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“Knock it off, you two!” Liz yelled, coming down the front steps. “I swear, you act like you’re twelve years old.”
“She started it!” Alex yelled, coming to a stop and stumbling slightly.
“Put her down before you fall down,” Kate’s husband Shane ordered from the porch.
I felt Bram stiffen next to me as I glanced at the porch and noticed everyone in the house had made their way outside.
Alex and Katie were both finally laughing, and I felt a grin tug at the corners of my mouth just as I caught sight of my niece and nephews milling around on the porch.
“Your auntie is here!” I announced loudly, stepping away from Bram. “Come to me, minions!”
Keller let out a war whoop as he jumped down the stairs and ran for me, Gavin and Sage following closely behind him with shouts of their own. Damn, I loved those kids.
They hit me hard in a tangle of arms and legs, and I felt Bram behind me once again to steady me on my feet.
“I missed you guys!” I laughed as all the kids started talking at once, telling me about the airplane and school and a million different other things. “We’re missing a couple.” I glanced at the porch where Dan was holding Iris. “Where’s Gunner?”
“He fell asleep on Grandma’s couch,” Sage said with a roll of her eyes.
“Well, we better not wake him up,” I said seriously with a wicked smile on my face.
“Don’t you dare,” Kate warned, coming up behind me to throw an arm over my shoulders. “He’s been up since five this morning. If he doesn’t nap, I’m sending him home with you.”
We made our way into the group of family, and Henry pulled me into a hug as the kids raced off to God knew where.
“No dramatic hello for me, Anita Bonita?” he asked, wrapping his arms around my waist and lifting me into the air. “I’m hurt.”
“Aw. I missed you too, Hen,” I mocked, nodding my head. “I missed you most.”
“Damn right, you did.” Henry smacked my ass and let me down as I met Bram’s angry eyes over his shoulder.
“Hey, now. None of that,” Alex ordered, pulling me into his side. “We all know Ani missed me most.”
“Nuh uh!” Keller yelled as we went into the house. “She missed me the most!”
Gunner started crying from the couch.
“Son of a bitch,” Katie said under her breath, glancing at Shane before going to pick up their wailing son.
I laughed hard as chaos reigned around me.
* * *
“Stop staring at me,” I hissed at Bram hours later as we unloaded stacks of soda out of the back of Aunt Ellie’s SUV.
“I’m not staring at you,” he argued, stacking up four cases and lifting them into his arms.
“Uh, yeah. You are,” I argued quietly as I picked up another case.
“Why the hell is Henry all over you?” he asked, making my eyes grow wide.
“What? What the hell are you talking about?”
“He had his hands on your ass.”
“That’s probably the seventy-millionth time he’s slapped my ass since I met him,” I replied incredulously. “He slaps everyone’s ass!”
Bram glared at me and opened his mouth to reply, then snapped it shut again as Alex came around the side of the house.
“At each other’s throats again? Jesus,” Alex said jokingly. “Why don’t you just fuck already and get that shit out of your systems?”
My body completely froze, and beside me Bram dropped four cases of soda at our feet.
“Oh, no fucking way,” Alex breathed, looking back and forth between us. “You didn’t.”
I couldn’t make myself deny it. My tongue felt too thick in my mouth, and I knew my eyes were wide as saucers.
“You’re an idiot,” Bram finally replied, leaning down to grab the soda cans that were busted and fizzing and probably completely unsalvageable.
“You fucked Ani?” Alex asked incredulously.
“Hey!” I hissed, offended.
“No offense.”
“Your tone was pretty fucking offensive!”
“Oh, my tone was offensive?” Alex asked, his jaw tightening. “My tone was offensive but you letting Bram fuck you, even though he can’t stand you, isn’t?”
My jaw dropped as hurt seemed to seep into my skin.
Before I could reply, Bram’s fist was sailing out and clipping Alex on the jaw, causing him to stumble back a few steps.
“This was fun,” I said woodenly, gripping the case of soda still in my arms.
I turned on my heel and walked toward the house, my entire body singing with humiliation.
“Ani, you know I didn’t—” Alex’s words cut off, but I didn’t turn around to see why.
“Oh, good, you got the soda. We never buy any at home, and I’ve been craving it all day,” Kate called out as I made my way in the back door.
She was standing in the kitchen making sandwiches, and I could hear the rest of the family in the living room talking loudly over one another as they caught up.
