The twins aren’t much older than Buck, his only grandchild, so it has to be a mindfuck for Dad. It amuses me to no end.
“How’s sleep these days?” I ask, turning the conversation more serious. “I know stress exacerbates your condition.”
He sighs heavily. “It does. Having infant twins doesn’t help, either. Woke up twice last week in the backyard. I think Mei’s ready to chain me to the bed.”
“It’ll get better,” I assure him. “They don’t stay babies forever.”
“When did my oldest son get so wise?”
We don’t get to finish our conversation because the burgers are done. Everyone is inside and waiting. Addison is doing something fun with her friends for her eighteenth birthday, but Dad made her attend the obligatory family dinner first.
“I don’t want her moving in full-time with your mom and her new husband,” Dad says as pulls the burgers off the grill. “Your mother’s influence sucks.”
My mom can be a total bitch, but she’s still our mom.
“It’ll be punishment for Addison. You should be happy.”
He snorts and gives me a smirk. She’s in a fuck-ton of trouble. Got herself kicked out of the bougie private school our parents pay out the nose for. Soon she’ll be attending public school and moving in with Mom since she lives closer to that one.
“I hate that her life is practically ruined over a stupid mistake,” he says with a shake of his head. “She had big plans.”
“I had big plans too,” I remind him. “Those went to shit and it turned out for the best.”
He nods in agreement. “Still, I hate that her life is turned upside down for her senior year of high school.”
“Addison is a big girl. She can handle it.”
Once inside, I find my little sister yapping to my wife, Buck wriggling in her grip. Addison is a master at putting on a fake front for the world to see. Her life is literally being ripped apart at the moment, and you’d never know it. Hell, even her friends don’t know she won’t be with them for their last year in high school. Because I’m a dick, I mess up her hair to watch her perfect expression turn vicious.
“Here,” Addison says, swiveling around to hand me my son. “He took a shit.”
Abby bursts out laughing and thankfully saves me from another shitty diaper. I swear he only poops when I’m around. I wave to him even though he reaches for me as Abby takes him away to change him.
“I’m never having kids,” Cason, my younger brother mutters as he passes, waving a hand in front of his nose. “They fucking stink.”
“Don’t say that around the twins,” Mei chides.
Cason rolls his eyes. “They can’t talk or understand anything. It’s fine.”
It’s hilarious to me that Mei mothers Cason even though she’s only a few years older than him. Dad robbed the cradle with that one.
One of the twins starts crying, so I scoop her up and do my best to entertain her while Mei and Dad get dinner ready. This house was chaotic before Mei came along. Add in her, the twins, and my new family…and it gets even wilder.
Being a new dad myself, I’m a lot more appreciative of everything my father has done for us and the loving home he provided. Mom was always cold and emotionless, but Dad made up for it with his never-ending warmth.
Buck is lucky.
Both his parents love him deeply and aren’t afraid to show it.
After the party, I swing by the mailroom to grab our mail and then take my family home. Once inside, I discover a letter addressed to Abby from her father.
I have a good mind to throw it in the trash.
“What is it?” Abby asks from the couch, Buck drinking noisily from her breast.
With a sigh, I bring it over to her and show her.
“Open it. Tell me what it says,” she instructs, voice tight. “Even if it’s mean.”
