The CEO’s Quadruplets

Chapter 12

            The worst of her scars had finally faded. Thanks to several prescriptions and visits to specialists, Isabella’s body was back to somewhat resembling herself before the car accident. The crescent moon scar on her abdomen would never fade, but she did not mind that too much. It was a kind reminder of the four little hellions that she and Amory brought into this world.

            Lena and Sophia were rollers. Learning to pull themselves from belly to back, they had scared Isabella and their nanny a time or two by almost rolling off the sofa or the changing station. Their brothers on the other hand were grabbing everything at their fingertips. Isabella had to stop wearing earrings regularly as Sidney nearly ripped her lobe in the process of grabbing her. Clark was a bit more delicate than his counterpart, but he had more thrills from nearly choking on everything. All four of them laughed whenever another farted, which was an unfortunate trait inherited from their father.

            Still, Isabella loved to hear them laugh. They cooed and giggled nearly every day, and Bella was better for it. Between teaching her online course and going to work once a week for meetings and such, it was their little smiles and laughs that made the chaos of her life worthwhile.

            Tonight was a different story. Amory had arranged for the final cut of the western film now called “The Centennial” for its one-hundred day timeline in the movie’s narrative to shown in a private premiere for cast, crew, and special guests of the studio. Isabella was excited to be a special guest and got a new dress just for the occasion. It felt just a thrill to be out of maternity clothes and yoga pants, but as she slipped in one diamond earring after the next in the mirror, Isabella seemed to be a different person.

            It had been so long since she had worn normal clothing. The date nights had disappeared during the pregnancy and the strife between them, but that was now all in the past. The Blake family had a bright and bold future ahead of them as a family of six, but Isabella had no regrets. She loved all forty fingers and all forty toes of their precious children. They were all going to be adventurous, creative, and intelligent, and Isabella could not wait to see what their imaginations and aspirations dreamed up for their own respective futures.

Unable to resist, Isabella checked on each nursery, one across the hall from another. First, she entered the romantic woods her girls resided in. The soft forest wallpaper with its little painted flowers along the floor and the birds nesting among the gray and white branches gave the room such a comfortable feeling. The shade was drawn, and the owl lamp glowed on a floating shelf above the changing station. Each girl was in her own bunny pajamas from the Easter baskets her parents brought, and their little tails stuck up in the air as they snored softly on their tiny stomachs. Tiptoeing out, Isabella stepped into the mountain range belonging to her boys. The neutral plaid curtains cast night time over the mural of gray mountains around the room as Clark slept, but Sidney had his eyes open.

He wiggled as he saw his mother, gurgling softly as she stroked his head before fixing his little knit hat back onto him. Sidney had been watching the dancing stars on the ceiling, as their nightlight rotated a galaxy about the room. He was just getting old enough to be able to notice such things, and it seemed to fill his dark eyes with wonder.

“You like stars, Sidney?” Isabella whispered to her son. “Maybe you can travel them one day. You can see the solar system, and travel to other planets. That’s an actual job. I’m dead serious.”

He looked at his mother as he clutched her finger in his hand. She hummed, which lulled him back to sleep. Watching his eyes slowly close, Isabella stepped away only before she was sure her baby had drifted off to dreamland.

Shutting the door, Isabella noticed Romeo was in his usual position. He guarded the nurseries lazily napping between the two of them. Most of his energy was spent running around keeping track of all the little people in the house, and then eating whatever baby food they had started to cast aside as the new foods were introduced to them. Being over, Isabella scratched her little soldier behind the ears.

“You’re a good boy, Romeo.”

The dog beat his tail against the floor with a lethargic delight.

Heading downstairs, Isabella searched for the sitter. In a house so big, it was easy to lose another person. The daytime nanny had gone home, and the back-up nanny had just arrived for the night. He was taking stock of the breastmilk in the fridge and picking up the toys in the playroom for Isabella as she got ready. Charlie, a young student studying to be a pediatrician and working part-time with Lizzie Harris, had often watched the babies when Isabella had to go to work. The four in all were really a two-person job, but he could manage an evening where they mostly slept. Plus, Isabella knew an extra few dollars would not hurt a medical student.

She said a quick hello and goodbye to him, knowing that he had everything in hand. Jack was waiting to take her to dinner before heading home himself. Isabella watched the lights of the city come alive from her window as she asked Jack where he could be taking her.

“Can you give me a hint?” Isabella begged in playful tone. “I ask for so little!”

“Isabella, you and I know that you husband is a man of mystery. I would hate to ruin such a romantic gesture as a nice surprise.”

“So it is nice?”

“If I know anything about you, Dr. Isabella Torres, I know you will enjoy this surprise.”

Not too much later, Jack let her off at a familiar hotel. She had not been there in a few years, but the memory of it was firmly cemented in her mind. Amory waited in the lobby wearing a new tuxedo he also picked up for the occasion of this evening, but also because fatherhood had given him some sympathy weight. Isabella liked the look of a softer Amory, even if he was still more physically trim than the average man. He seemed like less of a dream, but the crisp look of a special occasion took that away. Amory Blake at any age was the definition of dreamy.