Josie collapses back against the red cushion. “Thank you. You’re the real MVP, Callie.”
“Mom,” Brandon drags out in a whine. “I told you, nobody says that anymore.”
I smirk as I pad into the house.
Lucas and Serenity’s cries get louder as I jog up the winding stairs. Once they hear the crack of their bedroom door opening, they fall silent, peering through the slats in their cribs.
“I thought Mommy was going to get you guys outta these baby cribs.”
“Lucas not a baby!” Lucas shouts.
I smile as I reach into his crib and hoist him out. “No, you are a big boy, aren’t you?”
“Lucas big boy!” His chunky, bare legs wrap around my hip as I bounce him.
Serenity watches me from her crib, big brown eyes taking it all in. She and Lucas are like night and day. Lucas is a ball of energy. Loud, headstrong, demanding all of your attention. He gets that from his mother. But Serenity hangs back. Timid. The observer.
Lifting Lucas above my shoulders, I press my nose to his diaper-clad bottom.
He giggles. “Poopy.”
“Yep.” My nose scrunches. “Definitely poopy.”
I lay him on the changing table and breathe through my mouth while I clean him up.
“Did you sleep good, Lucas?”
“No sleep! No tired!”
I laugh, snapping his onesie back together and plunking him down in front of his oak toy chest.
His sister raises her arms, reaching out for me, knowing her time has come.
“And how about you, sweet Serenity?” I wrap my arms around her, inhaling her perfect toddler scent. “Did you sleep good?”
She nods, sticking her thumb into her mouth.
When I lay her on the pad, I wiggle my fingertips on her belly, and she squirms, grinning around her thumb.
I don’t mind changing diapers. I know it’d feel different if I had my own kids. Kids are exhausting, and it’s common to take mundane tasks for granted when you have to do them every day. When they come easy.
But after what I’ve been through? I’d savor every smelly poopy diaper.
I always thought I’d have a family of my own by now. Always pictured a different life for myself and Paul. But the things we dream about aren’t always in the cards for us. They become nightmares, haunting us, reminding us of what we’ll never have, no matter how hard we try.
“All clean.” I scoop Serenity back into my arms and hug her close, just for a minute longer.
Her tiny fingers curl around a lock of my hair as she rests her head against my shoulder. “Pretty hair.”
I twirl one of her dark ringlets. “You have pretty hair too.”
Lucas stands, banging his palm against the door. “Hungry! Go eat!”
“Okay, tiny tyrant. Let’s go eat.”
I balance Serenity on one hip while I clutch Lucas against the other. Lucas starts bellowing, “Go eat! Go eat!” and by the time we get down to the pool, all three of us are chanting.
“There are my babies!” Josie spreads her arms wide, and Lucas lunges out of my arms, dive-bombing for his mother.
Serenity waves but stays content in my arms. Her gaze is pulled in the direction of the splashes coming from the pool several feet away, and she points when she spots her older brothers.
“You can swim after you eat lunch.” I sit with her in my lap. “You hungry?”
She nods, popping her thumb out of her mouth.
“So,” Josie starts, handing Lucas a carrot to munch on. “Want to tell me about what happened with my brother yesterday?”
I groan, squeezing my eyes shut. “I’m so embarrassed.”
“Don’t be. Cole is the one who should be embarrassed.”
I shift Serenity on my lap as I break apart pieces of turkey for her. “What did he say, exactly?”
“He said you thought he was the landscaper, and that set him off.” She shrugs. “He’s a man of few words. Figured you’d give me more.”
“I thought you’d found a new landscaper when I saw the beat-up truck out front and caught him walking into your backyard. I came back here to see if he had a business card. Then, I saw him drinking.” I shake my head. “I shouldn’t have approached him like that. I feel so stupid.”
Josie scoffs. “You did nothing wrong. I saw the way he looked when I got home. I would’ve assumed the same as you.”
I lift a shoulder and let it fall. “I feel bad. He seemed so ... angry.”
“He’s going through a lot right now.” Her eyes roam over Lucas’ face, the corners of her mouth tugging down. “He’s really not an asshole. You just caught him at a bad time.”
A heaviness settles in my chest when I recall his rigid body, muscles wound up tight, his eyes mirroring a raging storm.
What happened to him?
“You never talk about him,” I say. “We’ve been friends for five years, and I don’t think you’ve said his name once.”
“We had a fight after my dad passed. Cole said some awful things to me after the funeral. He resents me for not being there often enough when our parents got sick.”
“You were on bedrest with Miles, and Brandon was only one. It wasn’t like you chose not to be there.”
She nods, though it’s clear she doesn’t agree.
“Why is he here now, after all this time?” I ask.
“His ex-wife and her filthy-rich parents took everything in their divorce. He needs a place to stay, so he’ll be living in our pool house for a while.”
I cringe. “And I basically told him he looked homeless. Great. Way to go, Callie.”
“Way go, Callie!” Lucas shouts.
Josie chuckles. “It’s fine. Forget about it. I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you and Paul come over for dinner tonight? You can get to know Cole, and then you won’t feel so awkward about things. It’ll clear the air.”
I chew my bottom lip. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Why not? You guys haven’t been over in a while. I’m starting to think you’ve found another couple to double-date with.”
I laugh. “We haven’t. I just ... Paul’s on a cleanse, so no alcohol for him until the Fourth.”
She lifts an eyebrow. “We have water and iced tea, you know.”
“Yeah, but I don’t want to make you go out of your way, cooking something healthy especially for him. We’ll be here next week for your Fourth of July party.”
“Pool! Lucas swim now!”
Josie sets Lucas down on the grass and shimmies a pool diaper up his legs. “You have to stop referring to yourself in the third person, Lucas. It’s only cute for so long, and you’re pushing the limit.”
She tosses me a bottle of sunscreen. “You do Serenity, and I’ll wrangle this bull.”
“Lucas no screen! Lucas no screen!” He attempts to make a run for it, but Josie lifts him up onto the chair.
“Lucas needs screen, so hold still.”
“No hold still!”
“You’re like a parrot who talks back, you know that?”
I stifle a laugh and squirt sunscreen into my palm. Serenity sits still for me, calm, watching her brother as he throws a fit.