Page 28 of What About Now

“Aunt Brogan, we missed you,” Rayne says.

“I missed you, too.” I hug them tightly, one twin in each arm, until they wiggle free, and move on to Maddox.

“Uncle Maddox!” They have just as much excitement for my new husband as they do for me. It’s not because we’re married now. Maddox has been in their life as their uncle as long as Forrest has. To them, there is no difference.

To be young again.

Maddox kneels to hug them one at a time because he still has the container of brownies in his hands. “Where are your mom and dad?” Maddox asks them.

“In the kitchen. Let’s go!” Rayne takes his free hand, and River takes her sister’s as they start to drag Maddox off toward the kitchen.

I stare after them, grateful for all the new people in our lives. None of them blinked an eye at accepting those girls as Forrest’s daughters. They’ve embraced all four of us into their lives, and ours are more enriched having met them.

Maddox looks back at me over his shoulder. “Coming, babe?”

“Yeah.” I nod, because my voice is so soft I’m not sure he can hear me. The emotions are thick in my throat, but I swallow them down and prepare myself for my sister’s inquisition.

“You made it!” Briar says as soon as we enter the kitchen. She comes rushing toward me and pulls me into a hug. “I’ve missed you this week.” She gives me a knowing look, and I shrug.

“Uncle Maddox, what’s that?” River asks, pointing to the container of brownies. I’m surprised they’ve just now noticed them.

“Aunt Brogan made these for you.” He opens the lid so that they can see inside.

“She did?” the twins ask in unison.

“She did, but you have to eat all your dinner if you want one of these delicious brownies.”

“We love brownies,” Rayne tells him.

“Me too.” He winks, places the lid back on the container, and sets it on the counter.

“What can I help with?” I ask my sister.

“Nothing, it’s all done. Forrest made white chicken chili in the Crock-Pot, so we kind of cheated, I guess.” She smiles.

River gasps. “Daddy! You’re not supposed to cheat.”

Forrest grins as he bends and scoops River into his arms. “Razzle, you’re right. Cheating is bad. What Mommy meant was we made an easy meal, so it wasn’t a lot of work.”

River furrows her brow, but before she can reply, her sister is stealing the show.

“Daddy, chili’s not supposed to be white.” She places her little hands on her hips and gives him her best four-going-on-fourteen attitude.

Maddox lifts Rayne onto his hip and takes her to the Crock-Pot, and lifts the lid. “They call it chili because of the beans, but it’s kind of more like a chicken soup. See.” He puts the ladle in and scoops up a helping to show her.

“Sissy, adults are weird,” Rayne tells River.

They fall into a fit of giggles, but that could have more to do with Forrest and Maddox tickling them for calling them weird than with their own assessment.

“Let’s eat, then I’m stealing your wife,” Briar tells Maddox.

He glances over at me, and his eyes soften. “That’s fine, but just know I’m not leaving here without her.” He tosses me a flirty wink before turning his attention back to Rayne as if he didn’t just melt my heart into a puddle in the middle of my sister’s kitchen floor.

“Damn,” Briar mutters. She loops her arm through mine. “That was hot as hell, and total book boyfriend vibes.”

“I think he has a book or some kind of manual. He keeps saying all the right things.”

“Hmmm, maybe my husband and your husband are reading the same book then.” She chuckles. “They’re just good guys, Brogan. Good men, who I know our father would have approved of.”

---