With the way Olivia screamed bloody murder, you would have thought there had been a real murder, but the stuffedanimals came out unscathed. Olivia, on the other hand, not so much. She became extra protective over her stuffies and insisted I protect them with my life. One pinky promise from me later and the crisis was averted.
"Oh my God." Chloe, our oldest, rolls her eyes. "Will you stop it?" She tugs on the end of one of Remy's braided pigtails.
"Watch it." Remy smacks at her hand. "Mommy did these for me."
"Daddy did mine." Olivia shakes her head back and forth quickly, causing the single braid I created to fly around. Braiding hair is easy to do once you treat it like it's a rope. Same shit.
All three of them start bickering. It only stops when a boy runs by and accidentally shoulder-checks Chloe.
"Oh, no you didn’t, you little shit." Remy spins around to go after the boy. I grab her by the back collar of her sweater to stop her. I pull her toward me and lean down.
"Too public," I remind her. A small growl leaves Remy, but she nods, letting me know she's going to lock it down.
I'm not sure who the kid is. He's not a local, and no one besides two families have moved into the area, and he's not with them. I make it my business to know everyone around here, especially in the closest town, where Teddy once went to school for a short time.
The only time Teddy brought up the idea of moving was when our oldest was getting close to kindergarten age. School kids had not been kind to her. That's when we started to dig more into Willow Creek.
I didn't want to, but I knew we'd have to become real locals, which was for the best. There are town events our kids would want to be a part of. Except for this carnival; that's all me. I paid them extra to make sure our town was one of their tour stops.
Having your family ensure the carnival's annual visit to your town gives you an advantage—do I throw money at it? Yes, whatchoice did I have? My wife has forbidden me from killing locals unless preapproved by her.
"Come on," I say, distracting the girls with another game that isn't rigged. I don't care if they scam others, but not my girls, and I made that clear.
Teddy winks at me. She is over talking to Nora, who is the town librarian. For as much as my wife didn't care for Willow Creek, it was easy for her to sink in and be friendly with everyone. I'm not a fan of that shit, but if it makes her happy, then I'm happy.
It doesn't matter how many years go by; when I see Teddy’s face light up, it still does shit to me. That sweet, trusting warmth she has soaks into me, bone-deep. I'd still like a list of the names of kids that picked on her. I'm sure a few are still locals and adults now. I have also been banned from trying to find out.
Teddy’s hand absently goes to her stomach. She’s only three months, but the small bump has already formed. We found out yesterday that we’re having a boy. I wasn't sure how to handle little girls, but at this point I’m a seasoned pro, and I'm wondering how to raise a little boy.
"Suckers!" Remy shouts as her duck makes it to the top. She shifts her water gun over to aim for her little sister's bullseye to help her beat Chloe, who rolls her eyes at her but gives Olivia a smile.
Remy isn't giving anyone a pity win, but after she gets first place, she'll help one of her sisters get second. That was another reason I wasn't too worried about the girls going to school here. I pity anyone who tries to pick on one of them. Only they can bully each other. You mess with one of them and you get the wrath of all of them.
"You guys rob the place?" Teddy asks when she makes her way back to us. Nora gives me a small wave, and I return a nod.
All of the girls start speaking at once to tell her what we've been up to for the last thirty minutes while she ate her funnel cake and chatted. Although I don't enjoy sharing my wife's attention with the locals, I understand that it's necessary.
"All right, give me kisses. Roland is going to take you to get dinner and on a few rides."
"Yay!" Olivia bounces on her heels. Roland and she can be as thick as thieves. He doesn't let anyone get away with shit except Olivia. She has him wrapped around her little finger, and she knows it.
In spooky Roland fashion, the man appears. Not many can sneak up on me, but Roland is fucking good. I'll give him that. That's why I wasn't shocked when he told me that in his heyday, as he called it, he served in the Navy.
"Come along, girls. Let's get you hopped up on sugar so you'll crash later and I can watch my shows."
"Not M*A*S*H again," Chloe groans.
Remy's whole face scrunches. I hand a bunch of the stuffed animals over to him. He's taking the girls so I can have a little time with my Zolotse. I give the girls kisses before grabbing Olivia and tossing her into the air, making her giggle before putting her back onto her feet.
"Make sure your sister doesn't kill anyone."
"We know," both Olivia and Chloe say at the same time before we watch them walk off with Roland.
“How are you feeling?” I ask Teddy, placing my hand on her belly.
My wife does pregnancy well. Thank fuck. I didn’t know how I’d make it through labor, but Teddy was as entertaining and chipper as ever, even during childbirth.
"I feel great." She runs her hand up my chest. "But I could feel better."
