“Hey, loser,” she sang with a laugh.
“Goddamn it, Charles,” Curtis bitched, reaching for her arms. “Your elbow’s diggin’ into my shoulder.”
“Oh, this one?” she asked, laughing as he cursed and tried to pry her off him.
I wasn’t quite sure what to do as Finn and I watched them in shock. Cam and Dylan hadn’t even paused and had disappeared into the crowd.
“You do know you’re a fuckin’ adult, right?” Curtis asked, bending at the waist like he could shake her loose that way. “Didn’t you just have another kid like two months ago?”
“You’re such an ass,” she griped breathlessly as she hung on for dear life. “I haven’t seen you in a week, and I haven’t even seen my nephew yet.”
“Why the hell didn’t you jump onhisback?” Curtis shot back, finally dislodging the woman. She ended up flat on her back in the grass, laughing. “And where the hell is your husband?”
“Who knows,” she said, grinning up at him. “He’s with the kids somewhere.”
“You’re insane,” Curtis grumbled, grabbing her hand so he could yank her to her feet. “Teddy’s gonna think we’re all idiots.”
The blonde’s smiling face turned toward me, her eyes dancing. “Oh, you don’t think we’re idiots, right?” she asked. “My mom said you’ve got brothers. You know how it is.”
“This is my cousin-aunt, Charlie,” Curtis said, sweeping his hair back from his face with both hands. “She’s a fuckin’ lunatic, but she’s harmless.”
“I’m neither of those things,” the blonde corrected, lifting her hand to shake mine. “Nice to meet you. Teddy, right?”
I nodded, my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth.
“Cousin-aunt?” Finn asked in confusion.
“Well, I’m technically his aunt,” Charlie told Finn. “But we’re the same age, so we’re more like cousins. His dad is mymucholder brother.”
I couldn’t see any family resemblance between the man we’d just met and this woman. She was smaller than me, and Curt’s dad was massive.
“She’s also Kara’s best friend,” Curtis said, giving Finn a little more context.
I didn’t think my boy needed it. He was staring at Charlie in awe.
“Okay, she was nice,” Jesse said as they appeared next to me again. “But I still have no idea who she is.”
“Hey, Jesse,” the woman greeted. “Nice to see you again.”
“Oh, hey,” Jesse replied. “I didn’t know you were going to be here.”
“I’m everywhere, always,” Charlie replied, lowering her voice ominously. She grinned. “You haven’t been back to get coffee. Don’t tell me you’ve been cheating on my shop.”
I watched as Jess talked with Curt’s cousin like they were old friends, trying not to show any emotion. It was already happening. The kids were already finding their place with these people, and there was nothing I could do about it. And as Charlie smiled at my kid, I questioned whether I should even want to. We’d never had this—the big family get-together where everyone knows everyone else. For most of Jesse’s life, it had just been the four of us, and last year our number had shrunk. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing for Finn and Jesse to form connections with these people.
A few moments later, Kara joined our little group, holding a tiny baby in her arms.
“Give her,” Curtis ordered, letting go of me so he could reach for the baby.
“I think I get first dibs,” Charlie complained, rolling her eyes. “I didgrowher.”
“Hey, princess,” Curtis crooned, holding the baby girl up so that they were eye to eye. Her little knees were bent up toward her belly like she was still in the womb, and she blinked sleepily at him. “Are you havin’ a good day?”
I tried and failed to ignore the way my stomach flipped at the sight.
“That’s my youngest, Jenna,” Charlie told us. “I’ve got two older boys who are running around here somewhere.”
“Finn!” Kara and Draco’s oldest, Mia, yelled from across the grass. “Come on! Nana’s getting out the water guns!”
