

"Driving to the ranch for the first time," she said, her smile widening. "God, it was so long ago and yet..."

The memory was overwhelming. He moved his hand from the wheel, to her knee. It instantly felt better, as if he was reliving the past and letting himself have what he couldn't then.

"I wanted to touch you so badly back then."

"So did I," she whispered. "And if I'm completely honest, not just touch you."

He threw her a sideways glance. The smirk on her face was so familiar and got his heart pounding. "What more, then?"

Kay just smiled, so alluring and naughty. The moment they stopped at a traffic light, she unlatched her seatbelt, propped her knee on her seat, leaned over him and kissed him. It was deep and a little desperate, as if she'd been longing to do it for a very long time. He wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her back the same way, still half-lost in the past. He wished so much they'd done this back then.

"This," she whispered, pulling back an inch. "I really wanted to do this after the night we'd had. But I didn't dare. Didn't let myself even think I should."

Yeah, he could see that. He'd wanted to kiss her too, run his hands all over her. But, just like her, he hadn't let himself think it, afraid he was breaking the boundaries of their friendship.

The car behind them honked. Kyle drove off and Kay settled back in her seat, a satisfied grin on her face. He smirked to himself. If she wanted to play that game, he was down for it.

"Do you know what I wanted to do during our ride?" he asked casually as another red light came into view.

She quirked an eyebrow. "More than kiss me?"

"A lot more."

She turned to him, the innocent curiosity turning him on even more. "Then what?"

He stopped the car, leaned over and kissed her, his hand going down her shirt. Kay giggled against him but kissed him back, sinking her fingers in his hair. Another honk had them pulling apart, Kay panting a little.

"You really wanted to do this back then?"

"After staring at your boobs for two days? Trust me, I did. I was just so proficient at denial."

The mischievous look Kay gave him almost made him want to pull over right there and then. "We both were. But it really feels so good to get it out of our system now."

It did. The dim light, the way she spoke and moved, the old music on the radio, it made it seem possible that they were back there, but much braver, actually admitting their real feelings. So they continued to touch each other, kiss at every red light, getting braver and braver, so by the time they reached their house, all he wanted was to move it to the backseat and finish it there. The smoldering look in her eyes told him she felt the same.

"Remember my other mishap on the same day?" she asked, nibbling on her lower lip.

"How could I forget your claim that you wanted to shower with me?" Which was a contender for his backseat idea.

But the light outside their front door turned on and cold, cruel reality came hurtling back. Kay's smile slid off her face and her shoulders slumped.

"Right. We're no longer teenagers. We have kids and responsibilities." And before he could argue that ten minutes in the backseat wouldn't kill anyone, she got out of the car.

Responsibilities. He killed the engine and heaved a sigh before getting out and following her towards the door, trying not to be too disappointed that he wasn't a time lord who could randomly take them back to their senior year of high school and begin their relationship again, only without the denial.

Kay was back in responsible adult mode, however, ready to tackle kids and dinners and bedtime stories. As much as he loved all that, he kinda wanted a night to themselves. But they weren't even alone anymore. The moment Kay opened the door, Jimmy was already halfway down the hall towards them, a sleeping Robin in his arms.

"Jimmy, hi, what--?" Kay asked.

"Don't kill me, but I skipped their nap and they were seconds away from falling asleep on the floor," Jimmy said with a grin that proved he wasn't sorry at all.

Kyle stared from him to the darkness and silence behind him. "They're sleeping?" It was barely nine thirty. 

"Yeah. For about ten minutes I think." Jimmy lifted Robin a little higher and his tiny head lolled on his dad's shoulder.

"And you...?" Kay sounded just as confused.

"Fed them, bathed them, read them a bedtime story." Jimmy nodded after every word.

"You're our hero," Kyle said, taken aback.

"I thought you guys could use a break." Jimmy's grin proved what kind of break he had in mind and Kyle low-key hated him for being so perceptive. "Did you see Jerry's bundle of joy?"

"Yeah, he's adorable," Kay said, still a little taken aback.

"He's pretty fat though," Jimmy said with a laugh. "I'll leave you two to it. Goodnight." And he slipped past them and into the night, leaving them in a dark, quiet house.

"How does he do it?" Kay whispered, moving from the hall to the living room and turning on a desk lamp.

A warm orange light filled the room to reveal a clean floor. Jimmy had even managed to get them to clean up.

