21: Girls Are Such Trouble
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – APT. (Song 1)
Luci
That’s so True–Graci Abrams (Song 2)
“Let’s go let Sydney in and then we’ll eat. Dance party after that, I promise.” I tell the boys as they sit at the
island.
“But she’s really early.” Barrett’s face is filled with disappointment.
“And she will hang out while you two finish your playdate. I promise. She likes me too, you know.” I say teasingly, heading for the front door.
She grins as I raise an eyebrow at her. So many people seem to skip class and come visit me here. “Lab canceled. Thought I’d come supervise your babysitting skills.”
She follows me into the kitchen and Baker glances up with a smile. “Miss Sydney, I presume. I’m Baker. Would you like to eat with us?”
She smiles at him before moving to shake his hand. He gives her an appreciative look. “I’m only Sydney and I would love to eat whatever smells so delicious, Mr. Baker.”
“Then I am only Baker. I assume your brother taught you to shake hands.”
“Yes he did. It’s his mantra.” She sits down after hugging Barrett. “I didn’t come to make you leave early before
you worry.”
He grins. “Luci said that.”
She raises one eyebrow at him. “Luci is wise like that. Why I listen to her when I don’t know what to do.”
I scoff softly and she smiles at me. “I do, Luci Lou….mostly. You just never think that way when I ask. Baker, this looks incredible.”
“Yes Baker. Thank you. Eat with us?” I give him a smile. He will eat with Cole and I most nights. He talks to Cole about Easton and his brothers when they were Cole’s age. It makes Cole happy.
“I am happy to feed anyone. And yes, I will join you.” He sits across from us and tells the boys a story about a stray chicken that had wandered into their yard when the four kings were eight. Apparently, Becker caught it and snuck it into the house. It took up roost in one of the kitchen cabinets and caused a lot of problems. We are all laughing hard as we finish.
“Bring your plates to the sink boys.” I call out and Baker shakes his head.
“I will do that so they can go play.”
“No Baker. They need to learn about doing for themselves and helping. There is often no one to clean up after you.” I answer seriously.
He smiles softly. “You are very wise as Sydney said. But I do like the little ones to enjoy themselves, especially as Cole looks forward to having you and Barrett here with him. I heard them mention a dance party. You can hook your phone into the playroom speakers with the blue cord next to the tv on the wall.” “Thank you, Baker. That’s what we’ll do.”
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21: Girls Are Such Trouble
I turn and face the two little boys. “Baths first and then dance party in your pajamas.”
Easton
It’s been three days since that damn carnival and I cannot stop thinking about that little rabbit. I had to annihilate a punching bag the night of the carnival to stop thinking about how well she fit into the day with Cole and I. How I’d done nothing but imagine kissing the hell out of her after seeing that guy approach her at the carnival. He’d walked up and offered to buy her a funnel cake. Asked if she wanted to ride the Ferris wheel with him, which was going to be a big fat f*****g no if I had to intervene. Only one reason a guy asks a pretty girl to ride that, and it’s to get stuck at the top uninterrupted for a few minutes. She’d smiled so sweetly at him and refused, pointing Cole out saying she was here with him. I wanted to wave my hand and say she was there with me too. It scared the f**k out of me since I’d just finished telling myself I wouldn’t look at her that way ever. She thanked me so nicely that night as I hurried to get the hell away from her. I was going to do something stupid if I didn’t. And I tried to be cold to her so she’ll insult me and avoid me.
So fine, I don’t look at her that way, but I sure as hell dreamt about her and imagined her that way. Lots of ways that would shock the hell out of her I’m sure. She seems so innocent and I honestly hope she is. I’m certain some asshole has probably tried to take advantage of her and I really pray he didn’t succeed. When I saw Porter messing with her, I was ready to kill him. Becker was there but as soon as the idea that he wants her for himself hit my ears, I went f*****g caveman and ran up there to tell him she was off limits. Which will make it back to Humphries at some point, but he can go f**k himself as far as I’m concerned where she is involved.
