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Declan stands, with the ultimate dad glare, and orders the girls to follow him into the house while Belle wipes her face. Then, with a sigh, she turns to me.
“Don’t be in a rush for kids, Carys.” She peeks over at Nixon, who grips my finger with a contented look on his face while he sucks his bottle down with half-closed eyes. “They’re cute but brutal.”
I look down at the happy little baby in my arms, then at the unhappy toddlers crying in the house. “I think I’ll wait a few years before thinking about kids.”
Nixon finishes his bottle, and as I lift him to my shoulder to burp the little bugger, he lets out a noise that doesn’t come from his mouth. Gross.
Aiden laughs. “Yeah. First, try finding a guy worthy enough to pass the test with all three of your brothers. I mean, come on,” he looks over at Cooper, “one of us is a trained badass, and all of us could bench press anyone you try to bring home.”
Almost everyone laughs, but I don’t find his stupid comment funny. Instead, I stand. “Belles, I’m going to go change Nix’s diaper.” I glare at Aiden. “Did I ever ask Sabrina if she was good enough for you?”
When Aiden’s mouth drops open, I push harder. “Did I ever give you a hard time about any of the skanky girls you dated before the two of you met?” The table gets quiet, but I don’t care. “I’m an adult, big brother. I’ve successfully managed to live across the country for an entire year without needing you or anyone else to step in and handle my life. You can stop acting like you get a say in who I date or what I do whenever you want now.” I run my hand over Nixon’s back. “Or don’t. That’s up to you. But understand you get zero say in who I date and how I live my life. Whether you think you do or not.”
I move down to the end of the table and kiss Coach. “Dinner was great, Coach. Thank you.” Then I walk into the house, passing Declan, Evie, and Gracie as they come back outside.
I hear Dec ask, “What did I miss?”
“Murphy’s an asshole,” Nattie answers.
Coach groans, “Language, Nat.”
“What’s an asshole?” Gracie’s little voice asks.
I take Nixon into the spare room to change him before I can catch the answer.
I’m lying on the bed a few minutes later, curled up around Nixon. His dark hair and even darker blue eyes tell the world he’s every bit his daddy’s son. I’m playing with a soft blue elephant rattle, holding it above him and watching his tiny hands reach for it when there’s a knock on the door, and he and I both turn our heads.
“Come in.”
Belle floats into the room like the former prima ballerina she is and takes a seat on the bed. “There’s my boy.” She traces her finger down the bridge of his nose, then looks at me. “You okay, Carys?”
I look back down at Nix, embarrassed at my reaction. “I’m fine. I shouldn’t have gotten so mad. But Aiden just knows the exact buttons to push.”
“Murphy’s always been a loudmouth, but he means well. He’s just protective of you.”
My heart pangs with guilt over how I snappedand the secret I’m keeping, even though I meant every word I said and am doing what I have to do. “I know. At some point, he’s going to have to realize I’m not a kid anymore.” I tickle the rolls of fat on Nixon’s thighs right above his knees until he belly-laughs. “We’ve got a whole new generation of them.”
“We do,” Belle agrees. “But you were his little sister first. So give him some grace and try to remember that.”
I bring my gaze up to her, then sit up. “I really hate when you make sense sometimes.”
“I really hate that I usedMurphyandgracein the same sentence.” She leans her head on my shoulder. “But he means well. Don’t get me wrong. When the time comes, I absolutely think you should rub whatever man you want in his face. But maybe try not to bite his head off in the meantime.”
I pick Nixon up and cuddle him to my chest. “Fine. I’ll play nice.”
Belle takes the baby from me. “Now go have fun next door, and make sure Nattie doesn’t drink too much before the fireworks. She’ll never forgive herself if she’s drunk when Brady proposes.”
I grimace. “Does everyone know he’s proposing?”
“Everyone but Nat.”
Our family sucks at secrets.
I am so screwed.
Once dinner has been cleanedup, those of us without babies who needed to be put to bed sit around a table on the back porch of Brady and Chloe’s parent’s house, playing Cards Against Humanity while we wait for the fireworks to start. It’s a typical hot and humid Fourth of July—with just enough of a cool breeze floating in off the churning ocean to keep us comfortable and yet warn of an impending storm.
There’s a slow pace to the night. A level of relaxation we don’t typically see back in California, when you’re always a call away from getting spun up. Years of friendship envelop those of us sitting out here. These guys see each other all the time. Hell, until Bash proposed to Lenny last spring and officially moved out, most of them lived together.
