Anyway, with now three out of eight of us pregnant, there will be a whole lot less drinking once the kids are in bed. Lily usually stays sober anyway because the alcohol doesn’t mix well with her antidepressants. She’s the one to take care of Brooke and Eden whenever everyone is wasted.
And since Lily, Sofia, and Emory can’t drink, neither will Colin, Aaron, and Miles. Luan can’t drink either because, well, he’s an addict that only leaves me, and I don’t drink by myself.
But I don’t think this is what Miles was hinting at, at least his face doesn’t look like it was.
“What else changed?” I ask.
He sighs deeply. “There was a little incident at Brooke’s school this morning.” Oh, no…
“What doesa little incidentmean, exactly?”
“Two older guys from her school found out that Colin is Reece’s brother, they didn’t even bother to connect Reece to his own father, but alright, and since Brooke and Reece are really close, they’re calling her a gold digger. I didn’t even know fifth graders knew what that is, but I shouldn’t be surprised, to be honest. Brooke asked me what that means though, and after I explained it to her because, as always, she wouldn’t let me brush it off asnothing, she asked if they’d get even meaner should they find out where we live and that she calls all three of you her uncles.”
“Did you say no?” Because knowing Miles, he probably did. He tries to be as transparent with his kids as possible, but he also does his best in depicting the world as a pink fluffy cloud to them.
“I said nothing, which was more than enough. It was also Brooke’s invite to run after those guys and tell them that should they ever decide to be mean to her, shewillhave the entire NYR team come for their asses because they’re her friends. I’ve never been prouder of that kid, but at the same time…”
I nod, already knowing where he’s going with this. He’s scared for her; that it’ll get worse, that she’ll eventually be frightened to go to school because she might get bullied, that she won’t be able to trust anyone because she will think everyone is trying to use her.
“Theentireteam?”
“Yup.”
“It’ll only take Brooke to scare those little beasts away though.”
Miles agrees. Brooke doesn’t let anyone tell her what to do, apart from Miles and Emory, obviously, or when she’s with either of us, actually. Strangers though, Brooke has a big mouth and even sticks up for those at her school who do face some mean kids. She’s going places someday, I’m telling you.
“So, anyway, now Brooke uninvited all of her friends except for Reece, because she thinks they’ll call her a gold digger when they find out about you, Colin, and Aaron, which is bullshit because those girls are more ballet girls than interested in hockey, so I don’t think either of them even knows who the fuck you guys are. And when I was about to tell her that her frien—”
I hold up my hand to stop him. “You donotget to disagree with my little princess, okay?”
Miles snorts a laugh. “You spoil her too much.”
I always did. “Well, I’m probably never going to have kids, so I only have yours to spoil.”
He cocks his head, his eyes moving over my shoulder toward my bedroom door before they’re back on me. “You don’t want any?”
Sighing, I lean back on the sofa. “I don’t know,” I answer in all honesty. “Luan wants two, but I’m not even sure he’s being serious about that. If he still wants them in a few years, I wouldn’t be opposed to adopting, but as of now, I couldn’t imagine having a child. I don’t know how Aaron and Colin plan to do this, with being gone so often, you know? And I mean, yes, there aretonsof hockey players out there with kids and they manage it just fine, but personally, I couldn’t imagine leaving my child at home with my partner for most of the year, being gone from them all the time. You should understand because you, too, choose your family over hockey, but I’m not ready to do that just yet.”
Miles bobs his head. “I also had my restaurants to retreat back to.”
“Exactly, and I havenothingelse. Sure, I have my degree, but the fuck if I know what to do with that? It’s a little too late to go back to school and become a psychologist.”
He puts his hand on my shoulder, grinning a little. “Well, if you ever need a job in the future, love, I’m happy to employ you as a host. Anything else, I’d fear you’d burn down the entire building.”
I’m a little useless like that, I’m not going to lie. But I’m still learning. It only took me seven years of living away from home, but I can now boil pasta and heat it up with premade sauce, and I can make scrambled eggs, Brooke taught me. So, I’m doing pretty well, I’d say.
Also, I know how to make Kimchi because my mother thought it was a crime that I didn’t know how to before.
Chapter 9
“you so fucking precious when you smile”—Mine by Bazzi
September 2026
“Uncle Grey, look!!”Eden comes running toward me the same second I have the door open to the apartment. He stops in front of Luan and I, holding up both of his hands. “HANDS!”
I pick him up from the floor, plant a quick kiss to the side of his head before giving myself in to his newest discovery. “Oh, you have hands?”
