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JADE
“Good morning?” Ian greeted me with a concerned glare and tone as he stood in the center of the executive lobby with Lonnie. “And good morning, Maddie?”
“Morninggg, Mr. Iannn!” She sang, dropping her backpack on the floor next to my desk and plopping down in the chair. “Morning, Ms. Lonnie!” she beamed before rotating the chair.
Lonnie giggled. “Good morning, Sunshine. I wish I had your cheerful energy so early.”
“Don’t encourage her,” I snickered, setting my bag down on the desk. “She talked me into a large coffee from Dunks on the way here.”
Ian cocked a brow. “And why is she—” his voice trailed off as he glimpsed her for a second.
“Dorothy’s sister came to town for the parade next weekend, and she’s entertaining. I told you about it last week.” I set my things on my desk, tucking my bag underneath. “She said she’d still watch her, but she hasn’t seen her sister in a year, and I didn’t want to intrude. Schools out today for a staff day.”
Ice Man strode out of Jenna’s office, lifting his own Dunkin Donuts coffee cup. “Morning.”
“Good morning!” I replied just as Jenna emerged holding Kira, with Dylan running behind her.
Dylan held a small Irish flag in the air on a wooden pole, waving it around, singing, “I’m Irish man, weather… weather kin.” I slapped my hand over my mouth, holding in my laughter at his mispronounced words, as he danced up to Ian, standing next to him. The kid was the perfect likeness to his father. He continued to wave the flag, “Hey hey hey hey.”
I held in my laughter as much as I could at the adorable clone. “Um?—”
Jenna pressed her lips into a thin line, amused but clearly, he’d been repeating whatever song it was. “Ian played that song for him to get him hyped for the parade, and nowww he always asks to listen to it on repeat.”
Ian scoffed. “It beats the fuck out of KidzBop.”
“Fuck!” Dylan shouted.
Ian’s eyes widened, and he bent down, picking him up. “You have to be as tall as daddy to say bad words.”
I snorted, holding my fist over my mouth again. “I’d say help him learn about your Italian heritage too, but I’m not sure that’s any better.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but the door pulled open, and Tyler sauntered in, followed by his three kids.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Ian grumbled, then set Dylan down. He folded his arms over his chest. “Ty, what the hell? Does no child have school today?”
“Hi, Uncle Ian and Aunt Jenna,” Naya greeted them before she ran over to Jenna, hugging her. Jenna was her favorite person on the planet besides her mother.
Jackson and Evan plopped down on the sofa, engaged in their phones, both offering a mumbled hello. Dylan skipped over, laying the flag on the coffee table then climbed up onto the cushion, settling next to Jackson.
Tyler set bags on the floor, shrugging. “Mila went out of town for a few days at the last minute. Her sister fell, and she went to help her. I had to bring them here. They’ll be in school tomorrow.”
Ian scanned the room, stroking his jaw. “This is a strip club not a fucking daycare.”
Maddie skipped by, her AirPods in her ears, singing a Taylor Swift song loudly as she fell back in a chair, kicking her legs.
“Sure looks like one,” Ice Man joked from the corner just outside Jenna’s office.
“Jesus,” Ian mumbled, pointing between Tyler and me. “You two, come with me.” He spun around, marching toward his office. He stopped in the doorway, whirling around. “Jen, I need… can you?—”
She laughed. “Yes, babe, I got this.”
He acknowledged her with a quick nod before gesturing to his office. I led the way, with Tyler and Ian following closely behind. As we entered the room, Ian slammed the double doors shut, an unusual display of anger unless he was truly upset. He marched over to his desk and forcefully opened a drawer, pulling out a cigarette. It’d been a while since I’d seen him smoke in his office.
He sat on the edge of his desk and smoked in silence, his eyes darting back and forth between us. Tyler and I exchanged a glance, both sensing that something was seriously wrong. I knew not to bring up any sensitive topics that could make Ian look vulnerable in front of others unless he brought it up himself.
Tyler didn’t care. He was his brother-in-law and called Ian out on everything since they’d become related. “Ian,” he cleared his throat, “what’s going on?”
Ian tilted his head. “Really, Ty?” He took a long drag, letting the smoke drift from his lips, then blew out a smooth cloud. “There are six kids out there, including mine. SIX! This isn’t a place for kids all the time. Even if they’re up here. They’re going to get into trouble.”
