I pick up one of mine and hold it the same way, rawring quietly back to him. The little boy smiles and it lights up his whole face. Behind him, Mom smiles and leans on the counter to watch. I’m guessing he doesn’t warm up quickly to anyone, so it’s good to see him interacting.
By the time we’re done eating, Troy has decided I’m his new best friend, which is just fine with me. Since it stopped raining, we put on shoes and jackets and head outside to kick a ball around and run some energy out before nap time.
Troy takes my hand and walks with me out onto the patio then down the steps to the grass that’s more moss. Perfect for little ones to fall on and not get hurt. The trees are all bare and the sky is gray, but I find the soccer ball and pass it to Sammy while Troy holds my hand.
“Come on, we gotta go get it,” I say as I turn us around to go after the ball Sammy kicked. “You wanna kick it?”
“Yeah,” he whispers and when we get to it, he runs and kicks it back toward his sister. She shrieks with delight and we continue on for a few minutes until they both get bored. Sammy decides it’s a lot more fun to chase me anyway. I pretend to yell in terror and run, Troy giggles and runs with me. The sound is pure happiness and it sets my heart free.
I wish Joey was here to see it. I bet he would fall in love with Troy and Sammy instantly.
I wonder if he wants to have kids someday or if he’s done since he raised his siblings…
“All right, guys, time to come in and calm down,” Mom calls from the sliding back door. Sammy takes off for her, throwing herself into Mom’s arms. She covers the little girl's face in kisses while she laughs and laughs.
“Up,” Troy says, lifting his arms to me.
I pick him up and hold him on my hip but he pulls himself across my chest to lie on my shoulder. Holding him snuggly against me, I rub his back and before I get inside, he’s asleep.
Since the kids are in toddler beds and Troy does not want me to put him down, I end up laying on my old bed with him snuggled up against me and Brent reading behind me. It only takes a few seconds for me to pass out too.
I’m shaken awake by Brent shoving my shoulder.
“Wh-what?” I try to blink my eyes open but they are heavy.
“Joey is on the phone.” He shoves the phone in my face and I squint at the offending brightness.
“Oh hey.” I scrub at my face and try to move but I’m squished between Brent and Troy. “I’m stuck.”
Brent huffs but gets up so I can move, hopefully without waking the little man. Once I’ve tiptoed out of the room, I take a better look at Joey. My smile falling instantly at the look on his face. It’s somewhere between betrayed, hurt, and pissed off.
“What? What’s wrong?” My heart drops into my stomach, and I stop halfway down the stairs. What happened now?
“Are you fucking serious?”
My head blanks. What did I do? “What?”
“Your fuck buddy answered your phone!” The yell that comes from him makes me jump.
“Fuck buddy? No, no, no. That’s Brent, my brother.” Brent’s cackle can be heard from the living room and I jog the last few steps to look into the living room to glare at him. “I would never cheat on you.”
“Brother?” He’s skeptical, some of the anger fading from his face, and the tension in his shoulders dropping. “You don’t look alike.”
“He was a foster kid in my house growing up, but he was family from the second he walked in the door.”
“Aww punk’in.” Brent looks over the back of the couch and cocks his head.
“I’m going to knock you out,” I point at him as I head to the kitchen for some water. Sammy is already up, having a snack and playing with blocks.
“Where’s Troy?” Mom asks when she sees me.
“Still asleep.”
She’s taken aback and her eyes widen. “Really? That’s weird. I hope he’s not getting sick.”
“Who’s Troy?” Joey asks, a little suspicious.
“He’s a three-year-old my parents have right now.”