Before my mom died, the holidays with my family were incredible. If Mom were here today, she would approve of Lila. She would tell me not to fuck this up with her. My mom would welcome Lila into her home like she was one of us. And soon, Lila will be one of us.
I hear Theo and Travis arguing from the front do
or. Of course, the twins are fighting. When we step into the living room, Max clings to my side. Christmas music blares through the speakers suspended from the ceiling. My dad is singing Here Comes Santa Claus to my nephew, Noah, and doing it rather badly. The old man could never carry a tune, but that didn’t stop him from belting out the songs.
Lila looks over at me and smiles to stifle her laughter. My dad is so tone-deaf it’s hard not to laugh at him. He’s dancing with Noah in his arms, shuffling across the living room without a care in the world. Kat and Dean are sitting on the couch in front of him.
Dean hugs Kat against his side and kisses her on the top of her head. He loves my sister and has taken good care of her. What more can I ask for? Messing up his pretty face was the best thing that ever happened to either of us. Dean got instant recognition as a rookie, and I met the love of my life.
The twins are standing in front of the ninety-inch flat-screen television, which takes up a good portion of one wall. Theo elbows Travis in the side, his eyes pointed up at the screen as he taps the remote controller in his hand.
“Get the sword, you idiot,” Theo says to Travis. “We can’t pass the next mage without it.”
The boys are obsessed with this video game that has wizards in it. Thankfully, I can’t hear the sound of their game over my dad’s music. Though, I’m not sure which one would be worse. If you ask me, both are equally annoying.
I stop behind Kat and squeeze her shoulders. Surprised, she jumps and then peeks over her shoulder at me. A bright smile stretches across her face.
“Denny!” She leaps over the back of the couch and throws herself into my arms. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“Hey, Kit-Kat.” I hug her so tightly she squirms in my arms.
Kat’s eyes travel from mine to Lila, and she gives Lila a broader grin than the one I got. “You must be Lila,” Kat says, extending her hand. They shake hands, and then Kat glances down at Max. “And you must be Max. I’ve heard so much about you.”
Now that my relationship with Kat is repaired, she knows everything about Lila and Max. Well, everything within reason.
“Duke’s told me a lot about you,” Lila says with a smile.
Dean taps me on the back to say hello, and then he introduces himself to Lila and Max.
“Do you want to solve a riddle?” Max asks Dean.
Dean shoves a hand through his dark hair, giving her one of his boyish smiles, and then drops down to her height. “Let’s hear it.”
Max glows with delight. “What belongs to you, but other people use it more than you do?”
She’s using my riddle from the first time we played Mac and Clues. Max loves that game. We still play it once a week, even though macaroni and cheese don’t fill me. Lila usually hides an extra plate for me in the microwave, so I don’t starve.
“Ummm…” Dean rolls his shoulders, unsure of the answer.
“Your name,” Kat shouts with her hand raised like she’s still in school.
“How did you know that?” Dean says to Kat.
“It’s Duke’s go-to riddle.”
Lila snickers.
“Are we having macaroni for dinner?” Max asks no one specific.
“Of course,” my Dad says, stopping at my side with Noah in his arms. “You can’t eat ham without mac and cheese.”
Max balls her hands in front of her face and grins. “Can we play Mac and Clues?”
My dad shrugs, even though he has no idea what she’s talking about. “Sure, I don’t see why not.”
“No, baby, not tonight,” Lila says to Max. “We’re eating adult food. We can’t play with our macaroni.”
“We can play whatever you want,” my dad says, cradling Noah against his chest, his skin practically glowing with excitement.