So, more like turquoise. That could be arranged.
“You can both make up your minds this weekend,” Ash said. “We’ll get you some moving boxes too, so you can start packing your toys. Then I’ll pick up paint on Monday.”
Micah snuck between us and entered Lily’s room with a small plate of something. It looked like lettuce rolls.
“What’s that, sweetheart?” I wondered.
He happily bit into one. “Lettuce with turkey, cream cheese, and tomato. It’s yummy. And Dylan said if we eat it all, we get apple and peanut butter too. It’s a big-boy snack.”
Ash and I exchanged a glance, and it was as if we were suddenly of one mind. The relief and happiness came first, but just a fraction of a second later, we remembered that we knew our eldest. Hallie was the one who went the extra mile for the sake of it. Dylan did his chores while complaining the entire time, and would he put together the perfect after-school snack for Micah without asking for something?
The answer was no.
So that was gonna be interesting.
I faced Micah again and smiled. “That’s fantastic, son. I’m just not sure I’m ready for you to be a big boy yet.”
“What Dad said,” Ash agreed. “But if you insist on growin’ up… Dylan knows his big-boy snacks, that’s for sure.”
Micah beamed and nodded. “He knows.”
I checked my watch. We had to think about dinner too. My bondage session at Mclean started at seven, so we had to leave by six-fifteen. I wanted a few minutes beforehand to prepare. It was going to be a demo for beginners, which meant they had to suffer through my safety spiel before I handed out rope.
“You thinking about dinner?” Ash asked quietly.
“Yes. We could pick something up on the way back to the old house,” I suggested.
“McDonald’s!” Lily exclaimed.
“Nando’s, it is.” Ash smiled at our girl’s scowl. “I’mma go place an order that we can pick up on the way to the old house. Daddy, you can come with me.”
“I wanna check out my room again!” Micah squeezed by us.
“I have done everything,” Lily announced. “The pool is big. I like my room. Goodbye.”
I snorted under my breath and followed Ash out of the room again.
Hallie was waiting for us downstairs. “Am I babysitting Micah and Lily here or at home? The old house—whatever.”
I opened my mouth to respond when Dylan skidded out of the kitchen.
“I can watch them too,” he said.
I quirked a brow.
Ash folded his arms over his chest. “Boy, I love you, but you’re not known to help out voluntarily. What do you want, and how much does it cost?”
Hallie leaned closer to me and spoke behind her hand. “I can keep an eye on him for an extra five bucks.”
Unable to help it, I laughed a little louder than was necessary, and Dylan had the gall to look offended.
“I’m not asking for anything,” he argued defensively. “Can’t a guy look out for his siblings?”
“He could, but you don’t,” Ash deadpanned. “Last time we asked, you said you’d do it for twenty-five bucks an hour.”
To which we’d asked to see his college degree.
“Maybe I was joking,” Dylan bullshitted. “I’ll obviously babysit my own family for free.”
