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And now I was hard with my family in the room. Fun times.
I set my daughter down and gave her the important job of setting out the spoons. Meanwhile I grabbed dishes and forks and tried to think about anything other than Briar naked and pink in my shower.
It was a long and awkward five minutes.
But soon enough we were all sitting around the table with full plates. Briar sat on one side of Zoe’s highchair and my mom on the other with me and Nix across the table from them.
“So what do you have going on, Nix?” I asked as I twirled my fork in the spaghetti.
Nix scowled at his plate. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I thought you had meetings set up? You mentioned something about it when you called a few weeks back…” What was with his attitude?
“Oh. That. Right. I’ve got a few meetings with some agents. I haven’t decided what direction I want to go, though.”
“Sounds good.” But it didn’t, given the way he continued to scowl at his plate. I sent my mom a searching look, but she was too spellbound by my daughter to notice the tension on my side of the table.
“She looks just like Kingston did when he was this age. Only prettier.” Mom lifted a hand like she was going to run it over Zoe’s head, then checked the impulse, letting it fall back to the table. “It’s killing me that I’m not holding her. She’s just everything.”
Briar smiled at my mom over the top of Zoe’s head. “Maybe—if it’s okay with Kingston—you could help out with bath time later?”
Zoe slapped her plate, sending red sauce all over the table.
Briar just laughed. “She’s definitely going to need one tonight.”
I nodded at my mom’s pleading expression. “I’m sure Briar would love the help.”
Mom’s eyes glowed with happiness, and I felt especially light at the approving smile Briar sent me.
It made Nix’s grimace all the more baffling. He was being a grumpy, annoying tool today.
“Does Zoe like to take baths?” Mom asked with a smile. “Or do you have to fight to get her into the tub?”
“Oh, she loves them,” I answered before taking a bite of garlic bread. “You have to fight to get heroutof the tub.”
Mom’s smile turned reflective. “That might change. I had to fight tooth and nail to get you boys to bathe. But then again, I don’t know much about little girls. I only had boys.”
“Not Zoe. She loves the water. Bedtime on the other hand…” I groaned. “That can be torture—for all of us.”
Mom’s eyes sparkled as she grinned. “Now that, I know plenty about. Maybe in a day or two, I can help out with bedtime too.”
“Pretty soon you’re not going to need me at all.” Briar’s face turned pink, and she looked down at her plate. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to say that out loud.”
“Don’t sell yourself short.” Nix snorted as he reached for the basket of garlic bread. “I know my brother will have plenty for you todo.”
So much innuendo laced his tone that Briar flushed even darker.
My jaw clenched, and I had to count to five before I could even speak. “Apologize or leave. Now.”
Nix blinked. “What?”
“Get out. Now.”
“Are you serious?” Nix gestured to Briar with his garlic bread. “I was just joking around. I mean we all know—”
“Phoenix Arthur Grier,” Mom cut in, staring across the table with that disappointed-angry-mom expression we all knew and cringed to see. “No one cares what you think you know. This is Kingston’s house, and you just seriously disrespected him and this lovely young lady sitting at the table. Either apologize or leave.”
I was shellshocked. My mom had sided with me over Phoenix. Given the way I’d treated her for the past few years, I didn’t expect her to weigh in, let alone stand with me.
