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“Looks like you’ve been havin’ a good time in here,” my dad said with a grin, catching Rose by the hips as she passed him. He leaned down and kissed her. “You taste like booze.”
“You taste like smoke,” Rose replied.
“Weird,” I called out over the noise. “All I can taste is vomit. In my mouth.”
Charlie snickered beside me. “Good one.”
“So disgusting,” I said with a laugh. “They could at least try to act like adults.”
“They’ll forever be horny teenagers,” Farrah said, swatting my ass as she passed me. “All the good relationships are.”
“My parents are the same,” Charlie said, fake dry heaving. “And they’re older than yours.”
“Filthy,” I said quietly, making her laugh. My eyes met Draco’s across the room.
He was smiling.
I blew him a kiss.
“Knock that shit off,” Charlie said, pinching my side.
“Ow,” I complained, pinching her back.
“Give me a minute to catch up before you guys start being all cutesy,” she ordered sternly, but she was smiling.
“Youah heah,” my little brother Jamison said as the kids came inside. He ran to me and wrapped his arms around my hips. “I missed you.”
“I just saw you, monkey,” I reminded him, lifting him into my arms with a grunt. Both of my little brothers were built solidly, and I had a feeling they’d be as big as my dad eventually, maybe bigger.
“Brody fahted in the cah,” he said, his little arms circling my neck. “It stunk so bad.”
“Gross,” I replied, the correct amount of awe in my voice. “Did you roll the windows down?”
“Mom wouldn’t let us,” he said in a mixture of delight and disgust. “It’s too smoky outside.”
“That’s gnarly,” I replied.
“Gnawly,” he agreed. Then he squirmed to be let down.
“You should get him back,” I said, leaning down to put him on his feet. “Fart on the way home.”
“I’m gonna twy,” he said gleefully.
He ran off with the other kids, and as I stood back up, Draco was there.
“Did you just tell your brother to hot box your parents’ car with his ass?” he asked conversationally.
I could feel my face begin to heat. “That was a conversation between siblings,” I muttered as he leaned down to give me a quick peck on the lips.
“Kara farts like a wildebeest,” Brody announced from across the counter, making my jaw drop open in horror. Draco laughed loudly.
“I’m going to kill you,” I said, pulling away from Draco to chase him.
“Help!” Brody screamed, running from the room.
“You better run,” I yelled at his retreating back. “You’re the wildebeest!”
“Siblings are the worst,” Charlie said. “You’re not a wildebeest, Kara.” She looked at Draco, who was still laughing. “Kara doesn’t fart. Ever.”
“You’re making it worse,” I told her through gritted teeth. “Shut up.”
“Everyone farts, honey,” Grandma Callie said as she passed me a plate with a serving of lasagna.
“I’m sorry,” I told Draco. “I can never see you again.”
He smiled, but I knew it was the wrong thing to say. Unfortunately, there was no way to backtrack or salvage the situation because suddenly, the food was ready and everyone was around us, dishing up their plates.
Things calmed down, at least as calm as they could be in that particular crowd. The kids were settled around the coffee table in the living room with their plates, and the adults spread out around any possible surface in the kitchen and dining room to eat.
Liquor, beer, and way too much soda for the kids flowed as we visited and argued and generally had a good time. It was always like that when we got together. Family dinners were loud, but it was relaxing to be surrounded by people you knew loved you. You could argue or bitch and you knew that no one would judge, they’d join right in, the arguments forgotten within minutes and the complaints added to until you weren’t sure where the conversation had even started.
“We should go out,” Lily said, happily, looking over at Leo. “We haven’t been out in forever and I actually did my hair today. I look good.”
“You always look good, dandelion,” he replied, grinning.
“Is that a no?” she asked.
“We can go out,” he said. “Where you wanna go?”
“A bar,” Rose said, smacking the table.
“Uh, you’re forgetting something,” Charlie called from across the room. “I’m not staying home to watch the kids.”
“Like we’d leave your drunk ass with the kids,” Rose scoffed.
“We can keep them,” Amy said cheerfully.
“That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen,” Farrah said with a grimace.
“Please,” Amy said dismissively. “They’re angels for us.”
Poet laughed.
“Gray and Brody are old enough to help us with the littles,” Amy continued, ignoring her husband. “We’ll just stay here with them until you get home.”
“Are you sure?” Lily asked doubtfully.
“Don’t talk them out of it,” Rose said, widening her eyes at Lily. “We can go to one of the bars where I used to work.”