We’ve been home for about twenty minutes and are almost done eating. She has Cole and Barrett in the playroom and I’m pretty sure Sydney is here too. There’s a strange car out front. Suddenly, music starts playing on the overhead house system. I recognize the song. Cole came home singing it from school, which made me shake my head. It was called APT. by Rose and Bruno Mars and didn’t seem like something a four–year–old should be singing, no matter how catchy.
“Do they know it plays in the whole house from there?” Jackson says with a smirk.
“Good thing the parents are out.” Becker is chuckling.
Baker is bobbing his head, which makes even me laugh. “It’s catchy and happy.” He comments before going back to making muffins.
“This I gotta see.” I say and head that way with them following me. We can watch from the door without them seeing us.
“How do you two know the words to this?!” Luci asks as the boys both dance. Syd stands next to her with the same bewildered expression.
“They play it at school when we have free music and dance.” Barrett explains and Cole nods too.
“Is this appropriate…” Luci begins, turning toward Syd.
“Not sure, but they already know it. It’s catchy.” She grabs Barrett’s hand to dance with him. “I mean you heard far worse at their age, but you weren’t exactly well supervised.”
“Let’s hope their fathers don’t kill us.” Luci grumbles before she dances her way across to Cole. I watch them goof off and dance with the boys. Luci wears an oversize light purple sweatshirt and black leggings. She’s kicked her shoes off and only wears her socks. I try to ignore her ass as she raises her hands up to dance
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21: Girls Are Such Trouble
+8 Points
and that shirt moves up to show it off along with a slice of her lower back. Adorable doesn’t describe many women, but she can carry it. The song ends and Barrett asks for the marauder’s song “That’s so True,” Now Syd points to him. “You definitely shouldn’t be listening to that one.”
“It’s got a fun beat.” Barrett protests.
Luci fires it up with a warning. “Just don’t repeat the words. Your daddy is going to beat me if you do.”
I can’t look away as Luci doesn’t hold back, grabbing Cole’s hands to twirl him around. He laughs.
Becker mutters in my ear. “Think they go to the club and dance like that?” I narrow my eyes, irritated with that
idea.
The next song starts and I vaguely recognize it. It’s a slow one.
“Ugh sappy song Luci.” Barrett wrinkles his nose.
“Hey, it’s a pretty song. And you can slow dance to it one day.” Luci imitates it with an invisible partner and he shakes his head.
“Come here grumpy. You and Cole. I’m going to teach you something useful for later in your life. MUCH later, like when you’re both twenty–five. Not a minute before.”
“Thirty.” Sydney throws out quickly. Luci lines them up as dance partners and then she and Syd copy them. “Now watch us. You lead, Luci.”
“No! I don’t lead. I don’t know how. You do it.” Luci protests, chuckling.
Syd playfully groans and they begin doing the formal back and forth dancing in a square. “Try it.” Syd tells them and they do. Cole starts giggling.
“How do you two know how to do that?” Barrett asks as the girls begin waltzing in elaborate circles around
them.
“Your daddy taught us.” Luci points to him.
“He did not.”
Sydney nods laughing. “He did. He had to learn.”
“Why?” Barrett is stunned and I find myself chuckling silently at him. My brothers are too.
“Armed Forces Ball. He made us learn too. Said it would socially elevate us.” Syd says grimacing.
“How wrong he was. The only way I’m elevated is if I climb the stepstool.” Luci jokes and Syd bumps her with her shoulder.
Luci lifts Cole up and grabs his hand to dance him around. He leans his head on her chest and she lays hers on top of his, closing her eyes. The look on her face punches me in the gut hard. Something shifts painfully in me and I shove it aside, unable to handle those kind of feelings.
Jackson
The change on Easton’s face as Luci holds Cole is palpable. Kingston lightly kicks me as he stares at our big brother. Like his heart cracked the ice shell around it. I decide to force him to acknowledge it. “Does something to you, doesn’t it?”
He closes down quickly, but we’ve already seen it. I know my twin too well. “What do you mean?”
