KEIRAN
NINE YEARS LATER
“Phee. What is this?” I held up my favorite ball with flower stickers all over the surface. I almost wept when I saw it. Keenan and Dash gave me shit the entire practice after I’d pulled out my ‘pretty ball.’ A few years ago I took over coaching the boys high school basketball team with the help of Keenan and Dash during Saturday morning practice.
“What do you mean, daddy?”
“What do you mean, what do I mean?”
“I mean,” she emphasized, “what do you mean?”
“Phee.” I pinched the bridge of my nose and prayed for patience. The little shit maintained a serious expression even though I was sure she was fucking with me. The universe cursed me the day he gave her my personality and her mother’s looks. Maybe it was payback for the shit I gave as a kid.
At only seven years old, she was a fucking nightmare.
“Daddy, I just wanted to make it better. Don’t you like it?”
“No.”
“Well, I like it,” she stated and walked past me, silently ending the conversation. I spun in time to see her and her evil pigtails leave her room.
Oh, hell no.
“Sophia!” I roared, following behind her. She must have run off because the hall was empty.
Somewhere near, I heard a sigh and the patient voice of my wife asking Phee what she’d done now. I followed the sound of their voices and found them in our bedroom. Lake was in bed where I left her this morning as she breastfed Nicky. He was only four weeks old and ate more than three grown men. I wasn’t complaining, though. Each time I watched her feed him, it only made me want to breed her again.
One more.
And then I promised her I’d quit.
I eyed Phee faking fear and attempting to hide against her mother’s side. Despite how crazy she made me, I wanted another princess. Maybe one gentle like her mother. This one was all me. I’d never say it out loud, and fuck whoever disapproved, but she was my favorite. I’d just never tell her so.
Or make any of my other kids feel inferior.
It wasn’t about that.
I’d die for any of them.
“Dad?”
My attention shifted to the door where my oldest looked as if he’d just woken up. It was almost fucking noon and he got to sleep in. I couldn’t even sleep past six anymore even on weekends.
“Trey! Daddy’s being mean again.” She left Lake and ran straight into Trey’s arms, knowing her older brother would put up the biggest fight. Lake and I had an agreement that we didn’t disagree in front of the kids ever. It never stopped her claws from coming out behind closed doors. They had her wrapped her finger.
Trey eyed me and I eyed him back. I could see his internal struggle because while I told him to protect her from all assholes, including me, it didn’t mean I would tolerate being challenged. He finally smirked but remained silent and tucked Phee behind him, and I nodded my approval.
“Trey, why don’t you take Sophia outside? She’s getting restless,” my wife dictated.
“Get your swimsuits on first!” I called out when he left. He didn’t shut the door behind him so I knew he heard me even though a response didn’t follow. He had inherited my personality as well, unfortunately.
“Why are they getting their swimsuits?”
“We’re having a barbecue. Q’s in town.”
“What’s the occasion?”
I shrugged and walked closer. Nicky had just finished his meal, which left her breast exposed. She lifted him to her other shoulder and began to burp him so as I stood over them, I ran my finger over her pink nipple.
“I want another.”
“We just had one,” she grumbled. I tried not to laugh but failed. It was funny how the tables have turned. I was the one against reproducing, but now I just couldn’t fucking stop. Lake found and brought out the good in me… and also, my apparent fetish for breeding her.
She glared up at me. “I’m serious, Keiran. I’m not a machine.”
I ignored her anger. We both knew as soon as I was able to enter her again, I’d be doing more than just fucking her, and she’d want it too.
“Would it be so bad?” I found myself asking anyway. I was selfish, but I didn’t want her unhappy. When she sighed and her shoulders slumped, I knew I had her. I was grateful when Nicky burped, distracting her so she couldn’t see my grin.
“Wipe that cheesy grin off your face,” she said without looking up as she wiped Nicky’s mouth. “You still can’t touch me for two more weeks.”
“Look at me,” I demanded. She didn’t hesitate to lift her head and meet my stare. I leaned down until my lips brushed hers. “Two weeks is nothing when you have forever.”
