Riot sighed, loudly and dramatically. “Laundry too, Ko. Don’t be shoving those pj’s in the bottom of the hamper and pretending you didn’t notice the mess.”
I clutched my chest in mock offense. “What? I’d never do that.” I would totally do that.
“Mm-hmm.” Riot climbed to his feet and kissed Storm on the cheek before doing the same to me. So fucking casual. Not even thinking about what those sweet gestures did to me. “I’m gonna start getting the rest of them ready for bed. You’re on Storm duty.”
“Yes, sir.” Riot’s cheeks turned beet red before he left the kitchen, muttering under his breath. Storm smooshed pasta into the table.
“Hear that, Stormy? Your grumpy dada said it’s me and you tonight.” We had never pushed for the kids to call us Dad or by our names. It was their choice. Knox and Wynter, since they’d already been older, had always called us Koa and Riot andreferred to us as their brother and brother’s husband or brother-in-law. So did Cruz. For Rumor and Rebel, it really depended. They mostly called us by our names, but I’d heard them refer to us as their parents or Dads before. Hawk had been the first to start calling me Papa and Riot Daddy. The first time he’d signed “Daddy” to Riot, he’d bawled for an hour. I would’ve teased him, but I’d cried for nearly two when he’d signed “Papa” to me.
“Dada, me, you,” Storm told me loudly as he tried to get some of the pasta into his mouth.
“Yup, me and you, kiddo.” I took a bite of garlic bread.
Chapter 3
Riot
“CanI go with Melodie to get ice cream and then go sit with her on the top bleachers?” I looked up from where I was busy bundling up Storm to Wynter.
“Yeah, go ahead. But don’t go farther than the concessions stand, Wyn. And make sure you text me if you go anywhere else besides that and the bleachers. Alright?”
Wyn pursed her lips. “You don’t make Knox text you every time he goes somewhere.”
“Yes, he does. Besides, I’m almost eighteen. You’re only thirteen. There’s a difference,” Knox chimed in. I’d been surprised when he’d said he was coming with us to the homecoming game rather than going with his friends. I’d tried pushing it, but he’d said that he wanted some family time and that I needed the help anyway, so I should just say thank you instead of prying.
Honestly, he hadn’t been wrong. Taking seven kids to a football game by yourself was not easy. I’d considered getting a babysitter for Hawk and Storm, but Hawk had wanted to see Papa coach, and it hadn’t seemed worth paying someone just for Storm. So here we all were, taking up the entire first bleacher and getting dirty looks from all the parents of the playersbecause they hadn’t gotten the prime real estate. Perks of being married to the coach.
“You agree to my terms, Wynter? Or you can stay here and sit with your family. I can make space right in between Cruz and Bel.” That got her sputtering in audacity.
“Fiiine. No farther than the concession stand, and I’ll text you if we leave the area.”
“Thank you, Wyn.”
“Yeah, yeah. See you later!”
Then she was off. I followed her with my eyes until she met up with Melodie. Assured that she was okay, I sat down with Storm on my lap. Hawk was next to me, noise-cancelling headphones on and airplanes firmly in his hand, followed by Cruz and then the twins, the three of them already stuffing their faces with hot dogs and soft pretzels. Knox took the seat on the other side of Rue. He pulled his phone out, texting rapidly. I was dying to know who he was talking to. Neither Koa nor I could get any details about his date with Sam last week, and they hadn’t seen each other since, so I didn’t know if it had gone badly or they were just busy. Would Sam be here tonight? He didn’t go to the same school, but it was a popular enough event that people from nearby towns came to it as well.
I wouldn’t get any answers now, not as the stadium filled and Knox was four kids away from me. I turned my attention to the field, where Koa was currently running warm-ups. It was a chilly night, so he was wearing his Spartans Football jacket and a beanie over his dark, short curls. He was right at home standing on the sidelines, a playbook in his hand as he watched every single move his team made. His assistant coach stood next to him, practically shoulder to shoulder, and was saying something to Koa, but I couldn’t make out the words.
Then the warm-ups were finished up, and the team started to leave the field to get ready for their big entrance. Before hefollowed, Koa turned toward the stands, just like he always did. He knew right where to look, right where I’d be. Our eyes met.
Koa smiled, his special one that was only reserved for us, for his family. And like every single other time before, Koa put his hand to his chest, right above his heart. Our special greeting, the one he’d been giving me since he’d been the star player and I’d been the loser in the stands that everyone whispered about behind my back.
I grinned, waving like a fool. “Stormy, say hi to Papa. He’s about to go to work.”
Stormy looked up from where he was sucking on a pretzel. “Papa! Hi!”
The other boys all noticed Koa then, too, and began screaming and bouncing up and down like mad. Even Hawk was waving and signing, “Hi, Papa!” Koa laughed and waved to all of them before hurrying to catch up with the rest of the team.
“Papa play?” Storm asked once the field was empty and the cheerleaders came out, ready to hype everyone up.
“Papa coach,” I corrected gently, that conflicting pang of guilt and utter joy hitting that I always felt whenever Koa’s job was brought up. How could I simultaneously hate everything that had been taken from Koa while also being so happy he was here with me, with us. As fucking awful and selfish as it sounded, I didn’t think I would’ve survived without my best friend, especially in those early years. If Koa had gone to USC, I never would have begrudged him for that. Fuck, I’d cried harder than he had when he’d told me they’d revoked his scholarship. But I also knew for a fact I’d never be where I was now. We’d probably still be in that shitty apartment while I worked three to four jobs while CPS was breathing down my fucking neck. Everything that I had, everything that our family had become was because of Koa. I owed him everything, and I wished I were a better person, one who wasn’t secretly happy that his best friend’s dreams hadgone up in smoke, but I wasn’t. I guessed even under the pretty exterior I’d managed to build these last seven years, I was still a piece of shit and always would be.
Halftime.
The Spartans were up 10-7, the game a defensive battle so far. Koa and the boys were giving it everything, but this team was our biggest rival, and it was always a close one, a tough fight for every yard until the very end.
I was standing in line at the concessions when the homecoming court was being announced. It was a big deal to the kids involved—Koa had even been nominated for homecoming king once back in his glory days—but for me it was the time to regroup, change Storm’s diaper, get food, text Koa silly and encouraging GIFs, and to give the kids a chance to run around. Rue, Bel, and Cruz were all on the playground on the other side of the field. Wynter and her friend Melodie were over there as well, sitting on the swings and talking. I could easily see them from here, but Melodie’s parents were also keeping an eye on the kids for me, which I was grateful for.
