“Portia.” Grabbing a shirt, I rush to put it on as I wrench the door open and run into the hallway to find Sienna and Zander coming out their door.
Zander gives me a worried frown. “Who is that?”
“I think it’s Portia,” I call over my shoulder, leaping down the stairs and running into the chaos.
My twins are going at it again, and in spite of Grady trying to calm things down, my girls are totally ignoring their uncle and yanking on a teddy bear.
“But it’s my turn,” Harley argues in her soft voice while Portia lets out another ear-splitting scream.
Grady winces. The poor guy is standing right in the “make you deaf” zone.
“Girls!” I try to grab their attention with no luck.
Portia pulls on the teddy, and with a determined little grunt, Harley yanks right back… and then the inevitable happens. The arm comes flying off, and Harley is left standing there with one paw in her hand while Portia gapes down at the broken bear and lets out another chilling scream.
“Enough!” I thunder over the noise, and finally she shuts up.
With a little gasp, she stares up at me with bulging eyes as Harley shrinks in on herself, clutching the teddy arm and looking on the verge of all-out bawling.
I sigh, dipping my head and forcing a calm I’m far from feeling.
Crouching down, I take the arm of each of my children and try to bring this emotional circus into order.
“Guys, let’s go this way.” Zander and Grady usher the other kids out of the doorway, distracting them with promises of games once everyone’s dressed. There’s a flurry of activity as the tribe runs around to get themselves ready.
Nylah limps into the room, leaning on her cane and standing behind me, looking down at the girls with a disapproving frown.
“What a spectacle.” She shakes her head.
Harley’s bottom lip quivers as she holds up the bear’s arm and tries to explain. “But I started playing with him first. She tried to take him away from me.”
Her big brown eyes are so damn adorable. Affection blooms for my little caramel, but I can’t go softening just yet.
Portia’s blue eyes spark with indignation. “But you know I like this one best. I always play with this one, and you took it on purpose.”
“Girls, we share our toys, remember?” Nylah cradles her belly while she leans forward to get a little closer to them. “If Harley got it first, then she should get some time to play with it, and then you can switch after that.”
“But that’s not fair!” Portia complains. “She could pick any other bear. Just not this one!” She squeezes it to her chest. “And now she’s broken it!”
I close my eyes with a sigh. It is way too fucking early in the morning for this much drama.
“You broke it too,” Harley quietly argues. “You’re always too rough with our toys. You have to be more careful. You were pulling on it so hard.”
“Because you wouldn’t give it to me!” Portia shouts.
“It was my turn.” Harley frowns at her.
“With the one toy I like best. You could have picked any other toy, and you got this one on purpose. I know you did.”
“Portia.” Nylah tries to calm her down.
“No! I don’t like Harley. She ruins everything! I don’t want to share with her anymore! I don’t want a sister!”
My eyes snap open in time to see Harley’s crushed expression, which only gets more crumpled as Portia keeps shouting.
“I want a sister like Jane or Charlotte or Nichelle!” She points at her twin. “Harley’s mean! I don’t want Harley!”
I give Portia’s arm a squeeze. “That’s enough.”
