Page 62 of Finally Moore

Scarlett looks at me as if the thought never even occurred to her. “I think I’m starting to.”

I’m once again struck by that odd sensation in my chest, the one that urges me to tell Scarlett how I really feel. That I stopped pretending a while ago. But a strong gust of icy wind sends a chill down both of our spines, reminding us that we’re outside and this has been one of the coldest Decembers on record.

“Come on.” I drape my arm over her shoulder. “There are a couple of hot cups of peppermint cocoa inside with our names on them.”

As soon as we walked through the front door and joined in on the festivities, whatever negativity I was feeling immediately dissipated. As much as I’ve enjoyed celebrating the various holidays and events at Jax and Tilly’s place this year, especially considering their kitchen and common areas are much larger than the ones here, I love that we’re doing Christmas at our family home. With the house full of people, the drinks flowing, kids laughing, and the aromas of the dinner—it’s like our parents are here with us. Although no one’s mentioned it out loud, as I look at my sibling’s smiling faces, I know they feel it too.

“Come on, Alex, we’ve been practicing this,” Scarlett says as she sits on the floor in front of one of the twins.

“Gavin, you can do it. Crawl to Mommy.” Tilly is next to her, rooting for her other son. Both have been on the verge of crawling, and bets have been placed on which twin will do it first.

“Ignore them,” Scarlett continues to coach little Alex. “He might be a whole two minutes older than you, but that just means you had longer to cook. You have those beefy little arms and legs, and your brother is just a noodle.”

“Hey!” Jax interjects. “That’s lean muscle. Ignore her, Gavin. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”

“I don’t know,” Trisha speaks up, seeming oddly comfortable amongst the current crowd. “Scarlett is like the baby whisperer. Brittany was always a head of the curve when it came to development. I’d loved to say it was my good genes, but I know it had a lot to do with how much time Auntie Rea-Rea spent with her.”

Scarlett smiles at the memory, and that hint of friendship these two used to have seems to spark to life. At least a little bit. Kasey has a pleased look on his face as he rubs his fiancé’s shoulders.

“You got this, AJ,” Jake cheers on, refocusing my attention on the baby race.

“I hate when you call him that,” Jax grumbles.

“You’re a Jacob, through and through. Show them what the will of a Jake can do.”

“The will of a Jake?” Letty crosses her arms over her chest and turns her glare on him.

“Don’t pretend that you don’t know what I’m talking about.” Jake pinches Letty’s butt.

Though she bats his hand away, she’s grinning from ear to ear. “Come on, Gavin, let’s show Uncle Jakey-Poo who the superior twin is.”

Jake leans in and whispers something in Letty’s ear. I roll my eyes as she blushes. These two are unapologetic when it comes to their sexual escapades. Then again, it wasn’t long after Scarlett arrived that I was already wondering how soon wastoo soonto sneak her away and have her to myself. So I guess I get it.

The front door opens and the Murphy brothers, the extended family we inherited when Cassie and Robbie got married, stumble inside. “Don’t worry, everyone, I’m here. The party can officially start now,” Killian announces as he holds two large bottles of alcohol, one in each hand.

“Fuck,” Scarlett murmurs. “Cassie, come here.”

“What?”

“Help Alex show them who’s boss. I need to have a word with your brother.”

“What? No, this is all you,” Cassie says as she rocks her newborn in her arms.

“Don’t pretend you don’t have forty on Alex to crawl first.”

“Forty?” Robbie says.

Cassie shrugs before handing my brother his baby. “Wish me luck.” She kisses him on the cheek and quickly takes Scarlett’s place.

“Killian,” Scarlett scolds. “We need to talk.”

He glances around the room before gesturing to his chest. “Who, me?”

“Yes, you.” She pushes him into the study.

Curiosity pulls me away from the twin showdown as I follow them. I lean on the doorframe and watch the interaction from a distance. Just like the rest of the house, this room looks as though it hasn’t been touched in over a year. So far, the only change I’ve noticed Jake make since having this place to himself is the pile of Letty’s boxes stacked up in my old room. Otherwise, most of the square-footage appears untouched.

“I’m warning you now, Killian Murphy. My mom is off-limits.” Scarlett jabs into his chest with her finger.

---