chapter 57(2)

Everly I anxiously wait for Valen to return while going over bridal magazines with Ava. Dad is making me coffee while I sit and ponder what names he chose. Valarian’s on the floor, watching his sisters squirm in their swings. Every noise they make has him jumping to give them their pacifiers or soothing them. All morning he’s been passing diapers and following me around, wanting to help, wanting to cuddle, and wanting to touch them. They’re his prized possessions—until the diaper changes. Then, he’s nowhere to be seen. Dad has just set my coffee down on the coffee table when the door opens and Valen walks in. I eagerly look over the back of the couch toward the entry. “Evie,” Valen says, leaning over the couch. He pecks my lips, looking down at the magazine sitting open in my lap. “Finally going to start planning?” he asks, and I nod. “Show me,” I tell him, reaching for the bag in his hands. He shakes his head. “Grab the girls and bring them into the room first, then you can see,” he t