“Bea might help,” I agree. “I don’t have to be the adult in the room anymore.”
All three of my brothers look around like they’re just now realizing Daphne’s not here. As if she’d be another adult in the room.
“She’s coming later,” I tell them.
They give me the trademark Best feral grin.
I grin back.
We are definitely having fun when Daph gets here.
If she can.
Snow’s coming, and it looks like it’s already started pretty thick.
Ryker notices too.
He rises quickly. “I have a present.”
“You mean you have one to open or one to give?” Charlie asks.
“It’s a very important distinction,” Eddie agrees.
“One’s selfish.”
“One’s not.”
“You’re not usually selfish.”
“But Christmas can do things to people.”
“All of those wrapped boxes…”
“It’s irresistible, even for mature teenagers like us.”
Ryker stares at the twins.
They grin at him.
He tries to suppress a smile, but he can’t quite get there.
Simon won Ryker over with the exact thing he’s going for now.
The secret passageway.
We all know about it. I’ve even been through it, with Simon and Tank and three industrial-grade flashlights.
It’s pretty cool.
If a bit tight.
And it doesn’t go to our bedroom or Simon’s office, and they’re both slated for renovation at separate times so that we don’t have to worry about using a room connected to the secret passageways, ever.
“No fair—you said we couldn’t hide presents in there,” Eddie says to Simon.
“Sometimes life is utterly miserable,” Simon replies, deadpan.
Ryker reemerges from the secret passageway. He balances a lidded file folder box on one hip while he tilts the wall sconce that’s the secret mechanism to open and shut the door, and the door closes again.
