Page 109 of The Fake Out

I shrugged on a pair of jeans. “Please. Wait, that’s probably…” But she was already out of the room, and I heard her clomping down the steps.

I took a black t-shirt out of my dresser and pulled it over my head. I didn’t want to deal with my family today, but with everyone in town, it made sense they wanted to see me. I would have rather spent the morning in bed with Veronica.

With a sigh, I ran down the steps, taking them two at a time, only to find Veronica and my sister-in-law Emily talking about the painting of me that was leaning against the wall.

“Looks a little bare in here,” Emily teased, her French-Canadian accent coming through.

“He literally moved in!” Michael called from the kitchen.

Emily had a hand on her pregnant belly, but she smiled at me. “I like this one better.”

Veronica arched an eyebrow. “Thank you?”

The other woman laughed. “Good thing.”

Eli walked into the living room with his two-year-old daughter on his hip and son pretty much hanging on his ankles. Emily laughed when she took the baby, but the baby seemed more interested in Veronica’s tattoos.

“You want to hold her?” my sister-in-law asked.

“Oh, I love babies!” Veronica exclaimed, and I watched as she took my niece, who immediately pulled on her hair.

“Simone!” Emily scolded.

Veronica smiled and gingerly uncurled the baby’s fingers around her hair. “Happens all the time. You like my hair, huh, baby?” she asked as she bounced Simone in her arms until the baby giggled.

Something primal clawed up my chest at seeing my niece in her arms. One day that could be us. It was way too soon for me to think that, but my caveman brain had other thoughts.

“Uncle Blaise!” my nephew Alex cheered and jumped into my arms.

“Buddy!”

“Is that your new girlfriend?” he asked.

“She is.”

“Uncle Ayden said you were a…” he dropped his voice to a whisper. “A dumbass.”

Of course he did.

“Alex,” Eli warned.

“I didn’t say it!” My nephew tried to debate.

“Who’s all here?” I asked.

“All of us!” Maja called from the kitchen.

We walked into the kitchen, and somehow, my large family was all gathered around my kitchen table. Okay, I might have bought it, keeping in mind how big my family was. Dad was brewing coffee while Maja and Julien searched my cabinets for cups.

“Hey, cutie,” I said to baby Simone in Veronica’s arms.

“You want her? You can keep her. She kept us up all night,” my eldest brother joked.

I felt a nudge at my elbow and noticed Brendan, his husband, Adam, and my other nephews, Caden and Ash, sitting on the other side of the table. My whole family was in my kitchen. No wonder Veronica was holding the baby. It gave her an excuse not to answer questions from my nosy family.

“Hey man,” I greeted Brendan.

Brendan smirked at me. “So, introduce us!”