Page 136 of A Major Puck Up

“Peaches and Cream,” Brooks sings.

I swear I’ve never wanted to kiss one of my brothers, but right now, Brooks is my favorite of them all.

Daniel shakes his head and barks out a laugh. “Ah, shit. That’s a good one. Leprechaun,” he says, skating off toward Aiden. “Can’t wait to hear what lyrics you put to that one.”

I blow out a breath as I watch him go. Dammit. That was a close one.

“Huck, don’t run too far ahead,” my brother yells.

Finn hollers something unintelligible over his shoulder as he and Deogi dart off toward the empty baseball field in the middle of the park. Winnie is walking in front of us, holding Addie’s hand, and the twins are content to watch the world around us from the stroller my brother is pushing.

“I’m so ducking happy it’s almost summer.”

Beckett smiles over at me. “Tell me about it. Having five kids inside all winter has been hell.”

Winnie turns around with a smirk on her face.

Beckett sighs and digs his phone out of his pocket. “Duck. I’ll Venmo the jar.”

“Is this still the one the twins set up, or did you start a new one once you all moved out?”

Beckett side eyes me. “You think the Shining Twins would allow me to do that? No. They control the investments. I’m pretty sure all the brownstone kids will be set for life by the time the girls turn twelve.”

I laugh. My brother’s nicknames for the kids who lived with his family in the brownstone from hell—his words, not mine—always make me smile. “You need to give Vivi a nickname.”

Beckett slips his phone back into his pocket, expression as stoic as always. “You mean Rosie? I picked the moniker the day she showed up on your doorstep.”

I study my brother as we continue following the big kids. “Rosie?”

“Yeah, the Riveter. You know, ‘We Can Do It.’”

I scratch my head. “I don’t get it.”

“Girl’s got tenacity. She settled you down with one look and made you smile again. Despite the shitty cards life has dealt her, she’s always smiling. Kid is a fighter.”

Shit. Tears burn behind my eyes. I don’t know the last time I cried, but suddenly, I worry I might break down right here in the middle of the park. My brother’s right. No matter how much I hate that she has to be, Vivi is a fighter. I’d fight all her battles for her if I could. I want to make her life a beautiful one. Want to give her both a mother and a father. It’s what she deserves—everything.

I swallow and look away. Last thing I need is my brother ribbing me for crying.

“I know,” he says, keeping his focus on the path ahead of us and his kids. “I’m very wise, and you’re lucky to have me as a brother, and Rosie will do just fine because she has you as a father.”

Ah, fuck. That’s it. I press my lips together to hold in a sob, but there’s no stopping the tears that crest over and run down my face. I grab my brother’s shoulder, pulling him from the stroller, and wrap him in a hug.

“You’re an asshole, you know that?” I ask through an emotional laugh.

Beckett squeezes me back. “So I’ve been told a time or two.”

I clap him on the back, straighten, and suck in a deep breath, pulling myself together.

“Hate to interrupt the moment, Uncle Gav, but you can Venmo the jar when you get home,” Winnie says over her shoulder.

Beckett and I both laugh as I swipe at my eyes. “You got it, Win.”

“So how are things with Millie?”

I smile. “Amazing.”

My brother stumbles but rights himself quickly, eyes wide. “Weren’t you freaking out last night about some date she was on?”

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