Page 33 of Thrown Off Balance

I can’t even imagine having a husband who’s that attentive. Someone who watches your every move and knows exactly how they need to respond. It must be amazing.

“What’s the other surprise?” Lincoln calls out as soon as he sees the happy couple approach the cake.

“You know, you’d think you’d have patience at this point in your life.” Sophia mock glares at him.

“That’s not happening, sweetheart. Hate to disappoint you.” He settles back into his chair and drapes his arm around Olivia’s shoulders.

I swear if you want to see a group of men so obsessed with their wives that they can’t stop touching them, you just have to walk down Mulberry Lane. There isn’t a man here who doesn’t keep their wife on a pedestal and act like she’s the center of his entire universe.

“Ok, the bottom two tiers will tell us what gender the babies are.” Sophia smiles at the crowd and it grows impossibly wider when Wes practically jumps out of his chair and marches straight over to his little girl.

“You’re having twins?” He cups her face in his hands and watches her carefully.

“I'm having twins, Dad.”

As soon as the words are out of her mouth, he wraps her in a gentle hug and presses a kiss to her forehead.

“See! That’s why the Robinson men are the way they are. Look at how much that man loves his little girl.” Emma motions towards her friend and Wes. “Why wouldn’t a woman jump at the chance to date Jax and Cody?”

Chapter 17

Cody

Twins. I can’t believe Soph is having twins. She’s always wanted twins. She said everyone deserves to have a built-in best friend and that’s what twins are. She was always jealous of the relationship Jax and I have and wanted her kids to have that.

“She’s getting everything she ever wanted,” I say softly.

“Yeah, she is. I'm so happy for her,” Jax adds.

“So, Jax… You guys are playing the Bears next week. How do you think you’ll do?” Jude pushes. He’s been trying to dominate Jax’s night and my twin is about to lose it.

Jax is an extremely outgoing person and he’s always willing to talk to anyone. He loves getting to know new people and discussing hockey, but even he has his limits.

“Dude, my sister’s about to find out the gender of her babies. I don’t really care about the game next week.” Jax keeps his tone firm, letting Jude know he’s not messing around.

“Yeah, but you can watch while we chat.” Jude chuckles uncomfortably.

“No,” Jax growls. “I might be a hockey player, but my life doesn’t revolve around the sport. Do you see all of the people in this room? They’re the only things I actually care about in life. Do I want to win every game? Sure, who doesn’t want to win? But if we lose, I don’t give a crap. So shut your mouth and let me enjoy my sister and her announcement.”

“Dang,” Creed mumbles under his breath. He knows, as well as everyone else at this table, Jax doesn’t put people in their place often, but he’s angry right now. He’s so fed up with Jude trying to act like they’re best friends, especially because he knows Jude’s ignoring his girlfriend.

We were all taught to treat women with respect and if we’re going to date someone, we put our all into the relationship. We only date if we can see a future with that person, otherwise it’s a waste of everyone’s time.

Dad taught us young that dating was only to happen if we thought we could get married and spend the rest of our lives with that person. Our friends thought we were insane when we didn’t date a lot in high school or college, but now I get it. I understand why he was so adamant about it.

Why waste years of your life on someone you don’t want to marry? It’s just dumb. The person of your dreams could come along and not show you a bit of attention because you’re already in a relationship. It’s better to be single until you find the woman you want.

“Guy can’t take a hint,” Holt chuckles. He’s just like his dad. Uncle Lincoln doesn’t know how to keep his mouth shut and neither does Holt. He loves to poke the bear.

Sophia cuts the first tier and the sponge is hot pink. Silent tears stream down her cheeks as she stares up at Peck. She’s never said what gender she was hoping for. I think she’ll be truly happy with boys or girls. I know they both want a lot of kids, so I'm sure they’ll have more after the twins anyway.

Peck cuts into the next tier and when the knife comes out blue, the room erupts in chaos. Sophia throws herself into Peck’s arms and he buries his face in the crook of her neck. I'm sure they’re thrilled to be having one boy and one girl. They’ll get to have the best of both worlds.

“She’s going to be so happy,” Jax whispers, meeting my gaze. “What are we buying for our new niece and nephew?”

“Whatever you want. They’ll definitely need little skates as soon as they can stand.” I grin.

“I'm buying them both baseball gloves, balls, and bats,” Leo and Wyatt say at the same time.