Page 89 of The Comeback Tour
5 YEARS LATER
CAILIN
There are so many boxes.I can’t wait to dig in and unpack everything. I’m standing in the middle of the “yellow” bedroom of the house Jax and I designed and had built at a lake town nearby where I grew up in Jersey. I’m holding a coffee mug that says, “Trash the Dress” over my bulging belly. But the decaf brew is not enough to fuel me for preparing a nursery while our three year old daughter, Piper, runs rampant with Hope. This room is being prepped for one of our twin boys, who are arriving in a few weeks. Our other little bundle will be his neighbor in the room next door.
“Mommy! I have to go potty,” Piper says.
Of course, she would declare this the second I bend down to open a box. This belly doesn’t make chasing a toddler easy, but I am determined to get Piper fully potty-trained by the twins’ arrival. Small wins will make life with two newborns a tad easier.
Luckily, Jax will be here to help me. Let me rephrase that. Jax is excited to take on more daddy-duty to our growing family. He’s especially ecstatic about having two boys on the way. He texts me name suggestions all day, even though we’re usually in the same room.
As I get up to waddle down the hall to Piper’s bathroom, I glance at the gallery of family photos lining our upstairs hallway. Each snapshot transports me back to that moment in time. The selfie we took right after we got engaged is low-resolution quality because it was taken on a cell phone, but it’s one of my favorites. My eyes are watery and Jax is beaming with pride.
There’s one of us on the beach for our island elopement, which we planned for just the two of us at the spot Jax always wanted to honeymoon. This took place before our big California wedding where we exchanged vows on a mountaintop surrounded by close friends and family. Next to it hangs a photo of Jax serenading me at our reception.
Every time I look at the photos of Piper, I am in awe that we made this amazing little human. The day Jax and I got a positive pregnancy test, he started to cry.
We couldn’t even wait the full three minutes to check our results. Some people might walk out of the bathroom and set a timer. Not us. We stood over the bathroom sink for what seemed like an eternity until two pink lines appeared after two minutes. Jax grabbed my hand and squeezed three times.
“You’re going to be a daddy,” I said, holding my hand over my mouth.
Jax already had salty tears streaming down his face. I knew at that moment, he was going to be the best dad ever. He even teaches Piper how to play some instruments. She can’t follow directions quite yet, but she has a blast pounding the piano keys and strumming her tot-size guitar. I only ban the drums, for now.
I love the photo on our wall that documents the moment we became a family. My teary face after a C-section with Piper, where Jax is holding her near my cheek behind the operating sheet, always makes me emotional. We didn’t plan on a C-section, but after 24-hours in labor with no dilation, we all decided it was for the best. It was scary, but at that point, I just wanted to meet our baby. It doesn’t matter how she came into the world, as long as she’s here.
The headlines over the past few years have cheered us on:
Off The Charts: Jax Slater And Cailin McCall Reunite And Prove Love Is More Powerful Than Gossip
Jax Slater Pops The Question To Cailin McCall
Exclusive Photos: Jax Slater And Cailin McCall Elope During Gorgeous Island Ceremony
5 Leo Hearts Reunite To Record Acoustic Album Inspired By Cailin And Her Best Friend
Jax and Cailin’s Love Reaches New Heights: First Look At The Couple’s Star-Studded Mountain-Top Wedding
The Boy Band Is Back: 5 Leo Hearts Acoustic Album Debuts At Number One
Oh, Baby! Jax Slater Announces Newest Adventure: Fatherhood (We’re Positive Caitlin Is Pregnant!)
Exclusive: Cailin Slater Reveals Her #1 Pregnancy Craving And More
It’s A Girl! Peek Inside Jax And Cailin’s Gender Reveal Party
Oops, They Did It Again: Jax And Cailin Reveal Twins Are On The Way
I’m grateful the tabloids have stopped reporting fake news about our relationship and have let us live in harmony as a normal family. I cherish the everyday things, like potty training.
“Mommy, I want to go see Daddy and Rowdy,” Piper says.
Rowdy is our one-year-old doodle puppy we rescued. Jax had been wanting a second dog for a while, one that he could personally rescue. One weekend, we were out running errands and saw a sign outside a pet store that a local shelter was there for an adoption event. We looked at each other, nodded, and Jax zoomed to a parking spot. Once inside, it was love at first sight for Jax and Rowdy. The puppy jumped right into his arms, followed by Piper.
Rowdy lives up to his name in every sense. He eats paper, so we have to be sure to hide all garbage cans. At night, when we’re settling down to rest, Rowdy starts running laps around the house until Jax gets up and wrestles with him. He’s also a food thief and jumps on the coffee table to steal whatever is accidentally left unattended. Rowdy keeps us on our toes for sure, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
A few minutes ago, Jax took Rowdy outside with him while he gathers wood for our fireplace. I can’t wait to cozy up under a blanket in front of it this winter, drinking hot chocolate, and watching family movies. Jax and I will each have a baby boy in our arms and Piper will be nestled in a pile of blankets and dogs. And it will be one of the greatest moments of our lives, because the little things are the biggest.
As Piper washes her hands, I hear the front door open. “Cailin,” Jax yells. “Put Piper’s jacket on and send her outside. It’s snowing.”