“Uncle Roland!” Lucas, Marissa, and Robert called as they came out of the kitchen.
He balanced the dessert in one hand and held out his other arm for them to come and give him a hug.
As the children got older, they probably would outgrow the whole idea of running to him and wrapping their arms around him, but until they did, he was going to enjoy it.
“We’re so glad you’re here!” Robert said.
“Are you going to play with us after we eat?” Marissa asked.
“We’ll see. It’s pretty chilly out, and your mom might not want you to be out too late either, depending on what you have to do this weekend.”
“I have clients in the morning, so the kids can sleep in if they want to,” Summer said.
He knew she still gave horseback riding lessons, and he nodded.
The kids chatted around them as they walked into the kitchen.
Then Robert said, “I do have to work on a project. I’m in Miss Bushnell’s class, and she always has the most fun projects. But I want to beat Kylie, who always thinks she’s so great at everything.” Robert sneered at the idea that Kylie was actually good at anything.
“Well, I’ve got some things I need to do, but I can give you a hand if you want me to.”
“That would be awesome! You always have the best ideas. The last time you and I made the race car track, that was the coolest thing ever. Miss Bushnell was really impressed. She said that no one had ever made anything like that before.”
“Wow. I’m so glad we could impress your teacher.” Roland tried not to let the idea that Miss Bushnell was actually Nelly, his sworn enemy from third grade, take root in his mind. After all, a lot of years had gone by since the whole valentine incident, when she got so angry at him and swore that they would never speak again. Surely she was over it, although…they really hadn’t ever spoken again since then.
They had been sworn enemies, and he had to admit that he had kind of gotten involved in it more than maybe was totally appropriate.
But that was back when he was a kid in school. He was beyond that now.
Although, mention of her name still made his lip curl.
“Hey, I’m here,” Isadora called from the doorway. Her kids tripped in ahead of her as she carried a bag of what looked like potato chips.
“I didn’t bake anything, but I thought I had to contribute to the meal somehow,” she said, looking tired as she held up a bag of chips.
“You didn’t have to bring anything,” Summer said as she went and took the bag from Isadora before giving her a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
Roland wished she wouldn’t have brought anything. It was enough for her to be trying to raise three kids by herself and work full-time, trying to get as many hours as she could while her kids were either sleeping or at school.
“Are you guys gonna come in so we can eat sometime soon?” Judd asked from where he stood with Terry at the dining room.
He was joking, of course, but the family made their way into the room, taking that as a hint, since everyone really was hungry.
Amy and her husband, Jones, along with Wilson and Charity, were already in there. Amy and Jones, best friends since they were little, were bickering back and forth. That hadn’t stopped since they’d gotten married. But usually, their arguments ended in a kiss now, which was new.
Wilson was a wonderful dad to Charity’s five children. It looked like they had just announced that they were expecting another baby.
Charity seemed to glow with her pregnancy, and Wilson never stopped touching her, whether it was a hand on her arm or an arm around her shoulder. It made Roland wish that he had someone to be protective of, to be caring for, to look out for and take care of.
The family gathered around the table, laughing and teasing each other, with the kids being loud but not obnoxious. The feeling of family rolled over him, and he was grateful that his family had stayed close and that they still got together regularly. But it also made him feel strikingly alone. After all, he was the only one in his family who hadn’t been married and didn’t have at least a child to keep him company.
Other than maybe his mother. But he still lived at her house—did that count?
He watched her, smiling and talking, but…he couldn’t escape the nagging feeling that there was something wrong.
Still, after the meal was over, everyone helped clear the dishes, and they played a few games and enjoyed talking with each other before it was time to leave.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do when you have a family of your own and I have to go by myself to these things. I might depend on someone to pick me up.”
