AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Worse things for everything to be,” he said. “Tell me all about it, little lady.”
Hattie and Henry went into it, recounting the events of the day. Adam took Hattie, getting her soaped up and clean, while I did the same to Henry. As we did our work, I couldn’t help but notice how damncuteAdam was with the kids. He splashed with them in the tub, listening attentively as they told their stories.
All of the men were as tough as they came, steely-eyed military guys down to the last. When it came to their kids, however, none of them were scared to show their soft sides. It was impossible to ignore how much love was in this house, how crazy all the guys were for their twins.
“I’ll get them ready for bed,” he said, the two of us standing over the twins as we dried them off after the bath. “Why don’t you go downstairs and get comfortable? Help yourself to whatever you want to drink, alright?”
I wanted more than anything to ask him what was going on, why he was being so weird. I kept it to myself, however, figuring my questions would be answered soon enough.
“Uncle Adam?” Hattie asked as she wrapped the towel around her. “Can you braid my hair?”
Adam chuckled. “Sure, sweet pea. But first thing’s first, if you want me to braid you, you’re going to need to get that hair good and dry. You know how we do it, right?”
“Right!” Hattie wasted no time snatching another towel from the rack.
“We put it on our head, and we go woosh-woosh-woosh!” as he made the noise, Adam moved his hands vigorously over his head. “You too, Hen – woosh-woosh-woosh!”
I handed Henry a towel and he did the same thing, the two of them standing in front of Adam as they all said “woosh-woosh-woosh” together, mussing and drying their hair. It was so damn adorable I couldn’t stop smiling.
“Very good!” Adam said as he stood up, the kids’ hair wild and messy. “Now we tidy ourselves up before bed.” He reached over to the bathroom counter and picked up a plastic, black comb and a brush, handing the comb to Henry and the brush to Hattie. “Get neatened up, alright? Then we’ll get into our jams, and I’ll braid you, Hats.”
The kids went to work, stepping up on their little stools in front of the mirror. Henry combed his hair carefully, making a neat part, while Hattie brushed slowly and made her hair nice and straight.
“Here’s the thing,” Adam said, stepping over to me and speaking quietly as the kids finished their hair. “Ijustlearned how to do a French braid off YouTube… I’m hardly an expert.”
I grinned, knowing what he was asking. “Want me to supervise?”
“If you wouldn’t mind.”
“Don’t mind at all. And I’ll get Henry ready for bed while you do it.”
“Perfect.”
When the kids were done in the bathroom, we headed down the hall and into their big bedroom. The space was so adorable—Henry’s side done up with cowboy décor, Hattie’s with an under-the-sea sort of vibe.
Henry turned to me with a smile on his face. “Can you help me put my jams on?”
“Sure can, kiddo.” I stepped over to the dresser, opening it and letting Henry pick out what he wanted to wear for the night. As he did, Adam sat down with Hattie and moved himself into position to do her hair.
“Alright,” he said. “You ready?”
“Ready!”
Henry was good about dressing himself for bed, so I barely had to do anything other than put away his wet towel. As I did, I watched as Adam braided Hattie’s hair, his big hands moving slowly and carefully as he worked, an expression of total concentration on his face. Hattie held her favorite stuffed animal, a big blue dolphin, as he braided. It was so damn precious.
I sat on Henry’s bed with him and read throughLittle Blue Truck, the story Henry picked out for the night.
“And… done!” When Adam finished, he pulled his hands away. “What do we think?”
I looked over Hattie, nodding my approval. The braid wasn’t perfect, but it was pretty damn good.
“Not bad at all,” I said. “But I think the client has the final say.”
Adam laughed, reaching over to the dresser and picking up a small hand mirror and giving it to Hattie. She regarded her reflection, turning her head from side to side to see the braid.
“It’s so pretty,” she said. “Thank you, Uncle Adam!” With that, she tossed the mirror aside and threw her arms around Adam. “I love you.”
“And I love you too, Hats.” He glanced over at me. “I’m just going to read these two another story before they hit the hay. Thanks for sticking around. There’s wine down in the kitchen if you want a glass.”
