Chapter Four
JOSH OPENED HAL’S front door, and the kids raced by and ran into the living room. “Slow down,” he called after them. I sound just like Dad used to. He smiled to himself, thinking that wasn’t such a bad thing.
“Good luck with that,” Rex said, pushing past with Josslyn in his arms. “They’re wired.”
Josh shook his head. “I don’t know how they can be after the hayride, sled riding, and lighting sparklers. I thought they’d all be worn out, like Abi.” Abigail was fast asleep in Riley’s arms.
“Excuse us, please,” Adriana said loudly as she and Layla squeezed by with Brianna and Lacy.
“We’re going to get milk and cookies for everyone,” Brianna called out on her way to the kitchen.
Rex glanced in the living room, where the boys were shucking their coats, hats, and gloves. “Hey, don’t leave your stuff on the floor.”
“We won’t!” the boys said in unison.
Rex arched a brow at Josh. “My ass they won’t. Would you mind keeping an eye on Little Hal while we go change Joss?”
“She’s sleeping,” Josh pointed out as Jade and the others filed into the house.
“Exactly.” Rex swatted Jade’s butt, earning a giggle, and they headed up the stairs.
Treat came in carrying Bryce, who was asleep on his chest, and looked at Rex and Jade hurrying up the stairs. “Where are they going?”
“It’s Rex,” Josh said. “Where do you think they’re going?”
Treat chuckled and moved aside to take off his and Bryce’s coats.
“That guy has more testosterone than any ten men I know,” Max said, earning an annoyed look from Treat. She quickly added, “Except you, honey. But you know that.” She went up on her toes beside Treat, and Josh heard her say, “I’ve got a double sleeping bag for us for later.”
“I did not need to hear that,” Josh said as he took off his coat. He hung it up and went to help Riley with Abigail. As he slipped Abigail’s arm out of her coat sleeve, he said, “Ri, do you think we should put her to bed upstairs?”
“And miss all the fun? No way.” Riley shrugged off her coat and hung it in the closet. “This is a Braden tradition, and it means the world to your father. I want our children to love it just as much as we do.”
Josh took Abigail from her and drew Riley into his arms as Max walked past with an armful of kids’ coats and said, “There has to be an easier way.”
“We could have a kids’ house, where we let them run wild and mess things up, and then we adults can stay here,” Josh suggested.
Max dropped the pile of coats by the coat closet and said, “I’m about this close to agreeing to that. But then the adult house would be too quiet, and we’d all end up in the kids’ house anyway.” She began hanging up coats, and when Riley moved to help her Max waved her away. “You two go back to what you were doing. I can handle the coats.”
“Best sister-in-law ever,” Josh said, and then he gathered Riley in his arms with Abigail and said, “And you’re the best wife ever.” He kissed her good and deep, earning a greedy moan.
“Hey, you can kiss, but I don’t need sound effects,” Max teased.
Riley laughed and then she gasped and said, “We almost forgot the pajamas!” She disappeared into the den and came out with the box of pajamas they’d made for all the kids and carried it into the living room. “Okay, kids, gather around! Me and Uncle Josh are introducing a new children’s clothing line for the boutique we’re opening at Ocean Edge, Treat’s resort on Cape Cod, and we made pajamas just for you!”
“Pajamas!” Dylan hollered, and ran over with the rest of the boys on his heels like the Pied Piper.
All the boys began reaching into the box, and Treat said, “How about we let Aunt Riley hand them out?”
Dylan harrumphed. “Okay.”
“Atta boy.” Treat sat on the couch with Bryce, overseeing things as Riley handed out the pajamas.
“A new children’s clothing line?” Jack asked. “That’s exciting.”
“Yes!” Riley exclaimed. “We’re excited to make kids’ clothes. It was Mia’s idea.” Mia was Josh’s assistant. “We’re just beginning to come up with designs, and we’re starting with casual and sleepwear. We’re also designing adult clothes for the boutique, of course, but we’re going for a more eclectic feel.”
“I’m excited to see what you come up with,” Max said as she sat beside Treat.