* * *
Dash arrived with his family for the barbecue first. Haven and Trey immediately disappeared into the shed we made into a boy cave, while Ashe, their seven-year-old daughter, and Phee already had their heads together. Dash’s parents had been invited by Lake but declined. Dash and his father eventually managed to find equal ground after Dash made good on his threat and put the company at jeopardy and ultimately gained complete control from his father. He and I both knew he would never end so many jobs just to get back at his father but Cale didn’t know that. I guess it went to show how much he really knew his son. They’ve been working on their relationship but he still hated me. Willow had opened up a modest boutique here in Six Forks. All of her designs were unique since they were handmade by her but she made a killing...despite her clothes still being weird as fuck. I would never get how kids dressed today.
Keenan arrived last with his hands full shortly after. He opened a new tattoo shop in Six Forks but never managed to do much of the work himself anymore since he was mostly a stay at home dad. After Sheldon finished medical school, completed her residency, and started her own practice she eventually agreed to give him more kids. She gave birth to twin boys a year ago. Tristan and Tobias hung from his arms as he walked into the backyard followed by Sheldon and Ken, who looked as if she’d rather be anywhere else. She was only fourteen and already moody. It made me wonder if we were this bad at her age.
“Hi, Uncle Keiran.”
She also stopped calling me Keke around the time she turned eight. I wouldn’t admit to anyone and if someone should ask, I’d deny it, but I kind of missed it. She grew up too fast.
“So your mom made you come?”
“Nope. Daddy said I needed to appreciate family more so here I am,” she threw her arms out with a blank look, “appreciating.”
I laughed and could mentally hear Lake scolding me. She would always tell me I shouldn’t encourage her by laughing, but every day, I liked the kid more and more.
“Maybe it won’t be so bad this time. What did you have to do anyway?”
“Well, since you asked… there’s this boy…”
“Geez.” I cut her off and backpedaled as quickly as possible. “I can’t hear this.” I walked away, leaving her standing there before she could say more. I found Keenan by the grill. Dash kept slapping his hand away when he tried to take a patty.
“The kids eat first.”
“But they always get to eat first.”
“Why don’t you put them down? How are they ever going to learn to walk?”
“They don’t need to walk. That’s why they got me. Plus, what if they think someone else is their daddy?”
“You can’t be serious?”
“Are you letting your daughter date now?” ?” I questioned. They stopped arguing to shoot me bewildered looks.
Keenan recovered quickly and said, “Of course not.” He was able to snatch a burger off the side table since Dash’s full attention had shifted to me. “She’ll never get to if I have anything to say about it,” he said around a mouth full of beef.
“You sure about that? She just tried to talk to me about a boy.”
He immediately started to choke and spit the rest of the meat he hadn’t swallowed to the ground.
“Come again?” He seemed to get a clue and unhooked the slings that held his boys, handing Tristan to me and Tobias to Dash. Without another word, he stomped off in Ken’s direction.
“You know she’ll be mad at you, right?”
I shrugged and smiled down at Tristan, who grinned right back.
“She shouldn’t be dating.”
“Geez, what is she thinking?”
I snorted. “She’s a fourteen-year-old girl. What do you think?”
“What’s going on?” Lake asked, walking up with Willow.
“Yeah, why is Keenan screaming at Ken about an all girl’s school?” Willow demanded.
They each narrowed their eyes at us. I swear it was as if they could smell guilt.
“Keiran snitched on Ken about dating boys,” Dash offered without hesitation.
“Thanks, man.”
He patted me on the back as an offer of apology, and Keenan chose that moment to come back over. “I can’t believe this,” he growled and snatched another burger.
“It was bound to happen sometime,” Lake argued.
“Yeah, when I was dead preferably. My daughter doesn’t have sex.”
“She was talking about a simple date,” Sheldon scoffed.
“Wait you knew about this?” Keenan, Dash, and I all yelled at once.
Just then Phee ran toward us at full speed, saving Sheldon from answering. “When is Uncle Q supposed to get here?” she whined. She looked over her shoulder with wide, hopeful eyes. “They’re still coming, right daddy?”
I smiled and looked across the yard at the glass door as it slid open. “They’re coming.”