“Hey, baby.”
“Hey,” she says softly, then laughs when Braden grabs the book, lifting it in front of their faces and effectively cutting me off.
“Someone has a crush,” Rhonda murmurs.
“Can’t say I blame him,” I mumble back, hearing her laugh, then look toward the stairs that lead to the upper level where the bedrooms are located when I hear a loud curse that Braden just so happens to hear and repeat, making Rhonda groan.
“Reservation’s in thirty minutes. You may want to go up and make sure we’re still on track to leave in ten,” Lea suggests, and I nod at her then head up.
Once I’m at the landing, I turn toward the sound of voices and head across the expanse to find Austin and Ben both working on a white crib that is just about finished. Only the top rail is left to put on, yet they both look pissed.
“What’s up?”
“Fuck, I hate Ikea,” Austin grumbles, holding out a handful of screws toward me, and Ben laughs.
“I told him we needed to follow the directions, but he insisted we could do it off the photo from the website. This is where that idea got us,” he says, pointing at Austin’s open hand, and I smile.
“You do know you’re gonna have to take this shit apart, right?” I ask, and Austin growls.
“Fuck.” He then looks from me to Ben. “I told Lea that Jacob could just sleep with us until he’s old enough for a big kid bed, but she insisted he needs his own bed and his own room.”
“If you ever want to get laid again, brother, I wouldn’t suggest him sleeping with you as an option.” Ben pats his back, and Austin rubs his hands down his face, probably realizing Ben’s right, and hating it.
“You don’t have time to fix this right now. Reservation’s in thirty. You know if we’re not there they’ll give our table to someone else, and then we’ll have a mob of hungry women and kids after us.”
“You’re right, but I need to get this shit done before the opener tomorrow. Otherwise, Lea’ll do it on her own, even knowing the doctor told her to take it easy, and that shit will start a fight I don’t have time for.”
“I’m off tomorrow. I’ll stop by and bring the boys. We’ll put it together while you’re out.”
“Are you sure?” he asks, looking at the crib, and I put my hand against it and push slightly, feeling it sway.
“I’m sure,” I mutter, and Ben laughs, gaining a glare from Austin.
“I’ll help him take it apart when we get back tonight,” Ben assures, heading for the door, and I follow him out of the room then down the stairs, where everyone is waiting at the bottom with their coats on. Summer is ending, and the temp has been dropping by the day. The kids all start school in two days, and before long, snow will be on the ground.
“Did you get it set up?” Lea asks, looking behind me, and Austin grumbles, “No, Zach’s gonna finish it up tomorrow.”
“You were up there for hours.”
“I told you not to buy the crib from Ikea.”
“Not this again.” Lea tilts her head back, sighing at the ceiling, and my eyes go to Shel to see her fighting back a smile.
“We don’t have time for you two to argue. We have a reservation to get to,” Rhonda cuts in, knowing Lea and Austin will argue because it’s what they do, and if she lets it go on, we’ll be here for hours and definitely miss dinner.
“Way to be bossy, baby, and take charge.” Ben winks at his woman, catching Braden when he throws himself out of Rhonda’s arms then leans down, kissing her.
Walking over to Shel, I wrap my arm around her waist and her head tilts back. “Was everything okay?”
“Just a couple of guys who drank too much. They’re actually brothers by blood, and it’s not the first time I’ve had to settle a fight between them.”
“Oh.”
“Tom and Jerry back at it?” Austin asks, and I smile at his nicknames for them.
“When are they not at each other’s throat?” I question.
“When they’re messing with someone else,” Ben answers, with a shrug.
“True,” Austin agrees, grabbing his jacket from the back of the couch, then turns to look at me. “Ben will drive Rhonda and the kids in Shelby’s van, and I’ll take Lea with me, so you and Shel can ride together in your truck. That way you won’t have to come back this way after dinner.”
“Works for me,” I agree, as Ben asks, “The minivan?” making a face filled with horror. “You drive the minivan. I’m allergic.” He shakes his head.
“Oh, Lord, you’ll be fine. Besides, I told you I’m getting one after my lease is up this year, so you may as well experience it firsthand,” Rhonda says, smacking his chest.
“No wife of mine is driving a minivan.”
“Sure.” She rolls her eyes, and I feel Shel’s shoulders shaking and look down at her to see her fighting back laughter.
“You okay, baby?”
“You can buy mine from me, Rhonda. I hate it.”
“You hate it?”
“It’s nice to drive, but I hate looking at it.”
“See, babe? No minivans,” Ben states.
“Whatever. Can we just go?” she tosses out, heading for the door.
“Absolutely, and since I’m feeling generous, you can ride in Shel’s van tonight for a small fee I will take from you later.”
“Ben,” Lea hisses, nodding at the kids, who are rolling their eyes.
“Jesus, at this point, we’re never going to make it to dinner,” Austin growls.
“Oh, yes we are,” Lea growls back, herding the kids in front of her toward the door. “I’m hungry, and the Harbor House is closing in a week, so I won’t be able to eat there again until next summer. So if we miss our reservation, I’m going to be one unhappy pregnant woman.” She then looks at Austin, who is grinning, and growls, “Come on, Mr. Wolf.”
“Are they always like this?” Shel asks, as I lead her toward the door, following Austin.
“Always.”
“Hmmm,” she hums, then smiles. “I’ve always liked Lea, and since meeting Rhonda, I’ve gotten to like her too, but the guys are seriously funny.” She grins, and I lean down, kissing the grin off her face, and then take her keys from her and toss them to Ben, leading her to my truck as the kids, Rhonda, and Ben pile into the van.
“So what’s you guys’ plan? Are you moving in together? I have a renter for you if you are,” Rhonda offers, and I feel Shel tense then look at the kids, who are all waiting for my answer, and hear Lea hiss, “Rhonda.”
“What?” she asks, blinking and looking around, confused.
“Are we moving in with Shel, Dad?” Aubrey asks, and my eyes go to my daughter sitting across the table from me.
I didn’t plan on having this conversation tonight. I know Shel wanted to talk to Hunter first, so she could feel him out, before having me sit down with the kids to see how they felt about the idea. But with Max being here the last week, things have gotten off course, and neither of us has brought it up, even though I think about it every damn day.
“We’re thinking about it, gorgeous, but won’t unless all of you agree it’s okay,” I say, then look at Steven, who is smiling at Aubrey, before moving my gaze to Hunter, hoping he’s not upset. Him being younger and only recently experiencing his parents’ divorce will make this a little more difficult for him, and I won’t move forward if he’s not ready.
“We have more rooms at our house,” Hunter points out, then looks at his mom. “I vote they move in with us.”
“Yeah, I say we move into Shel’s, but I call the room with the bathroom upstairs.” Aubrey grins, and Steven growls, “You can’t call that room. I call it.”
“Too bad, already did. Plus, I’m a girl. I don’t want to share a bathroom with boys. I’ve already done that forever, and I’m so over it.” She rolls her eyes, and I feel Shel’s hand on my thigh grasp tightly, and then hear her giggle, only to laugh loudly when Hunter adds his two cents.
“We don’t want to share
a bathroom with you anyways. Girls have too much crap. You should see my mom’s bathroom.” He cringes, and I chuckle. Shel’s not a neat freak by any stretch of the imagination, and Hunter is right; her bathroom counter is covered in odds and ends.
“That’s true.” Steven reaches out, giving Hunter a fist bump, and everyone at the table laughs.
“So when are you guys moving in?” Hunter asks, and I look at Shel, who is biting her lip, then look back at him.
“Not sure yet, bud. We’ll talk about it again in the next few days to make sure you’re all still good with the idea, and then go from there.”