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Keenan
“Stop running, Tommy! The grass is slippery.” Keenan sat up on the lounge chair ready to leap into action, only to watch the birthday boy ignore him. Tommy ran and brought his water pistol closer to Ronan, who’d fled to the far end of Keenan’s back yard.
“Geez, you sound like—Fuck. I don’t know anyone else who sounds this old,” Aiden said.
“The grass is soaked over there. If he slips and bangs his head against the steps to the back porch—”
“I’m sure Deirdre can patch him up.” Aiden smiled and took a gulp from his beer bottle.
“I don’t think that’s what Keen wanted to hear, Aide.” Their sister Deirdre shoved Aiden’s shoulder before she picked up her wineglass from the damp grass next to her lounge chair. She crossed her ankles and brought her glass to her lips.
“Kids fall all the time, just let Tommy be a kid,” Aiden said and looked over at a flailing and shrieking Tommy when Ronan picked him up and threw him into the kiddy pool.
Tommy came up for air and busted out laughing along with Ronan. Keenan exhaled and said, “You can make fun of me all you want, but he’s my boy and I’ll protect him with my life. Even from stupid bumps and bruises. Yeah, I’m that kind of dad. Never knew that side of me existed, but ever since I stood on my own with a three-year-old boy, it may have gotten worse.”
The following silence was deafening. It hadn’t been Keenan’s intention to kill the mood at his son’s birthday party. Deirdre took her ginger hair into her hands and started braiding. She glanced up from her handiwork and said, “It’s okay, Keen. You know I see a lot of stuff in the ER and I always hate it whenever they bring a kid in. I can only applaud you for being so loving.”
She paused for a moment and said, “We just don’t want it to take away from your ability to sit out in the sun and spend a carefree day with us.”
“Yeah. Take a load off. Like, I don’t know… with your nanny.”
Keenan attempted to kick Aiden’s leg, but he shifted out of the way in time and laughed. “I know there’s something going on. The tension between you and Ryleigh is ridiculous. I noticed what you did earlier when she and Tommy blew out the candles… You were eyeing down her sh—”
With a playful smack to the back of his brother’s head, Keenan shut him up. “Don’t talk like that in front of Dee.”
Deirdre swallowed a sip of her wine and said, “Oh, please. I’m twenty-four. I know how guys talk.”
When Aiden stopped laughing at Keenan’s irritated expression, he said, “I don’t even know why our brother is denying it, Dee. He even took a day off from work this week.”
This newsworthy turn of event got her attention. His sister smirked at Keenan. “Oh, is that so?”
“He probably played hooky with the nanny,” Aiden supplied helpfully.
If only his brother knew how badly Keenan wanted to play with his nanny. “It was on her first day so I could introduce her to Tommy and show her around. And you know her name, so use it, dickface.” Keenan spat.
Deirdre said in a stage whisper, “Can you two please shush? She’s right there...”
He’d felt her presence before he’d even seen her. Her joyous laughter followed his grandfather’s boisterous laugh as they walked out of the house into the backyard.
He must have known Pops would hoard her attention today. The old man didn’t hide his intentions in finding a love match for his boyos.
Standing on the other side of the yard, surrounded by his parents and his other two brothers and sister, Ryleigh seemed to fit right in with his family.
A soaking wet Tommy ran from the other end of the backyard to the three lounge chairs. The late August Texas air made a perfect temperature for horsing around with a bit of water. Not too much water, because of the water restrictions.
“Dee-Dee, help me get back at Uncle Ronan!”
Keenan warmed at how Tommy still called his sister ‘Dee-Dee’, even after he’d learned to pronounce the ‘r’. A few days after Evangeline had left, Deirdre had been the only one—outside of Keenan—Tommy had wanted to see.
Tommy had pushed his aunt Briana away and even his grandmother when they wanted to take him into their arms and comfort him.
Deirdre shared a rare connection with Tommy, and it shamed Keenan to admit, he envied them sometimes. Tommy sought Dee-Dee for guidance whenever he felt like Keenan wouldn’t understand him.
And it happened more often lately he’d talked with Deirdre instead of Keenan. Like something bothered Tommy and he couldn’t talk about it with his dad. Keenan scratched his beard as he watched Deirdre running on bare feet across the backyard to soak the big oaf that is Ronan.
Tommy flew past them inside the house, and Keenan tilted his head in question at Ronan.
“Bathroom break,” Ronan explained before he plunked down on the grass in his wet trunks.
