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ZACH
“Did you get the cakes?”
“Yeah.” I hand over the paper bag to my brother as my sister-in-law hugs me.
“Thanks, man.” Zander pats me on my back and gives me a side hug. “Come on, everyone is already in the garden.”
Once outside, I find my youngest brother, Zane, Rose’s sister, Kristy, with her husband, Oscar, and their kids Charlie and Chloe.
“Uncle Zach.” The newest addition to our family, my recently adopted nephew, Alex, limps toward me. I don’t let the anguish show on my face as he walks slowly. I know since Alex has started physical therapy, he has improved a lot, and I have no doubt Zander will make sure that someday his son runs a marathon.
“Hey, buddy.” I reach him in a few long steps and hoist him up in the air before bringing him down and placing him next to his cousin Charlie on the rattan couch.
Perching on a recliner next to beer bottles, I glance at Chloe. “Holy fuck! When did she learn to walk?” Last month she was crawling on the grass, but today she is standing on her shaky legs, her tiny hands clutching Oscar’s jeans.
Instead of replying to me, Kristy pulls a red tin can from under the table.
Fuck! I glance sideways toward the two boys giggling.
“This swear jar is only for you, Zach. Put a dollar inside.” She slides it toward me on the glass table. “It’s bad to swear, boys. You don’t want to have a potty mouth like Uncle Zach.”
“Shit, Uncle Zach! You’re screwed.” Charlie slaps his hands over his knees, eliciting a laugh out of his cousin.
Fuck!
“Charlie! Where did you learn that word?” Although Kristy is speaking to her son, her gaze narrows on me.
She doesn’t need to say out loud that I’m downright hazardous for these kids.
But then Charlie mutters in between laughter, “From you, Mom.”
My lips quirk up. “Well, well. Now who’s got a potty mouth?” I slide the tin can back to Kristy the same way she slid it to me.
Her face is scarlet red. “Shit is much better than fuck.”
“Oh, Mommy needs to fill the jar three times now. Isn’t that right, boys?”
“You—”
“Careful, Kristy! We don’t want to make it four dollars now.” I pull my wallet from the inside pocket of my jacket and lean forward to slide a five-dollar bill in the can. “An extra dollar, in case you really want to be a naughty girl tonight.”
“Zach, you’re not here for five minutes and we already took out the swear jar?” Rose joins us followed by Zander.
“Believe me. Today I was very happy to fill it up.”
Before Kristy can go ballistic on me, Zander places a fancy glass tray on the table.
“Wow!” The boys jump out of their seats and reverently look down at the superhero cupcakes.
“Where did you get those, Rose?” Kristy asks while the boys hesitate, their hands hovering over the tray in indecision.
I’m not far behind them. Choosing which cupcake to eat first isn’t an easy decision. It’s a real dilemma.
Finally, Charlie picks a black Batman cupcake. “I feel like I’m eating Batman’s head. Are you sure Batman won’t be angry, Mom?” he asks around a mouthful of chocolate cake.
“No, baby. Not at all. It’s just a cupcake. Do you think Aunt Rose would ever eat a real Wolverine?” She points to Rose who has half of Wolverine’s head in her mouth.
After dinnerI’m strolling in the rose garden my brother made for his pretty wife. I hear footsteps behind me and turn around to find Zander walking toward me. He’s about to say something when my cell phone rings.
