Page 30 of Keeping Score

“You know,” I said, “you’re very lucky that you have me as your aunt, Lil. Not only do I give you the good snacks, but I’m also basically the reason you’re here right now.”

She looked at the playground, as if that’s what I was referring to. That too, but I meant more in terms of her existence.

“Why?”

“Well, your mommy and daddy didn’t know each other until I introduced them.”

She shot me a side-eye as she took another bite of her donut. Her hands were covered with glaze that I knew I’d have to scrub off before I dropped her back off at home.

“How you know Daddy?”

“Your daddy is my brother,” I told her.

“Why?” she asked.

Her question made me pause.

“Um,” I said, thinking. “Because me and your daddy have the same mommy.”

“Why?” she asked again.

“I don’t really know how to answer that, Lil.” I laughed at my niece’s round, chocolate-covered face.

Yeah, I definitely needed to give her a good wipe-down before returning her to her parents.

“I don’t have a brother,” she remarked thoughtfully after a while.

I snorted, knowing that with the way Liam and Cassie were all over each other, Lily’s status as an only child was most definitely temporary.

“You probably will soon,” I told her, and she beamed.

“Then he can play dolls with me.”

“Maybe,” I said. “But sometimes brothers aren’t as accommodating as we hope they’ll be.”

“What is acco-acco-accum-a-dating?”

“It means sometimes they’ll say, ‘tough luck, kid,’ and make you play on your own anyway.”

Lily didn’t like that answer, but I figured it was better to break the news to her early.

“Maybe I want a sister then,” she said, with a look of disappointment.

“Smart girl,” I nodded in agreement.

But until then, she had her Aunt Maggie to play with. And really, it wasn’t so bad a thing to leave work for at all.

“Mommy! Daddy!” Lily yelled, running full speed ahead of me into the kitchen toward Liam’s legs. “Aunt Maggie says I get brother soon!”

Jeez.

I watched in real time as Liam froze, turned to Cassie with exuberant bewilderment on his face, and beamed up at her. “Cass?”

“No!” She shook her head, blushing furiously before staring at me in accusation. “Maggie!”

“I was joking!” I held my hands up in defense.

Liam’s face fell.