Page 74 of Rewind It Back

Crossing the lawn, I rehearse exactly what I’m going to say, but as soon as I open his front door, that speech gets thrown out the window.

I’m greeted with a wail of a cry in conjunction with a squeal of laughter and the distinct sound of something running over the texture of a wall. Back and forth. Back and forth.

“It’s okay, Navy,” I hear Rio coo. “We won’t watch that.”

“Wow! I like that!” I hear a little boy yell in excitement. “Can I use that color?”

I cautiously step into the living room.

Rio is bouncing a little girl in his arms as she continues to cry onto his shoulder, but on the couch, a boy who seems to be around the same age is peacefully passed out asleep. I glance to the corner of the room, then down to the ground to find two more little ones, a girl with curly hair and a boy with bright blue eyes, excitedly coloring all over the plain white wall with crayons.

“What’s going on?”

Rio spins in my direction and as soon as his eyes meet mine, they close with relief. “Thank God you’re here. It was fine. We were doing good, but then Max started a movie, and it was too scary for Navy, so now she’s crying, and then those two wanted to color but I didn’t have any paper, so I figured you’re about to repaint the walls anyway, right? So why not use those as a canvas? And somehow, Iverson has been passed out asleep through it all. Bless him.”

I nod slowly. “I’m sure their parents are going to love that they learned to color on walls at your house.”

“I’m the fun uncle, Hal. They knew what they were signing up for when they dropped them off here.”

I chuckle and the little girl in his arms—Navy, I believe is her name—stops crying long enough to ask, “Who’s that?”

“That’s my friend, Hallie,” Rio says.

I smile at her. “Hi. What’s your name?”

The other girl, with the curly hair and hazel eyes, cuts in. “That’s Navy. She’s my cousin.”

“Ahh. Well, it’s nice to meet you, Navy.” I shift my attention back. “And what’s your name?”

“I’m Taylor. Baby Iverson is my cousin too. Max isn’t my cousin, though. He’s my best friend. I like your clothes. Do you live in this house too?”

I hold back my laughter. “It’s not my house, but I do live next door.”

“Taylor is Zee and Stevie’s daughter,” Rio explains. “She got her dad’s outgoing personality, in case you couldn’t tell.” He sets Navy on the couch. “Hallie is going to hang out with us tonight. Is that okay?”

The two older ones, Taylor and Max, nod, but Navy just sits there on the couch until, finally, she gives me a little smile.

“How about instead of coloring, we try a movie again,” I suggest. “Do you like popcorn? I bet Uncle Rio has popcorn.”

“Spider-Man!” Max shouts.

Navy starts crying again.

“Wow,” Rio exhales. “Navy girl, you really are your mother’s daughter. Max, noSpider-Man. It already scared her once.”

“Ariel!” Taylor supplies as she and Max join the other two on the couch.

“Absolutely not, Tay.” Rio’s brows are pinched. “Spoiler alert, but she gives up her voice because she thought some random dude was hot. We’re strong independent women here. The only princess movies we’re going to watch are the ones where they realize they don’t need a man.”

This time I can’t contain my laughter, which has Rio looking in my direction with a smile.

“Moana?” Max offers.

The girls don’t disagree.

“Moanait is!” Rio is quick to find it on his television, getting the kids covered in blankets, and turning the lights off as the opening scene comes on. “We’re going to go make popcorn. Please, for the love of God, be good.”

He slips his hand into mine and pulls me into the kitchen. It feels natural to hold his hand again, but it shouldn’t after it’s been so long, so when we make it to the kitchen, I gently pull mine away.

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