Page 25 of Rett

The three brothers laughed, spoke, and moved exactly the same way. It boggled the mind to watch them.

“Liz, I don’t think I’ll ever understand how you were able to tell the boys apart. I’d like to think that I can, but it’s pretty tough for me.”

“Believe me, they played a lot of tricks on teachers, girls, and friends,” frowned Liz. “In fact, all the multiples on the property seemed to have a particular penchant for torturing those around them.”

“We were angels,” frowned Christopher, Patrick nodding.

“No, you were Angel’s sons. But you weren’t angels,” said Suzette with a laugh.

“Joseph and I were perfect,” smirked Nathan.

“Don’t lie,” said Lauren. “You know that’s not okay.”

“Come on, tell me the worst thing you guys ever did,” smirked Casey. The brothers stared at one another.

“What’s the statute of limitation for lying as a child?” asked East. The grove laughed, shaking their heads.

“See,” said Rett, “Sara used to offer cookies every time you got an ‘A’ on a paper. After a while, she changed it to only math, geography, and science papers.”

“That sounds reasonable,” said Casey.

“Well, kind of,” smirked Eazee. “I was good at geography. Rett was good at science, and East was good at math. But that meant only one cookie for every paper.”

“Let’s just say we got creative,” laughed Rett. “Each one of us would take the paper in, claiming it was ours. Sara was usually so busy, she didn’t look at the name on the paper, she only looked at the grade.”

“You little shits! You screwed me out of dozens of cookies!”

“Now, Aunt Sara, we were little at the time. I mean, between the ages of eight and twelve.”

“You knew right from wrong,” smiled Casey. “It would serve you right if we had triplet girls one day.”

“Don’t say that,” said Chief. “I joked about it, too, and ended up with four girls. Four.” He ran his hand through his hair, his father chuckling.

“Asshole got what he deserved,” said Ghost. “Not poor Rachel, but Chief damn sure did.”

“Thanks, Dad,” grinned Chief.

“Mama Irene? How did you manage fifteen children?” asked Casey.

“Patience. A lot of patience. A lot of love and teachin’ each one of ‘em to help out. If there’s a need, fill it. When I was losin’ my mind with the little ones, Pierre, Gaspar, or Marie would grab the littles and take ‘em out in the gardens. They’d run around like wild animals, tiring ‘em out for me. By the time they came in to eat dinner, they were hungry, ready for a bath, and bed. It was a blessin’.

“But I also had Matthew. He wasn’t an absent father. He was active with the kids, all of ‘em. If he could take ‘em to work, he did, especially in the summer. I also had some help around here from the church ladies and a few of our cousins. Gotta have help, baby, or you’ll lose your mind.”

“Is that why you did all of this? Because you knew that they would need the support of the others?” asked Casey. The entire grove quieted, staring at Irene and Matthew. Matthew kissed his wife, hugging her gently.

“No, baby, we did this for love,” said Matthew. “They would have all been fine on their own. They’re strong men and women, smart. But bringing them all together, well, that turned the tables for each of them. They found their true loves by being together.”

“Wouldn’t they have found them anyway?” asked Casey.

“I don’t think so,” smirked Matthew. “But ask them. Ask Sly, Dex, Mac, Cruz, and Clay. If this place weren’t here, if you hadn’t come, would you have fallen in love with and married our daughters?” The five men frowned, shaking their heads.

“I don’t want to think about that,” said Cruz. “I mean, we came through here several times after missions, and I damn sure fell in love with your daughter. But if we hadn’t moved here, I don’t know what I would have done.”

“I can’t imagine my life without Suzette,” said Sly. “She saved me in so many ways, never giving up on our love for one another.”

“Same,” said Clay. “Adele is my everything. But for me, it goes all the way back to Kari taking my case against the VA and the Corps. I met her, which meant I met Miller and, in turn, came out here and met Adele.”

“What about Jake and Claudette?” asked Casey.

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