Page 38 of Bae

“You’re sure?” Ivy asked, searching my eyes.

“I’m sure.” I nodded.

“Thanks,” she replied. “I’ll call down and let Drew know she’s here. He hasn’t seen her since the day my father kicked him out.”

Ivy’s father wasn’t invited today because he’d disowned his oldest son for being in a relationship with another man. Ivy had been so upset he treated Drew this way she cut him out of her life, so by extension, the life of his only grandchild, too.

Ivy was upset and angry with her mother, too. After all, she hadn’t done more to protect Drew from their father, but Ivy hadn’t been able to bring herself to keep her from Nova. I understood, and since their mother was a little more accepting of Drew’s relationship (note: she didn’t totally cut him out, but made no effort to speak to him), Ivy invited her for the family party.

“Do you think Drew and Trent will be okay?” I asked, concerned.

Ivy nodded. “I pretty much told our mother if she said or did anything to upset him, she would be asked to leave.”

I let out a breath. “Good.”

The last thing any of use needed today was drama.

I was already wound tight enough for all of us.

“Let’s go find Daddy,” I told Nova as Ivy walked out of the kitchen in the direction of the front door.

Outside, there was a giant pink and purple bounce house in the shape of a castle taking up most of the yard near the house. Nova was the only child at the party today, so it was an awfully large house for one, but even so, I’d have done the same for my daughter.

My arms trembled a bit as I carried her across the deck, and my tongue felt thick against the roof of my mouth.

“Beat this!” Braeden’s voice carried through the air, but I couldn’t see him. He gave a shout. Then the walls of the pink castle shuddered.

“In the bag,” Romeo’s voice retorted, and then the castle shuddered again.

Oh my word, what a bunch of boys.They were playing in the bounce house!

“I totally beat you,” Romeo shouted.

Braeden immediately started arguing, and the pair began hurling some fairly colorful insults at each other.

I was closer now and could see through the windows, which were lined with thick, black netting.

They were wrestling.

Two grown football players were wrestling in a pink castle bounce house.

I guess this toy wasn’t for one child after all, but three.

“What kind of example are you setting in there!” I called out.

Romeo froze in the middle of pinning B to the air-filled floor, and his head jerked up. “Hey, baby,” he said, as if what he was doing were completely normal.

“Get in here, sis!” Braeden yelled from beneath my husband.

“Da-da!” Nova yelled.

Braeden jolted up, shoving Romeo off. “You trying to teach my daughter her daddy is a pansy, Rome!”

Romeo fell back onto the floor and laughed.

“There’s the birthday girl!” B said, bouncing over to the door. Yes. Bounced.

As previously mentioned, he was an overgrown child.

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