Three. The Perfect Family

MADISON

When Madison sees her friend Sam, she rushes straight from the twins’ SUV without closing the door.

“Oh, my God!” her best friend screeches, “Look at you!”

Sam and Madison haven’t seen each other in a week, but the way they are almost tearful when they embrace each other, you’d think it had been years.

They hold each other for what feels like an hour as the car doors pop around them and Ethan and Levi arrive.

“Be careful,” comes a familiar voice, “These girls might want to move out together again.”

Ezra is looking sharp as he grabs each of the twins and slaps their hands. He’s not rushing, though; in his arms, he holds a sixteen-pound bundle of fun by the name of Hazel.

“She looks more like you every day!” Madison says, kissing her brother on the cheek.

Ezra beams. Ever since his daughter was born he has become more and more relaxed, and his smile shows just how easygoing he’s become.

“You’re about to burst, Mads,” Ezra says, inspecting her belly.

Madison opens her mouth.

“Look who’s talking, mister dad bod!” a small voice suddenly shouts.

Madison realizes that Jamie has been waiting by the car.

“Jamie!” Sam scolds him.

Jamie might be only six, but Madison supposes his crush on her has not simmered down.

Ezra’s face drops. The twins’ eyes dart to the ground. Sam snorts.

“Hello, Jamie,” Madison says.

She ruffles his hair and Jamie turns bright red, slipping back to Sam, who squeezes him close. Ezra has not moved a muscle.

“Dad bod?” Ezra repeats to himself.

Madison winks at him, plucking up her niece from Sam. She returns to the twins, fighting off her laughter.

They all walk toward the car park.

“I don’t have a dad bod, do I?” Ezra asks Sam quietly.

She assures him that he doesn’t, but catches Madison’s eyes with a cheeky wink.

They all catch up as they walk along the sumptuous beachside street. Jamie spots crabs in the sand, and the twins rush to assist him in attempting to catch one.

Madison watches with a smile.

“They’re going to be such good parents,” Sam says.

“I know,” Madison says.

“Speaking of…”

Madison gestures over to Ezra, who is standing just nearby, holding up his daughter and playing peek-a-boo.

“How’s your little one?”

Sam throws herself onto Madison, giving her a great big hug. “Amazing. Terrifying. Exhausting. Everything at once.”

Madison smiles. Sam catches it.

“Don’t worry, Mads, you’ll be fine,” she says, “Just be ready to lose all your sleep.”

A sound from the sand.

Jamie is jumping around the sand, trying to wrestle both twins at once.

The twins have taken off their shirts. In the sun’s bright rays, they look more rugged and ripped than ever.

“Don’t worry,” Madison says, “I’m used to it.”

Sam winks.

“I’ll bet you are.”

They take their place at their beachside spot, barely glancing at the menu, they know just what they need. It’s been a tradition ever since Madison and the twins moved.

“So how has it been?” Ethan asks.

Sam and Ezra look at one another.

“I can barely put it into words,” Ezra says, “It’s like… It’s—”

“Crazy,” Sam cuts in, “A total whirlwind, but in the best way. It’s the most amazing thing, and I know you’re going to feel the same way when the triplets come!”

Madison smiles, she can feel the twins’ eyes on her. She turns to Jamie.

“And are you excited for some cousins?” Madison asks him.

He beams.

“Of course!” he says scrunching up his face, “I can’t wait to have someone to actually talk to while Sam and Ezra are kissing all the time!”

Sam’s face blushes red. The table erupts into laughter. The sun and the surf roll steadily behind them. Madison feels the light on her skin. It feels like home.

***

The mall is usually quiet on a Sunday afternoon, and most of the stores are closed by now. But as Madison enters, she sees the doors are wide open.

“Perks of having husbands with connections!” Sam says to Madison slyly.

All involved with the gym, their bond is stronger than ever. She and Sam are family, and not just by her brother’s marriage. All of them together are like one big extended family. Not a conventional one, but the closest one she could ever imagine. She feels another kick. A family that’s about to get bigger, she thinks.

Then, she sees a Lexus roll up at the edge of the parking lot, and the remaining two members of the family emerge.

“You’re late!” Madison teases.

When her brother Liam gets out of the car, she sees to her surprise that he is not smiling.

“Hey,” he says, attempting a smile.

“Everything okay?” Madison asks.

This is strange to her—he’s meant to be the easygoing brother after all.

“Of course,” Liam replies.

From the passenger side emerges a gorgeous redhead. Sara. Madison always forgets just how gorgeous Liam’s fiancée is.

“Look at you!” Sara squeals.

Liam snaps out of his daze and embraces Madison, who is then thrown to the side as Sara steals her attention, taking her hands and kissing her cheek.

“You’re glowing!” Sara says. “How long is it now?”

