“Trent.” Romeo’s voice made me stop and turn. “We’re gonna deal with this like we do everything else. As a family.”
I nodded, and we went into the family room where I found Andi asleep against Travis’s shoulder while he hammered an Xbox controller with his fingers. My heart felt like a giant bruise seeing them like that.
“Time to go,” I whispered, reaching down to lift Andi. She stirred long enough to wind her thin arms around my neck before falling back into dreamland.
Trav handed the controller off to Blue and stood, following us out the front door.
In the driveway, Drew tossed him the keys to the fastback. “Can you drive this down to the house? I’m gonna ride with your dad and sister.”
Travis’s eyes rounded. “For real?”
It was the first time Drew had ever let him drive his baby without supervision.
“Unless you don’t want to—” Drew began.
“No.” Trav was quick to deny. “I do.”
“See you at home,” Drew called and then went around to open the passenger side of the SUV.
“It doesn’t make up for what he went through tonight,” Drew said as I slid into the seat and adjusted Andi who still snored.
“No, but he’s thrilled as shit,” I mused.
Drew’s gaze slid over our daughter, a flicker of worry flashing in his eyes. Shifting closer, he smoothed some of her hair and tugged the hem of her shirt to make sure it covered her completely. “She should be wearing a jacket.”
“It’s a short drive home.”
The sound of the fastback roaring to life made Drew look up, a smile tugging at his lips.
We followed Travis the short distance to our house, which had gone through a few changes over the years just like the main house. The biggest having been the addition we put on after our first Christmas as a family of four.
What was supposed to be a simple addition of a couple bedrooms and a bathroom turned into a full-on renovation when Ivy got wind of the project. Apparently, we needed a game room, a library for studying, and Andi needed a walk-in closet and her own bathroom. It was a girl thing, ya know.
Except I didn’t know because Trav got his own bathroom too.
So really, it was an all-gender thing.
I didn’t ask. I just did as Ivy said.
The family room and kitchen got upgrades, so there was more room to make reindeer food (and you know, actual food), space for a gigantic Christmas tree, and a massive mantel for hanging stockings. We even added a deck of our own off the back and a smaller version of the firepit up at the main house.
Then a few years ago, we added onto the garage in anticipation of the kids getting cars someday… which was basically today because soon, Trav would have his own Mustang parked inside.
Yeah, yeah, the insurance on a car like that for a seventeen-year-old boy was going to be astronomical.
I didn’t give a damn.
If I could slow down time, I would. But then I’d have to trade in all the memories we’d made over the last decade, so instead, I’d just look forward to the memories yet to come.
After tucking Andi into bed and making sure she was sleeping peacefully, I said good night to Trav and went into our bedroom where Ketchup was sprawled across the center of the bed and snoring like a lawnmower.
He barely even twitched when I walked by, and I just shook my head on the way to the bathroom and the running shower. I slid through the narrow opening, gently closing it behind me as warm, steamy air greeted my skin. The strong scent of soap promised to wash away the worst of the day as I stripped my shirt and shucked my pants, tossing them near the vanity where Drew’s already lay.
The mirror was fogged up and so was the glass shower door, the cascade of water a rhythmic cadence that resonated through the enclosed space. The sound, scent, and dewy air combined, creating a white-noise effect that muffled any competing sounds without being so loud that it was intrusive.
The muscles in my back began unclenching as I reached for the handle to glide open the door.
Drew didn’t turn but acknowledged my presence with a low hum and passed the soap over his shoulder. Moving up behind him, I took the offering and rubbed the sudsy bar between my palms before laying them against his back.
