My dad takes notice of the frozen pizzas on the counter. “Pizza? I could’ve had them prepare you something at the bar.”
“I should’ve stopped there on the way into town,” I say.
“Great game tonight. Still so impressive. Can you believe this guy?” He puts his hand on my neck and squeezes. “Skating laps around me at only ten. I might not have been a pro, but I did play in high school.”
“Dad was a goalie,” I tell her.
“I knew when he was twelve and I couldn’t block his shots anymore that this kid had something.” He squeezes my neck again and my shoulders scrunch up.
No one could ever say my parents aren’t proud of me. They’ve always been my biggest cheerleaders.
“Saige was a figure skater,” I say.
My dad’s hand leaves my neck, and he stares at her, looking impressed. “I have no idea how you people jump like that and expect to land on the ice.”
Saige laughs. “They start you young when you have no fear.”
“So what else? Where are you from?” My dad leans back against the counter.
“Don’t you want to shower?” I ask my dad.
“Do you mind the smell of stale beer and cigarettes, Saige?”
“Like she’d say no,” I say.
Saige smiles brightly. “I’m fine.”
“Thank you.” Dad sits at the table and pulls out the paper. He’s the only guy I know who reads the paper after midnight. “Your sister and everyone is coming over for brunch tomorrow.”
I look at Saige. “We don’t do breakfast because Mom and Dad sleep in.”
“It’s not sleeping in. It’s our sleep schedule. If we were like everyone else our age, we’d be asleep for five hours by now and up with the roosters.”
I smile. A year ago, I asked my parents if I could retire them or at least get help at the bar so they’d be able to live more normal lives. But they both declined, adamant that my money is my money. No matter how much I fought to tell them I’d never be where I was without them, they fought back that helping me is their job as parents. I’m not over the idea of retiring them though.
“Fair enough.” The oven beeps and I place the frozen pizzas inside.
“Phil, get your lazy ass up and take a shower,” my mom says upon her return. “Saige doesn’t want to smell liquor and cigarettes the entire night, do you, sweetie?”
“She said it was fine,” Dad argues back.
“What’s she gonna say? She wants to please you.”
“Please me?” Dad asks, already rising from the chair and putting down his reading glasses. “No worries there. Any woman willing to be with my son gets points in my book. He’s hard to handle, am I right?”
Saige laughs and shakes her head. “He’s great.”
I catch my mom admiring the way Saige and I look at one another, so I go over and tuck my mother under my arm, kissing the top of her head.
“Go shower, Phil!” my mom yells.
“I was just admiring the scene. A little sappy, but it’s cute.” My dad winks at Saige and disappears upstairs.
I’ll take sappy but cute. Beats lonely and alone any day.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Saige
The banging of a piano wakes me, and I grab my phone from the nightstand, seeing it’s already nine in the morning.
I hit Aiden next to me. “It’s nine!”
He lays his arm over my waist and pulls me closer to him. “And?”
“And someone is playing the piano. Not very well.”
His eyes open, and he crawls out of bed. I’ve never seen him get out of bed this fast before. Pulling on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt, he nods for me to get up. “Ready to meet the bulldozer crew?”
“The who?” I ask, climbing out and putting on a pair of yoga pants and his Florida Fury sweatshirt. I fix my ponytail. “I feel like I need to get ready.”
“Brunches in this family are casual at best. Showers are forbidden.” He grabs my hand and leads me down the stairs.
The piano only gets louder with each flight of stairs we descend.
“Hudson, Grandma and Grandpa are sleeping,” I hear a woman say, then the piano stops.
“Oh, sis, let the kid play.” Aiden picks up a dark-haired kid and swings him over his shoulder.
“Uncle Aiden!” the boy screams.
Aiden turns around so I can see the kid’s face. “Bulldozer one.” He puts the boy down. “Say hello to Saige.”
“Hi, Saige,” the boy, who can’t be more than five, says and runs away.
“Got in late last night?” a woman who has the same dark eyes as Aiden asks and hugs him. “Welcome home, little brother.”
“Kendra, this is Saige. Saige, my sister, Kendra.”
Kendra steps back from Aiden and smiles, putting out her hand. “Pleasure to meet you.”
I can definitely see the age difference between the two of them. She’s much older than he is, but she’s a good-looking woman and reminds me a lot of his mom.
A scream rings out and Kendra shakes her head, walking away.
“Seriously? Both of you, separate corners.” She comes back in with two boys who look just like the boy I just met. Maybe one of them is the boy I just met?
“Bulldozer two and bulldozer three.” Aiden points at each of them.
“Triplets?” I ask.
“Identical,” Aiden says. “I bet you’re scared right now.”
A little, because do multiples run in their family? We’re far from that point in our relationship, but I can’t help that my mind went there.
“Stop it. In vitro. I’m the lucky gal who went in for one and got two more free!” Kendra picks up one of them. “Good thing there’s a no return policy.” She kisses his stomach.
I slide next to Aiden. “How do you tell them apart?”
“Boys, come here,” Aiden yells, and they all do as he says. He points at the first boy. “Hayden?”
“Uncle Aiden.” The boy rolls his eyes.
Aiden laughs. Maybe one day I’ll get this joke.
“No, it’s Hudson, right?” Aiden says.
“Noooo,” the boy says.
“Well shit, I guess you’re Hunter then.”
“Uncle Aiden swore!” the other one yells.
“Tattletale.” Aiden scowls.
“Right?” The other boy nods like, ‘Can you believe it? He’s the enemy.’
“Anyway, let’s show Saige how we tell you apart,” Aiden says.
“I’m Hayden.” The boy models as though he wants me to look at his face, his hair, what’s different about him than his brothers.
I see nothing.
“I’m Hunter.” The next kid does the same moves as his brother.
For the life of me, I don’t see it.
“And I’m Hudson.” The third kid doesn’t move and stares at me, looking bored.
I get down on my knees and I don’t see one difference. All their eye colors are the same. Same haircut. Same everything.
“Okay, give her some help,” Aiden says from behind me.