Ugly as my friend was, the makeup wasn’t an improvement.
While the twins and other younglings enjoyed George the clown and all his magic tricks, I was downright traumatized.
Wanting to change the subject, I whistled, and within less than a beat, my dog, Luana, ran toward me. She held her tail high, wagging it so quickly that it was a blur of fur and movement. Like I’d trained her to do, she sat in front of me when she reached me, her butt wiggling on the ground while she waited for me to set the boys down. Once I lowered them, I kissed the top of Zayne’s and Caspian’s heads before I stretched my arms out, silently telling Luana it was her turn.
Her wet nose hit my cheek, and she moved to snuggle closer when I hugged her neck. While she’d been nothing more than a thin frame when she’d come into my life, now she boasted good health and a gorgeous, shiny coat. She turned to sit when Zaynejoined the hug, and I patted the white crescent moon that stood out against her head around the brown fur. The crescent moon was what she was named after, withluanameaning moon in our native tongue.
Not to be forgotten, Teddy’s donkey, Hee-haw, let out a loud bray. Two of Luana’s pups, now over a year old, also joined the chaos. With her tail still going fast, Luana bowed toward Hee-haw, trying to entice him to play. When Hee-haw ran, Luana and the pups chased him, running circles around him as they sprinted toward the other side of the yard.
I pointed at the white sheet that hung against the side of the house for our once-a-month movie night. While we’d started our tradition over a year ago with only one movie appropriate for the younglings, we’d outgrown that and now held two movies. The first was still child-appropriate, while the second was more for the adults and older younglings.
“Did we ever decide what movie we’re going to watch tonight?” I asked.
“We’re watchingIt.” The grin Teddy gave me made me uneasy.
“Hmm,” I said, watching her closely. She was up to something. I narrowed my eyes at her. “Why do you look so pleased by this movie selection?”
Her smile grew wider, making my gut twist slightly. No doubt, mischief was in the air, and my sister was its orchestrator.
“I don’t trust that smile,” I said.
She patted my cheek, and before I could swat her away, she pinched it.
“Elias is right. You are a menace.”
“You’re right.” The way she cast her eyes down made her almost look apologetic.Almost.“Consider my movie selection my formal apology.”
I pushed my hands into the pockets of my joggers, rocking on my heels. Of the many things we’d adopted from the human realm, their clothes were my favorite. “That’s sus AF.”
“What?” Teddy laughed.
At my feet, the twins dug into the dirt, caking their chubby hands with the earth. I grinned.
“That’s how humans talk.”
She snorted. “Yeah, maybe if you were like thirteen.”
Confused, I let my mouth hang open. “Thirteen?”
“Yes, thirteen, Brent.” She shook her head. “Stop researching crap on Google.”
Caspian took that moment to look up at his mother. “Cap,” he said, followed by other babbling words.
Teddy covered her mouth while I mock-scowled at her. “What are you teaching your sweet, innocent babes?”
“Shut it,” she said behind her hand before she dropped it. “Don’t you dare tell Elias.”
I rubbed my hands together in anticipation. This was going to be good. “What do I get to keep my silence?”
“What do you want?” she asked slowly.
“What’s the movie about?”
She laughed. “Go ahead and tell Elias.”
That definitely did not bode well for me.
Chapter
