The entire room falls still. All eyes are on me, then Ryder, then me, then Ryder.
Shane is planted beside Aiden with my little sister, Liv, curled up on his lap, hiding. Maggie sits with a blanket covering her top half, nursing Quinn as a shit-eating grin spreads across her face.
“Yo, bruh,” Teddy says through a mouthful. “When did you get here?”
The clinking of spoons resumes, and the slurping picks up.
Garrett gives a little wave and adjusts his glasses, then shoves another spoonful of cereal into his mouth.
“Late last night, but guys, this is Ryder.” I tug her forward, putting her in front of me but not letting go of her hand. “These two jokers are Teddy and Garrett.” I point at my brothers. “This is Shane and Liv.”
Shane nods his hello as Liv peeks one eye out from his chest.
“And this little man is Aiden.”
Aiden holds out his arms, wanting me to pick him up, but he’s covered in oatmeal.
“Coffee is hot. Help yourself to anything edible. The rule is still ‘Your Mess, Your Problem,’” Maggie says, pulling Quinn out from under the blanket and placing her over her shoulder.
I grab two mugs and pour coffee. Ryder sticks close to Aiden, who grins as he shows her how he can squish oatmeal between his fingers.
Little chubby-cheeked flirt.
“Are you Cole’s girlfriend?” Liv asks, suddenly fully awake. “He’s never had a girlfriend before.”
Ryder’s gaze drifts to me as I stir my coffee.
Shane makes some sort of clearing his throat sound while Maggie sits there, letting Liv do her dirty work.
“You could say that.” I jump in, handing Ryder a mug. I smile at Liv. “She’s a girl, and she’s my friend.”
“No, like, is she your girl-friend?”
Of course, Liv wants clarification.
“You’re sleeping in the same room. Maggie says you can’t do that unless you really love someone.”
Maggie sucks in her cheeks to keep from laughing, and I glare at her.
“I have to sleep in the same room as Teddy, and I’m not sure I love him,” Garrett says, lifting his bowl to drink the milk.
He wins the Favorite Brother Award.
“For real, dude? You love me. Claire wouldn’t even be talking to you if it weren’t for me.” Teddy takes his bowl to the sink and rinses it.
I make a mental note to talk to him about not pranking Ryder.
Needing a diversion, I ignore his pasty oatmeal mess and grab Aiden from his seat.
Maggie stands, handing Quinn off to Shane. “I need a shower. I smell like spit-up. Then, we’re going to the store, so get dressed. All hands on deck today,” she orders, and the kids groan.
“What do you want for breakfast?” I ask Ryder.
Aiden reaches for her hair as I try to wipe his hands clean. I yank him away, and he laughs. He tries again, and I pull him back. His giggles fill the room, and I see it break through Ryder’s nerves.
She smiles, and I know it’s the real deal because I see the tiniest dimple just to the side of her nose. Something like sunlight bursts through my chest. The kind of joy I’ve forgotten, or maybe I didn’t even know existed, and I can’t look away.
Garrett squeezes around us to rinse his dishes while Shane barters with Liv about getting dressed.
