On the last day of preschool, Keeley and Aaron hosted a barbecue to celebrate, inviting the Singletons. Noah, although in a younger class, attended the same party as the twins.

The men manned the grill while the women chatted and watched the children splash in a blow-up pool Keeley had set up on the terrace to escape the heat. The children were young enough that a real pool wasn't necessary, and they weren't strong swimmers; the blow-up pool was a safer option.

Honestly, Keeley wouldn't have minded taking the twins to a real pool, but Aaron had been overly paranoid lately. His fear of losing her again had somehow transferred to the twins.

It broke her heart, but she understood his perspective. He'd been blissfully happy for the past five and a half years and feared losing it all again.

She could relate; having lost her mother and brother, she sometimes questioned the permanence of her happiness. But constant worry wasn't a viable way to live, so she pushed through it. Aaron, however, wasn't coping as well.

He called her ten times a day at work to check on her and was glued to her side at home. He barely let her lift a finger—understandable, given she was eight months pregnant, but she wasn't completely useless!

Keeley couldn't be too annoyed, though, knowing his fear. They just had to get past June 16th, and then everything would be okay. Unfortunately, that was a week and a half away, and she doubted she could handle his overprotectiveness for that long.

"You look tired. What's up?" Jennica asked, nursing Logan.

Keeley sighed. There was no hiding anything from her friend. "You know how Aaron gets overprotective when I'm pregnant?"

Jennica snorted. "A bit? Last time, he wouldn't even let you out of the house! Though, Lacy was stalking you then, so it made sense. Why now?"

"He's doing it again."

"But there's no actual threat this time!"

"I know. I wish I could convince him I'll be fine," Keeley said sadly.

He'd been so tense lately, and nothing she did could relax him for more than five minutes. She couldn't tell her friend it was because he feared history repeating itself.

Jennica rolled her eyes. "Well, it won't last much longer. You look ready to pop. When's your due date?"

"June 29th. Aaron and I are about to be outnumbered. The twins are already a handful; I'm not sure how we'll manage."

"That's why we're done after this one," her friend said, smiling. "It's a shame we didn't have a girl, but I don't mind. Boys are fun. I'm glad Noah has a little brother. Once Logan's a bit bigger, anyway."

Keeley was glad too. Noah, an only child for three and a half years, had always been excited to see Kaleb and Violet.

It worked out well; Kaleb was the only other child Violet truly enjoyed being around. She seemed to tolerate others at school and in ballet class, only wanting her brother or Noah. This was difficult because Kaleb was outgoing and wanted to play with everyone—the reason she even participated in group games at preschool or on the playground. Keeley worried about their eventual separation into different classes.

Despite her shyness and selectivity in playmates, Violet was a happy, well-adjusted, and incredibly bright little girl. Aaron credited this entirely to Keeley's PhD.

Keeley watched the children play happily in the pool. Kaleb was splashing his sister and friend with a plastic cup. Violet shrieked and ducked, while Noah bravely shielded her, splashing Kaleb back.

She wished Noah were in Violet's grade. That would solve many problems. When Violet was present, Noah wasn't interested in other children, although Jennica said he played well with others on his own.

When Keeley and Jennica took their children to the park together, Kaleb played with other children, while Violet and Noah occupied their own world. His mother said Noah was different when alone; he'd play with others like Kaleb. Noah was perfectly friendly and sociable unless his shy best friend was involved.

"I'm glad they get along so well," Keeley remarked.

Jennica laughed. "Me too. It lets us hang out more. The kids demand it several times a week. Hopefully, Logan and Oliver will get along this well."

"Liam too."

The Quinns had been invited but couldn't make it due to Aiden's brother Jack's birthday. Family came first. Keeley expected to see them more as Liam grew older and they arranged playdates.

Nova was fun—a perfect match for Aiden—and Keeley enjoyed getting to know her better since her move to New York. Before Nova's return to marry Aiden, Keeley had only met her a couple of times the previous summer.

"I wonder if Alice will have a boy or a girl. If it's a boy, there'll be a lot of testosterone around," Jennica said, smiling.

Of their friends' children, only Violet and Alice's daughter, Lila (barely two), were girls. Lila, despite idolizing Violet, wasn't particularly interested in playing with her, only tagging along because her mother insisted.