Madison smiles. In the corner of her eye, she notices her brother’s posture. Something doesn’t seem right to her.

She turns back to Sara, brushing away these feelings.

“Just one month!” she says.

Sara shakes with excitement. Her eyes are glued to Madison’s belly.

“May I?” Sara asks, extending her hand.

Madison is happy to oblige.

Sara places her hand on her belly, and it isn’t long before she says she can feel kicking. Madison smiles. One of those three is always active. It reminds her of herself.

The longer she holds her hand there, the more the smile on Sara’s face expands. Madison looks to the first of the shops on their list, seeing the rest of the group heading inside.

“Come on girl, let’s go shopping!” she says.

To her surprise, Sara’s hand remains on her belly, and her smile has become an expression far more serious.

“Sara?”

Madison brings her hand to hers, and Sara blinks, as though awakened from a trance.

“Sorry,” she says, her face turning bright red. “I didn’t sleep well last night.”

She withdraws her hands to her sides. Madison hears the twins calling her name.

“That’s okay,” Madison says. “Let’s go!”

Sara smiles again and the two head inside. A staff member is waiting by the door, Madison knows him well.

“David, thanks for letting this happen.”

He smiles.

“Anything for you, Madison.”

When they get to the first store, they are blown away by what they find. Not only has the shop remained open just for them, but they have rearranged the entire place just for her.

“I hope this is to your liking,” David says in his charming British accent.

Madison shakes his hand.

“I can’t believe this!”

Everything on the shop floor is in threes.

Three handcrafted pine cradles, a rustic baby carriage featuring three seats, so many different items that Madison wonders if she’s hit her head and is seeing triple.

“Why doesn’t my room look like that, Sam?” Jamie demands, inspecting a mountain of toys.

Sam smirks. She’s been taking care of Jamie, almost more like a mother than a big sister.

“Because our mom wasn’t blessed with two super lawyer husbands!” Sam says.

Madison winks at her and two of them dive in, cooing over the luxury clothing sets, color-coded and of the highest quality. More and more rows of tailored baby gear await, more things than they had ever imagined could exist.

They can barely breathe, they are moving so quickly.

Of course, the boys are more subdued, but Madison can see the twins’ eyes glowing as they pick out furniture, arrange it, and inspect the craftsmanship.

“What do you think, fellas?”

Levi smirks.

“My only problem is that we have four more shops to go after this!”

Madison looks down on what they have placed together.

“What do you think?” Ethan asks.

In one corner, the boys have laid out a rough blueprint, but it’s enough to make Madison feel like she’s going to burst into tears.

Three cradles are laid out in front of a carpet. It’s old-school, a little on the nostalgic side, but on top of it is a pile of toys that makes her heart swell.

“We aren’t sure what they’ll like,” Ethan says.

“So we thought we’d get options,” Levi adds.

Madison turns, looking at her gorgeous husbands, barely able to speak.

“I love it.”

She’s about to embrace both of them at once when something steals her attention.

“Oh. My. God.”

It’s Sam from a counter nearby.

Madison comes toward her, her pulse racing.

“What is it?” she asks.

When Sam turns, she sees what had taken her attention.

Shoes. A whole range of shoes: Balenciaga, Nike Air Jordans, every shoe imaginable—except they are so small that Madison could put one on each finger.

She rushes toward the counter. “They are so sweet!” she says breathlessly.

She and Sam go into a frenzy picking them out, and Sam takes liberties to throw them all into a large shopping bag. If Madison so much as looks at it, it goes in.

“Sam,” Madison asks with a playful smirk, “could any of these shoes be Hazel’s size, perchance?”

Sam chuckles coyly. “Well, if a few find their way into the pile, who’s to blame?”

Their laughter fills the air, the joy of the moment palpable. They’re about to add another pair to their growing collection when Madison notices Sara’s distant expression.

“Hey, Sara, are you okay?” Madison asks, her tone filled with concern.

Sara forces a smile. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she replies, her voice lacking its usual cheerfulness.

Madison furrows her brow. “You seem a little off,” she says. “You sure everything’s okay?”

Sara’s smile fades, and suddenly she bursts into tears. Madison is taken aback. She can’t believe what she’s seeing!

“I’m here for you, Sara,” she says reassuringly, placing a hand on Sara’s shoulder. “Whatever’s going on, you don’t have to face it alone.”

Sara pushes her hand away. “I have to go!”

Tears are streaming down her face as she rushes through the shop doors and into the parking lot. Liam is right behind her.

Madison steps after her, in total shock. She’s not sure what to do. All she wants is to talk more about it, but she has no clue what Sara wants. Maybe she needs space?

All she knows is that something is wrong. Her heart is torn. She hopes with all her soul that Sara is okay, and that she can help her any way she can.