“It’s not, but then, I’m not around the kids often. It likely is chaotic wherever there are more than two.”
She hits me suddenly, and I look at her with surprise. “What was that for?”
“Bro, why didn’t you tell me Jessica was having another kid?”
I follow her direction, and yeah, there’s no mistaking Jessica’s round belly for what it is. Especially when neither she nor Myro can keep their hands off it.
“I guess I thought there was some kind of announcement chain for those who don’t live on the Estate.” I shrug.
She rolls her eyes. “When is she due? Boy or girl?”
“Six weeks, I believe. And… girl. I think. Fairly certain.”
“You suck at keeping me in the loop.”
“I do,” I agree. “I didn’t realize I was signing up for family gossip when I moved onto the Estate for a job.”
“Now you know, so I expect better.”
I laugh. “Honestly, I think this is the last baby here for a while. Everyone says they’re done having kids.”
“So this one is going to be spoiled like a princess. Worse than Kairo spoils Kos.”
“Oh no. Not possible.”
She snorts.
I sometimes worry about Kos. He’s going to grow up with a chip on his shoulder, a superiority complex, and a super spoiled rich boy. Hopefully, his second father will even out Kairo’s extreme parenting. I’ll be surprised if Kos isn’t gifted a jet for his birthday.
Speaking of parenting, Kairo calls everyone together for Kos to open his presents. I glance at the mountain and shake my head. We’ll be here for days. Hopefully, he does this in stages. Kos is only two. He’s going to lose patience and enthusiasm pretty quickly.
I linger behind as my attention turns back to Malin. Like me, he doesn’t join the crowd gathering around Kos. He watches them and then turns away.
He wanders over to one of the bounce houses and peeks inside. When he doesn’t move, I wander toward him. He meets my eyes as I approach the last dozen feet.
“Want to jump?” I ask.
He glances into the bounce house again. He shakes his head, but answers, “They’re for kids.”
“Adults can use them too. Just take off your shoes.”
His eyebrows knit together as he studies the bounce house. His eyes flicker to mine for a second and then toward the party.
I bend over to untie my boots so I can pull them off. Then, I shimmy my way through the small opening, laughing when I roll away. “Only a word of caution, the way in and out is really small.”
I remain on my back, waiting to see if Malin will join me. I’m surprised and thrilled when I feel the bouncy house push up and shake with every movement Malin makes.
It’s difficult not to grin like a loon. He climbs in and lies down beside me. For several minutes, we’re silent. I’m not sure what to say. I didn’t actually expect him to climb in. Hell, part of the reason I’ve never spoken to Malin is because I’m not sure what to say to him.
Eventually, I turn my head to look at him. Malin meets my eyes. “Want to bounce?”
He chews the inside of his lip, and I’m fucking ecstatic when I see the hint of a smile on his face as he nods.
5
MALIN
Since Kos’birthday party, I’ve woken up every morning to Ryan’s voice loud in my ear, telling me I need a good, thorough cleansing. I need to wash away the sins of letting another man touch me.