"I don't know, really." Kyle had never imagined Jimmy would be so good with kids, even if his brother claimed it was second nature to him after taking care of Tom for so long.

"I can't believe how quiet it is. No one yelling Mom, no one crying, no fighting over cartoons or stuffed dinosaurs."

"Come on, they're fairly reasonable." He walked to her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

She circled her arms around his neck, a tired smile on her face. "Maybe we should take advantage and go to sleep. Though I'm afraid of going to the bedroom. It's like they feel it and start fussing."

He started swaying with her in his arms to invisible music. "Maybe we shouldn't go to sleep then. How often do we get gifts like this?"

She giggled when he kissed her neck. "I'm not sure... We could use the sleep."

"Us? Why, when we're young and wild, sweetheart?"

Her smile widened to a grin and all weariness seemed to disappear. "If I'm completely honest, I missed dancing with you."

They continued to sway and it reminded Kyle so much of the end of the barn dance they'd been to in their senior year, when Kay had gotten a little drunk and sentimental, crying over a silly country love song.

It was stuck in his head now and he started singing it out loud.

Kay looked up at him, her eyes wide. "No. That was exactly what I was thinking."

"Don't start crying again."

"Stop talking and sing."

He obeyed, and they tightened their hold around each other as they continued dancing. It felt amazing and it was once again so easy to close his eyes and pretend that they were back in Texas. Except this time, there were obvious perks.

Still humming, he leaned over her a kissed her. She opened up immediately, moving her arms from around his waist, running her hands through his hair. And when she kissed him back, it was with so much abandonment that the distant past faded and they were back to when they'd first moved in together, when it took them weeks to unpack everything because they spent every minute loving each other.

Even now, five years later, it took them just a few moments for the kisses to become much too fiery for a dance and they both toppled over the couch. Kay moaned as he trailed kisses down her neck, his hands already unlatching the belt of her jeans. As always, the sound made him want her even more.

"Just don't scream," he mumbled as he took off her shirt.

"I need to scream," she muttered back, pulling his t-shirt over his head. "When's the last time I screamed?"

"I miss you screaming, too, but let's try not to scar the kids too much. They already think I'm spanking you." He threw her jeans over the rest of the clothes on the floor.

"Who knows? Maybe I'd like it."

Her words had him chuckling into her collar bone. "When can we take time off work? I think we need to rethink our boundaries and I want to take you somewhere you can scream all you want."

"We'll think about it. But stop stalling, I don't want the kids waking up."

"No need to rush. They're sleeping." But he knew she had a point, so he went back to kissing her skin, too aware that they had to be careful.

It filled him with adrenaline, made everything even more intense. And when she moaned into his shoulder, it had the same effect it always did on him. It still drove him crazy with desire, so he didn't tell her to stop, just pressed himself harder against her, longing to feel her skin against his.

"Kyle..." she breathed in his ear. "I think..."

God, how could she still think when they were naked? Talk? But the sound of her voice like this was like aphrodisiac, so he didn't stop her, just kissed her neck, her shoulders, giving her the liberty to speak.

"I think I want another baby," she said.

It took a moment for the words to register, and he came back up to face her. His heart pounded and it was with love and hope and so much desire.

"Please don't hate me," she whispered.

"Hate you?" He held her tighter against him until there was no more space between them. "We're having as many as you're willing to give me."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"

He fought a laugh. "Really. And not just because I love making them." Though God, he did, so much.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight hug. "I love you so much!"

"Love you too, sweetheart."

"Though I might want to stop at three."

"Three sounds like the perfect number." At least for now. All he wanted was to stop talking and make the damn baby.

With newfound enthusiasm, she kissed him again, positioning herself perfectly under him, just like she knew he liked it. After so many years together, they knew exactly how to bring each other over the edge in a matter of seconds.

And Kyle couldn't be happier. Because now there was no reason to stop, and it always felt more intense when they actually did this with purpose. What was even better was that they could continue doing it until it worked.

Yup, this was his favorite part of marriage.

🧭🧭🧭

Well, that got intense quickly. But Kale is always fiery, even in marriage. Also, there may just be another little one running around. Sucks that it had to happen now when they don't know about Sam's discovery yet.

Oh well. There were a lot of throwbacks in this chapter which I hope you found fun. This was light and happy and you get to see Jerry and Sarah as new parent.

We're getting back to business starting next chapter, so enjoy the break.

Hit the star and prepare for the drama.