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21: Girls Are Such Trouble
“Seeing her love him the way you do. That fierce tenderness written all over her face.”
His eyes flit back to her, the emotion he tries to hold back forcing him to swallow hard.
Cole hears me though and he turns yelling our names. Luci sets him down, slight embarrassment flashing
across her face.
Easton catches him and carries him back into the room.
+8 Points
“Hey Barrett.” I say softly, watching Sydney’s bright blue eyes swing to me. I stare back into them for a second before reaching down to give him a high five.
He whispers yells “they are telling us how to dance with GIRLS.”
We all chuckle at that. “It might come in handy. But not until you’re much older.”
“Thirty.” Sydney emphasizes again. “His father is going to kill us.”
“I agree with thirty.” Easton says dryly.
“Do you dance with girls?” He’s trying to hold his disgust back. “Girls are trouble.”
Luci puts a hand on her hip. “Hey watch it.” She points to herself and then Sydney. “Girl here, girl there. And we are fairly non–troublesome. I think.” She grins at him.
“I forgot you’re a girl….” He mumbles looking down.
“We know, we’re just Aunt Syd and Luci.” She rolls her eyes at him smiling. “But that is how you dance with a lady.” She leans over emphasizing lady.
“Here we’ll show you.” I find myself offering. Easton looks at me like I’ve sprouted wings. I narrow my eyes at
him.
Go with it. I mouth and he sighs.
“May I?” I pretend bow with one hand held out in front of Sydney and a small smile forms on her mouth.
“Yes sir you may.” She takes my hand and I put my hand on the side of her waist before she takes the other. I watch Luci push a button on her phone and a song by Hunter Hayes starts playing. I begin to move and watch as Easton slowly holds his hand out to Luci. Like she’s a pit viper going to bite him.
Cole claps giggling. “Daddy, you can dance like this?”
“I can. If Luci will let me, I’ll show you.” Reluctantly those words leave his mouth. She steps toward him and he hesitantly touches her.
Sydney mutters a “hmmm” under her breath and I say nothing. He dances her around slowly. Becker swoops in and grabs Cole to begin skate waltzing him in exaggerated circles around us. They both laugh with delight. The boys beg for the APT. song again and Luci turns it on, shaking her head. She’s hilarious as she loses herself to the music, pretending to sing it into an imaginary microphone. Cole begs to be picked up and she does letting him pretend to sing with her. Even Easton smiles as he watches them. Sydney joins in with them, much to Cole’s delight. She has no inhibitions either and I watch her closely. Kingston shows Barrett how to moonwalk and then of course Cole has to join in that trying his hardest to imitate his big uncle.
Luci and Sydney surprise us all when they take off all the way across the floor doing it like experts. Becker whistles playfully before joining them in a few passes across the floor.
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21: Girls Are Such Trouble
Barrett stands with his mouth open.
+8 Points
Luci reaches out and closes it with one finger. “You had no idea your aunt and I have so many hidden talents
now, did you?”
“Not that they get us anywhere.” Sydney says dryly. You got our attention is what I’d like to say. Regret runs over me when they have to leave thirty minutes later. The whole house comes alive with them here.
Hard not to notice over the next week how Easton makes sure Luci stays until long after we get home. And I’m pretty sure he listens to her putting Cole to bed either through their connecting door or on the monitor in the game room. He seems to grab it and keep it tucked into his waistband every night we go there. Becker tried to snag it last night as he winked at Kingston and I. Easton easily beat him to it. Waits to hit the punching bag until she leaves too. He’s definitely having trouble all from one girl. At least that’s what the three of us are hoping.
Cole needs a real mom. Not the dream or illusion of one. And our Icebreaker needs to thaw out off the ice. Like Kingston said something will eventually convince him to cross the impasse between him and Luci. She’s sweet enough to heal him.
Ivory Row
Like I said, dragged unwillingly off a cliff as he fights it. What do you think finally forces him to go for her? Becker is the resident Reed s**t stirrer I think.
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