So when Marie arrived, I wasn’t sure what my role was. Until she burned dinner every other night and forgot to tell us to do our homework. She hated my teacher just because she didn’t like me, and after Marie lost her temper with her when she picked us up from school one night, I realised we were in it together.
She didn’t have a clue how to parent four kids who were pretty much orphans, but by damn was she going to learn.
When Ava left to go to university in New York, applying to go there without telling any of us, Marie decided that her empty nest was going to look completely different. Outbuildings were converted; the garden, no longer needed for rugby practice, was landscaped and our childhood bedrooms were given a make-over during the next few years. Some of the rooms downstairs were divided into guest bedrooms, all with bi-folding doors that led outside. Three had hot tubs.
It was excessive and not needed; my father pretty much had a conniption when he saw them being installed, but Marie knew that having them in would draw Payton and Ava home for weekends.
That was where seven of us were now installed, neck deep in hot water, most of us with beers in hand and enjoying the peace before we were invaded with women.
“I can’t believe you fuckers put your kits in my bag. I’ll need a new bag now.” Seph’s voice was anything but cross; in fact, he sounded as if he was going to fall asleep. Clearly youth hadn’t helped that much with the after effects of the game.
“Maybe Santa Claus will have bought you one.” Jackson took a swig of his beer.
Teddy had been taken on the walk to the village to see the Christmas tree and Santa Claus. I suspected that Santa Claus was the same Santa from my own childhood, the burly, overweight pub landlord who made children sit at a chair opposite him rather than on his knee, so he could shake his finger at them if they’d been naughty at any point that year.
“A kit bag, some new bedding and a subscription to whisky of the month, and I’ll be a happy Joseph.” He tipped his head back onto the side of the hot tub.
I splashed water at him. Would’ve been rude not to.
“New bedding?” Owen looked disgusted. “How do you even know you need new bedding?"
“You don’t have to know.” Seph hadn’t even flinched at the water. “You have a female living with you who probably knows exactly how many days of life your bedding has left. I have to know these things myself.”
“Says the person who went a whole semester at uni without changing his sheets once.” I rested my hands behind the back of my head. There was nothing quite like being in a hot tub when it was snowing.
Owen made a retching noise. “Seriously? You didn’t change your sheets for that long? That’s really not nice. Did you not have any luck with women at all?”
There was a snigger from Seph. A proper, teenage-style snigger. “I had plenty.”
“Tell me you didn’t take them back to your bed? Or was this when you were seeing your psycho ex?” Owen had clearly heard the story from Payton.
“Before her, well, kind of before. I think we’d started sleeping together.”
“Shame you couldn’t have just left it at that,” Jackson interrupted.
Shay, who looked a bit less dead than last night, leaned forward. “First semester at uni; you’re not ugly and for some reason, women aren’t repulsed by you, and you didn’t change your sheets. That is fucking awful.”
“I never took them back to my room. Always went back to theirs.” Seph sounded way too pleased with himself. “That way I could leave when I wanted and didn’t need to look like a dick if I didn’t want to stay the night. I was no worse than Callum. And I didn’t actually spend that many nights in my own bed, so the sheets didn’t really need changing.”
“You’re an abysmal human being,” Shay said, nothing other than sleep in his tone. “I can’t believe that I’m related to you. I feel dirty.”
Seph laughed and kicked Shay under the water. “You’re far worse than me. When you did have three days of work, I think you brought four girls back.”
Killian sat up. “At the same time?”
“No.” Shay reached for his beer. “That would’ve been a porn film.”
Seph shook his head. “There was the brunette on the Thursday. The blonde on the Friday, with her friend who was also blonde with a bit of purple, and this gorgeous dark haired woman on the Saturday.”
“Didn’t you ask for her number?” Shay gave an evil grin.
“Absolutely not. I haven’t had a one-night stand for about four months.” The tone in his voice suggested he was immensely pleased with himself.
“Why’s that?” Jackson reached for another beer, which was being nicely chilled by the snow.
Seph paused for a minute. I braced myself. I loved my brother. I’d wiped his arse, made his lunches, put him to bed, listened to him read, walked him to school, bought him his first box of condoms and taught him – using a courgette – how to put one on.
I also had the not-so-pleasure of him telling me all about his first experience and asking for pointers. The joys of being a much older brother.
