Page 17 of New Year's Day
“So many people. Sylvia always knew how to throw a party.”
“Whit and Summer do too. And their parties I’m sure are better,” I say firmly, not about to speak nicely about a woman who essentially tortured her daughter her entire life. I can’t imagine what that must’ve been like. And I can’t even wrap my head around doing something like that to Willow or my boys. They’re all my precious babies. I could never harm a hair on their heads.
“Their parties are definitely better,” Crew agrees, kissing me yet again. “We should go to sleep.”
“You’re the one who keeps talking,” I point out.
He chuckles. “You’re right. I’ll be quiet.”
“Good.” I snuggle closer, my eyes closing again when he says one more thing.
“Happy New Year’s Day, Birdy.”
“Happy New Year’s, Crew.”
“I love you,” he whispers.
“I love you too.”
* * *
Can’t get enoughof the Lancasters? The next gen series is coming in 2024, kicking off with Willow Lancaster’s story June 4th! Keep scrolling to read this exclusive excerpt from All My Kisses For You!
ALL MY KISSES FOR YOU SNEAK PEEK!
Prologue
Crew
She approaches me slowly, her tiny feet shuffling across the bare wood floor, her long, dark hair, so like her mother’s, tumbling past her shoulders in a haphazard mess. I know for a fact Wren brushes our daughter’s hair after a bath every night. If she’s not doing it, I am.
Somehow, our sweet Willow makes a mess of it in those twilight minutes between bath and bed. Every single time.
“Daddy.” Her big blue eyes that match mine shine up at me, her little rosebud lips pursed into a perfect pout. She is truly the most beautiful little girl in the entire world, but I’m her father so I’m biased. “Can you put me to bed?”
I glance over at my wife, who’s standing in the doorway of the living room, a soft smile on her face, her belly round with our second child. She’s due any minute and we’re having a boy. Another Lancaster to carry on the family name.
Just performing our expected duties, I said to Wren when she told me she was pregnant. She rolled her eyes and gave me a gentle shove which caused me to pull her down onto our bed and perform more of those duties on her…
But I digress.
“I thought you asked Mama to put you to bed.” I’m already rising to my feet, holding my hand out to our daughter and she takes it, curling her small fingers around mine.
“I want you instead,” Willow says firmly.
Wren crosses her arms in front of her, her expression a little weary. Our son is keeping her up at night because he’s always hungry and she’s breastfeeding. “She specifically requested her daddy.”
“I don’t mind.” I stop beside my wife, leaning in to brush a kiss to her cheek before I murmur close to her ear, “Are you feeling all right?”
She nods. “A little tired. Row is finally asleep.”
Our son. Rowan. He doesn’t like to take naps and isn’t the best sleeper in general. Wren says it’s because he never wants to miss a thing and I tend to agree with her.
“Go to bed.” I deliver another kiss, this time to her lips. “I’ll join you in a few minutes.”
“After you tell me a story,” Willow demands.
We go to her bedroom, the light on her nightstand already on, as well as the light we installed to highlight Wren’s favorite art piece, which still resides in this room. I tuck Willow into her fluffy princess dream of a bed, brushing her dark hair from her eyes and she scoots away from me, patting the empty spot beside her.