Saturday, January 1st, 2028

Shane's POV

4:30 pm

"Daddy, when is mummy's plane coming home?"

Shane has asked me that question at least five times today. I can't be mad at him.

"It should be landing soon. How about you and Jordan ride with me to the airport to pick her up?"

"Okay, daddy."

Cris and Ryan are driving with us as well. Then, we're coming back to the house for a family dinner.

I went to get Jordan, who was giggling from being tickled by Niko.

"Jordan, look who just came into the living room?"

"Dada."

"I'm going to take Jordan and Shane to the airport with me. I better get going too. Otherwise, Raquel and Raeni will want to come too."

"Go ahead, Shane. We'll distract the twins."

"Thanks, Niko."

I picked up Jordan and went to find my father. He was talking to Julian and Kalani the last time I saw him. They were outside, so that's where I went.

Cris and Ryan were with them too.

"Shane, Jordan, and I are getting ready to go to the airport. The plane should be landing soon."

"I better get Isabella and Gabby because they wanted to ride with me. I'll meet you out front, Shane."

"I'll meet you out front too. Natasha wanted to ride with me."

"Dinner will be ready when you all come home."

"Thanks, dad. Jordan, let's go get your mum."

*********

I couldn't answer my phone, but I did see a notification on the dashboard of my Tahoe that Bliss sent a text, which means the plane has landed. Shane will be happy about that. He's talking to Jordan in the back seat.

"Daddy, did mummy's plane land yet?"

I can answer the question this time. "Yes, Shane. Your mum, Aunt Kam, and Layla are home."

"Yay!"

After turning into the airport parking lot, we made our way to the security gate for private airplanes.

"Hi. My plane just landed from St. Lucia a few minutes ago. My name is Shane Landes. The two vehicles behind me are with me as well."

After checking his report, the guard said, "Mr. Landes, your plane is on runway #2. I'll open the gate."

"Thank you."

We drove to runway #2 once the gate was opened for us. Bliss, Kam, and Layla were just coming down the staircase.

"Shane, look who just came off the plane?"

Cris and Ryan parked next to me. As soon as I helped Shane out of his seat and out of the truck, he took off for Bliss. Natasha, Gabby, and Isabella did the same thing.

Kam's POV

"Mama, we missed you."

"I missed you too, girls. I had a great time with your Aunt Bliss and Layla. But, I am also happy to be home with my family."

I gave my girls hugs and kisses.

"Mama, we are having dinner at Aunt Bliss's house."

"Mama is ready to eat."

Of course, I gave my hubby his hug and kiss, too.

"I'm glad you, Bliss, and Layla had a great trip."

"We sure did. It was amazing, and we have plenty of gifts for everyone." I can't wait until Bliss surprises Shane.

"More than what was in the box?" I smacked Cris' arm.

"Yes, we do. And, we bought some things for ourselves too. Now, help me load the truck."

Layla's POV

"Before you ask, the question is yes. I went overboard with buying gifts for everyone too."

"I wasn't even going ask. I already knew that would happen. I'll load up your luggage and bags."

"Natasha, princess, were you a good girl for your daddy? And, how were the twins?"

"Yes, mommy. Braelyn and I even made cookies together. The twins were into everything. Aunt Janiyah took us to Disney too."

That's not a surprise. My boys are a handful. "She did? I know you had fun. Let's go over to Kam and the girls. I'm glad you and Braelyn bonded while making cookies. I bet they turned out great. Let's go see Aunt Bliss and Shane."

Bliss's POV

"Mummy, I missed you. I lost some teeth, mummy. See."

I leaned down to give my little man a hug and kiss. Shane opened his mouth, and I noticed his upper front teeth were missing.

"I missed you too. And, I can't wait until I see your surprise." I'm nervous about my surprise.

"He didn't even cry when it happened," Papa Shane said.

Jordan had the biggest smile on his face, so I kissed his cheeks.

"He sure did miss you. Shane asked me about five times this morning when was your plane going to land. Dinner will be ready by the time we get home."

I gave Shane his hug and kiss too. "Thanks, because I am hungry."

"I'm going to chat with Marsha and Jimmy for a few minutes."

"Okay. Little Shane, let's go sit in your daddy's truck."

Cris and Ryan loaded my bags in the trunk. Kam and Layla came over to chat. Jordan went straight to Kam.

"Hi, Jordan and Shane. How are my nephews doing?"

"I'm fine, Aunt Kam. We went to Disney this week."

"You did? I bet you had fun."

"We did have fun. I lost my teeth, Aunt Kam. Daddy said they were baby teeth. See." I had to chuckle as Shane showed Kam.

"Aww. My nephew is growing up."

Shane came down the plane stairs and over to the truck. "Let's get you, ladies, home. Raquel and Raeni have been asking where I was with their mum."

We all laughed as everyone took their seats. Shane, Cris, and Ryan then drove us home.

******

As Shane opened the gate, we saw the kids holding a 'Welcome Home' sign, with help from Niko, Tatianna, my parents, Adrian and Brently.

"That is so adorable." After Shane parked, I got out and took a picture.

"Hi, kids. I love the surprise." I felt myself getting emotional, which means mood swings are here. Pilar came over to give me a hug.

"Don't cry, mummy."

"These are happy tears, sweetie. I missed all of you."

Raquel and Raeni came too. I hugged my girls at the same time. "We drew some pictures, mummy. They are in the playroom."

"I can't wait to see them." I hugged the adults too.

"We are glad you all made it home safe."

"Thanks, mom." I whispered in her ear, "I'm pregnant, and I'm surprising Shane after dinner."

She was about to scream but held it in. "Thank you, Niko and Tati, for helping with the sign."

