move to Texas, enticing her with a promise to buy her a massive six-bedroom home in University Park. She’d firmly refused and back then, he couldn’t understand why since Arielle lived hours away in Charlotte, and her friends were all busy with their jobs, businesses, husbands, and grandchildren. But understanding had come to him when he’d taken the family’s old fishing boat out onto the lake behind the house. He’d realized that it was the memories that she’d wanted to hold onto, which just happened to be some of the same memories that he’d been trying to avoid. Even as he now stood there staring at the house, he could see his father sitting on the porch with his ankles crossed and a mason jar of peach lemonade in his hand. This time, however, the image hadn’t evoked the negative memories that it did from so long ago.
“You think it’s going to fly away?” Emma asked as she emerged from the side of the house holding a miniature shovel between two soiled gardening gloves. She was wearing her usual straw sunhat that had seen better days, and had garnished it with a pink ribbon tied into a bow.
Climbing the steps, she lovingly wrapped her arms around her son and he opened the door to follow her inside. Another wave of nostalgia hit him when the aroma of sausage and peppers filled his nostrils, and he spotted a cooling loaf of zucchini bread on the kitchen countertop. In the living room just off of the kitchen, Justin and Arielle were sitting in the sofa each holding a twin, and their two older daughters were sprawled on their stomachs hovering over a large picture book. The minute the girls saw Austin enter the room, they sprang up and crashed into his legs.
“I’m glad to see you too,” Austin responded, kneeling so that he could wrap them both up in a hug. “Izzie, what’s that on your head?”
Isabela, his two-year old niece, reached up and touched the soft ladybug-spotted decoration that was attached to the end of her headband.
“Bug,” she replied, patting her head.
“It’s a lady bug. It’s her favorite,” six-year old Aria explained. “We got it from the store. She has the dress to go with it, but Daddy forgot to pack it.”
Austin shook Justin’s hand.
“Daddy gets the blame for everything,” Justin replied.
“But you did forget the most important thing,” Arielle jokingly added. “Can you imagine how much easier our trip out here would have been if you’d brought the dress? It probably wouldn’t have even rained. I might not have gone into labor.”
She smiled as she received a kiss on the cheek from Austin.
“Next time,” Justin resigned. “I didn’t realize it before, but that dress was everything.”
He made a funny face at Aria which sent her into a fit of giggles, and Arielle glanced down at their sleeping son. “Yes, babe, it apparently was.”
Austin eased down into the loveseat and as Isabela reached her arms towards him, he pulled her onto his lap while Aria sank into his side. With the love that he felt for his nieces, he couldn’t imagine how he would feel about his own son or daughter.
“We didn’t expect you back so soon,” Arielle explained. “We knew you’d come see the babies because you did the same thing with Ari and Izzie, but not in the middle of training camp.”
Austin pretended that Isabela was on a motorcycle by bouncing her on his knee, and she giggled in sheer delight. “I didn’t want to wait too long to see them. Plus, you finally had your boy. I figured you’d be throwing a party to celebrate.”
Justin looked to his wife. “You’d think it would be me hell-bent on having a son, but this one just wanted to keep on trying.”
Arielle took a moment to stare at her brother as he played with his nieces. Something about him was different.
“I liked the little brother thing,” she went on.
“You didn’t always.” Emma appeared with a pitcher of lemonade and plate of pumpkin muffins which she sat atop the coffee table.
“You think it’s going to fly away?” Emma asked as she emerged from the side of the house holding a miniature shovel between two soiled gardening gloves. She was wearing her usual straw sunhat that had seen better days, and had garnished it with a pink ribbon tied into a bow.
Climbing the steps, she lovingly wrapped her arms around her son and he opened the door to follow her inside. Another wave of nostalgia hit him when the aroma of sausage and peppers filled his nostrils, and he spotted a cooling loaf of zucchini bread on the kitchen countertop. In the living room just off of the kitchen, Justin and Arielle were sitting in the sofa each holding a twin, and their two older daughters were sprawled on their stomachs hovering over a large picture book. The minute the girls saw Austin enter the room, they sprang up and crashed into his legs.
“I’m glad to see you too,” Austin responded, kneeling so that he could wrap them both up in a hug. “Izzie, what’s that on your head?”
Isabela, his two-year old niece, reached up and touched the soft ladybug-spotted decoration that was attached to the end of her headband.
“Bug,” she replied, patting her head.
“It’s a lady bug. It’s her favorite,” six-year old Aria explained. “We got it from the store. She has the dress to go with it, but Daddy forgot to pack it.”
Austin shook Justin’s hand.
“Daddy gets the blame for everything,” Justin replied.
“But you did forget the most important thing,” Arielle jokingly added. “Can you imagine how much easier our trip out here would have been if you’d brought the dress? It probably wouldn’t have even rained. I might not have gone into labor.”
She smiled as she received a kiss on the cheek from Austin.
“Next time,” Justin resigned. “I didn’t realize it before, but that dress was everything.”
He made a funny face at Aria which sent her into a fit of giggles, and Arielle glanced down at their sleeping son. “Yes, babe, it apparently was.”
Austin eased down into the loveseat and as Isabela reached her arms towards him, he pulled her onto his lap while Aria sank into his side. With the love that he felt for his nieces, he couldn’t imagine how he would feel about his own son or daughter.
“We didn’t expect you back so soon,” Arielle explained. “We knew you’d come see the babies because you did the same thing with Ari and Izzie, but not in the middle of training camp.”
Austin pretended that Isabela was on a motorcycle by bouncing her on his knee, and she giggled in sheer delight. “I didn’t want to wait too long to see them. Plus, you finally had your boy. I figured you’d be throwing a party to celebrate.”
Justin looked to his wife. “You’d think it would be me hell-bent on having a son, but this one just wanted to keep on trying.”
Arielle took a moment to stare at her brother as he played with his nieces. Something about him was different.
“I liked the little brother thing,” she went on.
“You didn’t always.” Emma appeared with a pitcher of lemonade and plate of pumpkin muffins which she sat atop the coffee table.
Similar Books
