“Do you really fly planes?” Madison’s squinted at him.
“I used to,” Finn replied. “But the Navy decided I was too handsome, and it was distracting the other pilots.”
The kids erupted in giggles, and my shoulders relaxed. This I could handle.
“What happened to your face?” Rose asked, pointing at Finn’s scars.
“Rosie!” Madison scolded. “You can’t ask that!”
“It’s okay,” Finn smiled at them both. “I had a disagreement with gravity. Gravity won.”
“Did it hurt?” Rose reached out with tiny fingers to trace the marks across his nose.
“Only my ego,” Finn stayed completely still.
“What’s… ego?” Carter wanted to know.
I jumped in before things spiraled into an impromptu philosophy lesson. “It’s the part of Uncle Finn that thought he was tougher than he actually was.”
“Like when Daddy thought he could beat you at Mario Kart?” Madison turned to me.
“Exactly like that.”
“Can you teach me to fly?” The oldest boy asked Finn hopefully.
“I can teach you to make paper airplanes that actually fly.”
“Now?” Three voices asked in unison.
Finn stood and glanced around, calculating whether he had time and space for an impromptu aerodynamics lesson, and I felt my chest warm. Most adults would have deflected with “maybe later” and hoped the kids forgot.
“After dinner,” I laughed, rescuing him. “If you eat all your vegetables and don’t start any food fights.”
“What if we only start small food fights?” Sadie negotiated.
“Then you only get small paper airplanes.”
“That’s fair,” Madison declared.
“Are you a pa… paternal twin?” Rose asked next. Finn scrunched his nose thinking for a minute.
“Do you mean fraternal?” I clarified. “Like you and Sadie?”
Rose nodded.
“No,” Finn smiled. “Dom and I are identical twins. It means we’re exactly alike and it’s a fluke of nature.”
“A flute of nature?” Sadie tilted her head.
“Fluke. Remember how your mom is a twin too?” I asked. Both girls nodded. “It’s because it runs in your family. It doesn’t for Uncle Dom and Uncle Finn. That’s why they look so much alike while you both look a little different, especially with your hair color and your eyes.”
“Ohhh…” Sadie nodded as if it all made perfect sense.
“Are you the evil twin?” One of the smaller boys squinted at Finn.
“Obviously,” Finn shrugged. “That’s why I’m more handsome.”
“But Uncle Dom is on TV,” Rose pointed out.