Hugh and Dane brought in a load of sleeping bags and blankets, dumped them on the floor, took one look at the kids hopping up and down and chattering and headed toward the kitchen.
“Christian and Dylan, these are for you.” Riley held up red-and-black striped bottoms and red tops with RING LEADER written across the front.
“Oh my gosh. Those are adorable!” Max exclaimed.
“Cool!” Christian hollered as he and Dylan snatched their pajamas.
“What do you say?” Max urged.
“Thank you!” they said in unison.
Riley handed pajamas to Layla and Adriana and said, “Red-and-white striped bottoms with red tops for our big girls.”
“Thank you!” Adriana hugged Riley. She turned to Treat and Max, holding up her top, and said, “It has my name on it!”
Layla looked at hers and said, “Mine does, too!” She showed everyone her top with her name written in script across the chest. “I love them! Thank you!” She hugged Josh, and then she hugged Riley.
The joy in the kids’ eyes made all of the long hours Josh and Riley had put into designing the pajamas in time for Christmas worth it.
“They’re really gorgeous,” Max said.
“Thank you.” Riley beamed at Josh and said, “We’re having a lot of fun with the designs.”
Josh had never even considered designing clothing for children, but when Mia had brought up the idea, both he and Riley were instantly on board and wondered why they hadn’t thought of it themselves. There was a lot more flexibility in designs for children than there was for adults, and if all went well the first year, they might even expand to children’s formal wear.
“Come on!” Adriana took Layla’s hand and said, “Let’s go change in the bathroom!”
“And we’ve got green-and-red striped bottoms with green tops for the Three Musketeers—Finn, Adam, and Little Hal.” She handed them each a pair of pajamas, and all of the boys began stripping off their clothes.
“Mini Chippendales in the living room. Nice,” Josh said with a smile.
“And we’ve got adorable sleepers for Abi, Joss, and Bryce. Each one has a different design.” She handed Bryce’s pajamas to Max. “Where’s Joss?”
“Rex and Jade took her upstairs to change her diaper and never came back down,” Josh said as he reached for Riley’s hand, helping her to her feet. “I think they’re doing what I’d like to do.”
“Ew,” Savannah said as she pushed past Josh to help Adam with his pajamas. “I want to hear all about your new clothing line, not about what you want to do to your wife.”
“Okay! I’m ready!” Little Hal shouted.
Josh glanced over and laughed. “Why are you naked?”
Little Hal looked down at his privates and shrugged.
“Because he’s Rex’s son,” Hal said as he came into the room with two sleeping bags. He set them down and said, “When Rex was his age, he stripped off every stitch of clothing every chance he got. Now, come on, son, let’s cover up that pickle around all these women.”
“Where’s Grandpa’s pj’s?” Little Hal asked as Grandpa knelt to help him put on his pajamas.
“Good question,” Riley said as she and Josh changed Abigail into her pajamas. “We only made pj’s for the kids. But I bet Grandpa has special pajamas he’ll change into, too.”
“Maybe Grandpa wants to be naked!” Christian said as he pulled his pajama shirt over his head.
“No!” Treat and Josh said at once.
Josh looked around and said, “Why are the rest of our brothers missing?”
“I saw Hugh and Dane go into the kitchen, probably helping with the snacks,” Riley said as she picked up Abigail.
“I’ll go see if I can help.” He kissed Riley and then he went into the kitchen, where he found Lacy straddling Dane’s lap on a chair by the window as they ate at each other’s faces like libidinous beasts. Josh cleared his throat.
“Dude?” Dane glowered. “Do you mind?”
“Jesus, Dane. What if your kid came in here?” Josh grabbed a cookie.
Lacy giggled and said, “He’s caught us kissing before. Hasn’t Abi ever toddled in and caught you and Riley in a compromising position?”
Josh grinned. “Okay, moving on…Have you seen Hugh?”
Dane pointed to the pantry and smirked. “Bree went in with him.”
“All right, you know what? The hell with this. My wife and I need some make-out time, too. How about y’all watch our baby for a while?”
