“I’ll give you an autograph for letting us stay with you,” he promises, patting my stomach like he’s doing me a favour, and then he pulls himself off me and rushes into my house.
I choke on a laugh. The kid has got spirit, that’s for sure. He’s going to have a mouth on him when he’s older and on the ice. I’m calling it now.
“Bennett!” Remi scolds after him, but she’s too busy rustling with their youngest and his diaper bag to chase after him. Her brown eyes snap to mine, full of apologies, but I just wave her off. It’s fine. This house needs some excitement and Bennett is willing to take on that job.
I head down the porch in my slippers, straight to my sister-in-law, who stops what she’s doing and readjusts her three-year-old on her hip. I smile, and she smiles back, but hers is laced with sadness. Maybe with a bit of hope, too.
I take her bags from her.
“Nice to see you, Rem.”
She reaches forward to place her hand on my arm, her thumb rubbing my sleeve. “Thank you for having us. They both haven’t stopped talking about it.”
Bennett and Kane.
“Of course,” I say, ignoring that knot of emotion in my throat. I glance up at the sandy-haired baby, who definitely takes after his mother. He’s got big, brown eyes, that are just like his dad’s, but his hair is all Rem. He grins at me.That’sall Bennett. “Who is this little guy?”
“This,” she says, bouncing him up and down on her hip, “is Moseley Miller Black.”
My brows shoot upward. Odd namesake, but who am I to judge what they name their kids? I know that Bennett’s middle name is mine, and I’m not any more deserving of that honour than my older brother. He’s just…more of a dick. With how sweet Moseley looks, I’m hoping he doesn’t end up like his cranky uncle Mills.
“Hi Moseley,” I say, holding out my hand. Remi laughs under her breath, especially when Moseley chooses to lift his hand to stick his fingers in his nose instead. She immediately rips his hand out of there, but I retract my own with a wince.
I’m not shaking the hand of a booger picker. No matter how cute he is.
I haul all her stuff inside and tell her to find Bennett while I help my brother with the rest. She looks ready to argue, but then she glances over her shoulder, watching Kane grunt and struggle behind the vehicle, and gives a reluctant nod.
She’s giving us a moment alone, I think.
“Kent!” Remi calls, and the five-year-old appears from behind Kane’s back. She holds out her hand for him and he immediately rushes for her, barking out a quick hello to me as he passes.
I walk to the trunk as Kane yanks another suitcase free. He drops it on the ground with a dip of the chin, so I grab the last one for him. He grunts as a thank you and slams the trunk shut, a tired breath leaving his mouth. Turning to me, his dark eyes scan my face.
He is still shorter than me, stockier too—but kinder, like he’s always been. That’s never changed. He’s got a warm smile and warm eyes. Always had those, too. A moustache now, which is a new development, but it does look pretty good on him. That thing didn’t exist during our FaceTime calls.
I wonder if he can grow out a good, thick beard like mine now. He never used to be able to grow anything, and it pissed him off to no end.
A smile slowly tugs at his lips. “You know, it’s really fucking unfair that you get a house this big and all the good looks in the family.”
I shoot him a look. “That farm you built is huge.”
He scoffs. “That thing is basically yours.”
No. It’s not. It’s not in my name and doesn’t have any ties to me, apart from my ugly history of growing up on the property. He built and paid for that house, I just bought the land for him all those years ago. It’s entirely his.
“It’s not fucking mine,” I grumble.
He sighs, crossing his arms in front of his chest. A moment of silence passes—a tense, awkward stare down happening between the both of us. “It’s good to see you.”
I swallow, dipping my chin. For a moment, I don’t know how to respond. I usually go quiet and shut down completely when I’m overwhelmed with feelings I don’t know how to deal with. But then I remember how good it felt to be honest with Ari, how I woke up lighter after letting myself feel that weight.
I can do the same thing here.
“I’m nervous.”
He cocks a brow. “That my kids are currently running loose in your multi-million dollar home, or that we’re going to have to spend some quality time together?”
I bite back a smile. “The second one.”
