Rosalyn's expression softens. "You're very welcome. He made it easy." She releases his hand. "Are you hungry? I was just about to start lunch. I made a ton of food. Finally meeting you is a special occasion."
"I don't want to be any trouble. I can wait. I'm fine."
"It's no trouble at all. I made extra specifically for you." She turns to me. "Ivan, why don't you introduce Jay to the kids while I cook? They've been asking about him all morning. Destiny asked me three times if he was here yet."
"They've been talking about me?" Jay asks.
"You're all Ivan talks about," Rosalyn says simply. "Of course, they're curious about the person who makes their big brother so happy."
Caleb finds us first. He comes barreling down the hallway at full speed the moment he hears me, his dinosaur book clutched under one arm. He stops short when he sees Jay standing beside me, his eyes going wide.
"Is that him?" Caleb asks breathlessly, practically vibrating with excitement. "Is that your friend Jay? The one with the loud motorcycle?"
"That's him," I confirm, smiling. "Jay, this is Caleb. He's six years old, and he knows more about dinosaurs than anyone you'll ever meet."
"Ivan says you have a motorcycle," Caleb says, completely skipping past any normal greeting or introduction. "Is it outside right now? Can I see it? Is it really loud? Can you turn it on so I can hear it?"
Jay glances at me, uncertain, and I nod encouragingly. "Sure, buddy. You want to come look at it?"
"Yeah!" Caleb grabs Jay's hand without any hesitation, the way kids do when they've already decided you're safe. He starts dragging Jay toward the front door. "Does it go really fast? How fast can it go? Is it louder than Ivan's truck? Ivan's truck is really loud but Rosalyn says that's because it needs a new muffler and Ivan keeps saying he'll fix it but he never does."
I follow them outside, standing on the porch, watching Jay crouch down beside the motorcycle to show Caleb the engine. He's patient in a way I didn't expect, answering every rapid-fire question, letting Caleb touch the chrome carefully, explaining what each part does in simple terms a six-year-old can understand.
"This is the engine," Jay says, pointing. "That's where all the power comes from. And this is the exhaust pipe. That's what makes it loud."
"Can I sit on it?" Caleb asks, his eyes huge.
"If it's okay with Ivan." Jay looks up at me questioningly.
"It's fine. Just be careful and don't fall off."
Jay lifts Caleb onto the seat with gentle hands. Caleb's feet dangle nowhere near the ground, but he's grinning wide.
"This is cool," Caleb breathes reverently, running his small hands over the handlebars. "When I grow up, I want a motorcycle exactly like this one. The same color and everything."
"Maybe when you're older," Jay tells him. "You have to learn to ride a bicycle first. That's the rule."
"I already know how to ride a bicycle! Ivan taught me last summer. I can do it without training wheels and everything."
"Then you're already halfway there, buddy."
The twins appear on the porch then, watching with identical expressions of cautious curiosity. Diana has her arms crossed over her chest, sizing Jay up. Destiny is leaning against the railing, pretending not to be interested but watching everything.
"Girls, come meet Jay," I call out.
They approach slowly, carefully, Diana slightly ahead of her sister.
"Hi," Diana says when they reach the driveway. "So, you're the one Ivan drives to see. The one he talks about constantly."
"That's me," Jay says, straightening up from beside the motorcycle, suddenly looking nervous again.
"He talks about you a lot," Destiny adds, not moving from her spot. "Like, a lot a lot. It's kind of annoying actually."
"Destiny," I warn, but Jay just laughs.
"I hope it's not all boring stuff. That would be embarrassing."
"He says you're really good at fixing things," Diana says, studying him with those sharp eyes. "Like engines and motorcycles and stuff like that."