Lacy gave Dane a quick kiss and slithered off his lap, “I will!” She hurried past Josh, patting him on the shoulder on the way out.
“You suck,” Dane said to Josh.
“Finn’s three and he’s got the other boys to keep him busy. Abi needs us twenty-four-seven, so yeah, I’m gonna suck for twenty minutes in your eyes, but in my wife’s eyes?” Josh snickered. “I’ll be a sex god.”
Riley came into the kitchen as he said sex god and as she pressed her body to his, she said, “Baby, you surpassed sex-god status when we christened our dining room table. Come on, Lacy said we have half an hour.”
As they left the room, Dane called after them, “I’m never eating at your house again!”
DANE HEADED INTO the living room to check on his boy and see if he could convince his gorgeous wife to sneak away with him again. Damn cock-blocking Josh. But the truth was, Dane couldn’t blame him. At three, Finn could entertain himself for a little while, but he remembered all too clearly what it had been like when Finn was younger. He chuckled to himself, recalling the hurry-up sex they’d had in the kitchen while Finn was watching television and on the deck of the boat while he was sleeping down below. Kids were the best and worst form of birth control, because they made it so hard to find time to have sex, and when they did, birth control was the last thing on Dane’s mind. Unfortunately, he and Lacy had not been blessed with another child, which was another reason they were settling down on dry land. Though they’d decided not to mention it to their family until they’d been approved, they hoped to adopt after they were in their new home.
The living room was controlled chaos. Everyone was busy setting up sleeping bags, arranging pillows, and spreading out blankets for their slumber party. And there in the center of it all was Lacy reading to Finn. Finn sat on her lap, clinging to his blue stuffed shark, Chomper. Lacy had a way of tuning everything out except their son, and that was only one of the things he loved about her. She’d always been the calm to Dane’s storm, the anchor that kept him grounded.
She looked up, catching him staring. She smiled, and it reached all the way up to her pretty blue eyes. He felt her love right in the center of his chest, burrowing into his heart. He never thought he could love anyone as much as he loved her and Finn, but every day that love grew to new proportions.
His father sidled up to him and draped a heavy arm around his shoulder. “You have a beautiful family, son.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Your mother is smiling down on us, pleased as punch that y’all are still carrying on her slumber party tradition.”
“I know, Dad.” Dane knew his father believed he had full-on conversations with their late mother, and for a long time Dane had pitied him. But then Dane had met Lacy, and it was Lacy’s voice he heard whispering in his ear when he was deep-sea diving, tagging sharks, and doing underwater research. Those whispers made a believer out of him, because he knew without a shadow of a doubt that their love was strong enough to transcend anything—and from what he’d seen and heard, his parents’ love was just as real.
“Look at your boy with Lacy, calm as ever in the middle of all this noise,” Hal said. “You and your mama were the same way.”
“Yeah?” He liked knowing that.
“Yes, sir. Like two peas in a pod, you two were. A little bird told me there’s another reason you’re moving back. Anything you want to share with me?”
Dane looked curiously at him. “How is it that you always know when I’m keeping something from everyone?”
Hal grinned and said, “What I don’t know from fatherly intuition, a certain bird whispers in my ear.”
“Mom, right. Well, Pop, we’re thinking of adopting once we’re settled. Luke gave us the name of the agency he and Daisy used, and we’re starting the process after the New Year.” Luke and his wife, Daisy, had recently adopted a sweet one-year-old girl from Guyana named Kendal.
“That’s absolutely wonderful, but why wouldn’t you want to share that with the others?”
“Because I don’t need to be given shit about my slow swimmers,” he said honestly.
“I think you underestimate your siblings,” Hal said seriously. “They’re full of gumption, but they’re not animals.”
Dane scoffed. “I’ve done enough bragging about my anatomical gift. I’m due whatever shit they give me, but I don’t want to hear it over Christmas.”
Hal chuckled. “I won’t argue with that. But I love knowing you and your little lady are going to give a heck of a good life to a child who needs it. I’m proud of you, son. Now, do me a favor and go drag your brother and Jade out of their love nest so we can get this movie night started.”