Page 116 of Maximum
My younger son, Hawk, met us in the courtyard. He was eleven, the spitting image of his dad, and already a gifted animal communicator who loved spending time with the puppies.
“The dogs told me Dad is back.”
I smiled. “Yes, we heard them barking too.”
By the time we all reached the parking area, Gabe and Lucas had already exited the car. Gabe was fourteen, making him a year younger than Dove and Leon, who had turned fifteen in April, while Lucas would turn seventeen this December.
“Where’s Rose?” Dove asked Maximum, who was unloading bags from the back of the car.
“Her boyfriend flew in to surprise her so she’s spending the week with him.”
“The marine?” I asked because I’d heard about Rose’s boyfriend from Jolene.
“Yes. She’s eighteen so we can’t exactly tell her what to do.”
I saw the disappointment on Dove’s face and quickly asked, “Okay, but what about Benjamin?”
Maximum pulled out another bag from the trunk. “Oh, he’s in there. He just fell asleep on the drive. Lucas and Gabe told me he played video games all night.”
“Yes, Jolene did warn me that he’s addicted,” I said and moved over to see the thirteen-year-old boy curled up in the back seat. “Nothing two weeks at our farm can’t cure. We don’t have PlayStations here.”
“Seriously?” Gabe exclaimed and looked so much like his mother, Serena, at that moment. “That’s a joke, right?”
“Not at all,” Maximum said and handed Gabe a bag.
The way Gabe looked at Leon with pity, as if living in a place without computer games would be torture, made our son stare at the ground with his face flaming red. Oh, great, I already knew that before nightfall he’d be complaining that he was the only kid without a PlayStation.
“You won’t get bored here,” Dove said and took a step forward. “There’s always something to do with all the animals. If you want to, we can go riding or you can help train the dogs.”
“Here.” Maximum handed a large black duffel bag to Lucas.
Lucas, who had been a pimpled teenager last time I saw him, had gone through a growth spurt and a glow up. He had Nathan’s gorgeous curls and toned skin and looked very handsome. Hitching the bag strap over his shoulder Lucas sauntered over to Leon. His voice was much deeper than the last time I’d seen him, and he spoke with a thick American accent. “Hey, bro.”
It surprised me because when the boys moved to Los Angeles five years ago, they had both spoken with a British accent. Usually they always spent several weeks of their summer vacation here in Ireland, but last summer, Nathan and Serena had brought them to New Zealand for two months while Serena shot a movie.
Leon and Lucas performed a choreographed handshake that made them both grin. “You remembered,” Leon said with slight surprise in his voice.
“I was telling the lads on the way that they changed dramatically,” Maximum said and looked to me. “Don’t you think?”
I nodded.
“You’re almost as tall as my dad now,” Leon said and looked up at Lucas. “Do you still play American football?”
“Yup. My school made it to the state championship this year.”
“They lost.” Gabe flashed his braces when he grinned. “Lucas was close to making a touchdown but then he fumbled the ball and cost the team the victory.”
“Shut up.” Lucas scowled at his younger brother.
“Come give me a hug, you two,” I said and received awkward side hugs because they were holding their bags.
Dove opened her arms to hug Lucas and received the same short sideways hug and a short “S’up?”
As if he’d just spoken in a foreign language, she flashed red again and didn’t seem to know how to reply.
“Come on. You’re sleeping in my room,” Leon waved Gabe and Lucas with him while I opened the door to the back seat. “Benjamin, honey, it’s time to wake up.”
Maximum came to stand next to me. “He might be cranky. He was mad that Rose got to stay in Dublin.”
