Page 76 of To Build a Home
“The funcle is in the house. And thatfdoesn’t just stand for fun but favorite.” Ollie’s voice echoes through the house from where they enter the front door.
“We’re out here,” I shout over my shoulder as I watch Rhy encouraging Gabby to jump on her own.
“Damn, sis, the house looks like Pepto-Bismol exploded all over the house,” Ollie says as he walks out onto the back patio, Hollie right behind him with a look on her face I can’t exactly decipher.What is going on?
I roll my eyes. “It’s not that bad. And it’s not just pink. There’s also green.” You can’t have a berry first birthday themed party with strawberries, Gabby’s favorite food, without having all sorts of shades of pink.
His eyes dip down, and he chuckles. “Nice shirt.”
I smile, even though I know his compliment is more sarcastic because I went a little overboard with the theme. “Thank you. It matches the theme.” My shirt is a black T-shirt that says “mom,” but theois a strawberry. Rhyland is wearing a matching one, buthis says “dad” with theaa strawberry. I’m sure Ollie will give him just as much shit. But when he’s a dad, I know my brother will be the same, if not worse.
“Where’s the birthday girl?”
I nod over toward the bounce house Rhy and Gabby disappeared off to.
“Hell yes, this is epic.” Ollie claps his hands together, and I swear there are heart eyes in his pupils as he takes in the giant princess castle bounce house.
Hmm, not wanting to make fun of me for the décor now, huh, asshole?
“Here.” Ollie shoves a bundle of balloons and a giant gift bag into my arms before taking off toward the bounce house.
“Five bucks says we end up in the emergency room by the end of the night,” my sister-in-law says as she steps up beside me.
“Nope, I’m definitely not taking that bet.” Although I would probably take a good guess that it’ll be my brother there rather than anyone else.
“You’re no fun,” she teases and shoves my shoulder with hers.
“Thank you for coming a little earlier to help set up and grabbing some last-minute balloons.”
I know my daughter won’t remember today and all the little details, but I can’t help going overboard. The pink, white, red, and lime-green balloon arch she and I made yesterday wasn’t enough, in my opinion, so I texted my brother last minute, asking them to pick up a few more to attach to chairs and such.
“Of course.” She hesitates and pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, scrunching her brows. “Although I’m not sure you will say that when you realize what exactly it was that your brother bought.”
I follow her gaze to the balloons that Ollie had shoved at me.
My eyes nearly bug out. “What the fuck?”How did I not notice that when he first walked outside?
Hollie fails to keep her laughter at bay. And if I wasn’t dumbstruck at the moment, I’d join in.
“Did my brother seriously get balloons that resemble—”
“A dick and balls? Yes, he did. Although, in his defense, he didn’t realize it till afterwards.” Was that why he ran off to join his best friend and niece?
I stare up at the Mylar balloon in the shape of a number one with two rounded balloons at its base.
“Well, at least he only got this. We can just set it off to the side and make do with the balloon arch.”
A snort leaves Hollie, and I turn to face her with a glare and a sigh. “How many of these did he get?”
“There are five other sets in the living room.”
This time, I let my laughter slip. This is almost as ridiculous as when my brother proposed to Hollie with a diamond ring on a damn hot dog, thanks to her obsession with the Elmhurst Wiener Bandit. I’m thinking maybe he did actually do this on purpose.
“Oh my God, my daughter turns one, and she’s going to be surrounded by dicks and balls.”
“Hey, could be worse.”
“Oh yeah? How could it possibly get—” Before I get the chance to say the word “worse,” I hear Rhy say Ollie’s name in warning, followed by loud shouts and my brother coughing. Hmm, someone may have bounced the birthday girl a little too much.
“Yep, dick and ball balloons are the least of our worries today.”
Never a dull moment in the Mosby family, that’s for damn sure.