"You're welcome, Bliss. Sophia and Janiyah said to tell you all hello. They flew back home on Friday. We're leaving tomorrow."

"Aww, I'll call them later. I bought some things for for them. Let's go inside because I'm hungry."

We all walked into the backyard. Layla's brood went to hug her. Kam's brood hugged her too. I saw Marco, Noeli, Julian, Carly, Andrea, and Mason.

I hugged all of them. "Hi, everyone. Thank you for coming." Oh no, I feel nauseous again. Why now?

"Of course, we had to come. How was your trip?" Andrea asked.

"It was wonderful. We had a great time." Kam and Layla had a great time. "We have plenty of pictures to show you all later on. Excuse me. I'll be right back."

I quickly walked into the house and went straight to the bathroom. As soon as I closed the door, I threw up in the toilet.

"Who's in there? Are you okay?" I heard someone ask. It wasn't Shane. Thank goodness.

After a few minutes, I was okay. So, I flushed the toilet, washed my hands, and rinsed my mouth with mouth wash.

I opened the door and saw Adrian, who was now smiling.

"I won't say a word."

"Thanks. I have a surprise gift to give Shane during dinner tonight. I'm two months pregnant and due in July."

"Congratulations, sweetie. Come on, honey. I'll make you some ginger tea. Go have a seat with everyone."

****

Shane opened the boxes we sent home and handed everyone their gifts. I have gifts for Graeme, Graeme Jr., Janiyah, Jacee, Griffin, and Sophia, too. I'll have them shipped.

"Thank you, Bliss."

"You're welcome, Niko. I wanted to get everyone something to say thank you for your years of support. I love all of you so much. Kam and Layla did the same thing."

Kam added, "We sure did. Layla, Bliss, and I appreciate all of you. And, we love the kids."

"Thank you, mummy."

"You're welcome, Shane." One of the gifts I got was customized t-shirts that said, 'I'm A Part of the Landes Crew.' Papa Shane looked at me and shook his head.

"Hey, what can I say?" Everyone opened their gifts. "There's one more gift for Shane to open."

I handed Shane the gift, and he had a puzzled look on his face. "This one must be extra special."

He pulled out the shirt, examined it, then glanced back at me. He was silent for a minute, then smiled and kissed my cheek.

"Well, this is definitely a surprise." Shane showed everyone his shirt. Then, everyone screamed. Jordan and Ricario started crying. Shane then pulled out the sonogram.

"Come to mommy, Jordan."

He did, and Shane sat him in my lap.

"As soon as we made it to our suite in St. Lucia, I felt nauseous. Kam said she saw signs of me being pregnant, so I took a digital pregnancy test. It said yes. I also went to the hospital, and it was confirmed. I already have an appointment scheduled with my doctor here for February to see what the baby's gender will be. My appointment is three days before our cruise trip to Barbados."

"Wait until Griffin, Sophia, Graeme, and Janiyah hear this news. Congratulations, Bliss and Shane."

"Thanks, Niko. I'm nervous about this baby because of my age. I'll be 36 this year. The doctor said because of having a C-section with Shane, and because Jordan was a preterm labor baby, this pregnancy is a high risk." I rested my head on Shane's shoulder.

"And, I'm guessing you were nervous of my reaction. I don't want you to be nervous. I'm excited."

"Bliss, honey, don't be nervous. You know Adrian, and I will help you through your pregnancy. Jessie was a high-risk pregnancy."

"Thanks, mom."

"Lesia is right, Bliss. For me, Carly was considered a high-risk pregnancy. We'll make sure you and the baby will be okay. You know I'll be there and take care of any riffraff."

That did make me chuckle. "You sure will. Thank you, mom and Adrian."

My dad said, "This year is huge - Adrian's retirement party, Andrea's baby in May, and Bliss's baby in July."

"I find out whether we are having a girl or boy at the end of this month," Andrea said to everyone.

"Andrea and Bliss are pregnant at the same time again. It would be awesome if they both have girls this time," Julian said next.

"Yes, it would be. I even already have a name picked out for a girl." Jordan fell asleep in my arms.

"I'm going to take Jordan to his room. I'll see you all tomorrow. Kam and Layla, you're welcome to stay too."

"I'll take Jordan to his room." Shane picked Jordan from my arms and carried him upstairs.

"We'll take you up on that. Get some rest, Bliss."

I sure will.

************

Sunday, January 2nd, 2028

Kam's POV

Woo, I could lay on this bed all day. I'm in heaven with this mattress. I smell food, so I better take a shower and get something to eat.

****

By the time I made it to the kitchen, it was close to 1:00 pm.

"Hey, everyone. Sorry for just coming downstairs."

"Hey, Kami. It's okay. I'm sure you're probably still tired. Bliss went back to sleep. We just started fixing lunch for everyone. I'm sure you're hungry, so what would you like? Breakfast is in the fridge."

"Thanks, Lesia. I'll grab something light for now, then eat lunch with everyone."

Shane came into the kitchen. "Hey, Kami. I'm on popcorn duty. The kids dragged Layla with them to watch a movie."

"I'll join them."

"They went downstairs to the movie room."

"Okay. I'll help you with the popcorn."

"Bliss got personalized popcorn bowls for everyone in the family. There in the cabinet right next to Jordan's cabinet."

I can believe that one. Bliss is too sweet. Sure enough, I opened the cabinet and saw the bowls. She even has them organized by family. Bliss is the most organized person I know. After grabbing the bowls, I walked back over to Shane. He put a nice amount of popcorn in each bowl. We then put the bowls on a tray and went downstairs.

See you guys in the next chapter. It's movie time.

********