Page 31 of Twice in a Lifetime

She turned to look at me. “And I really get my own room?”

I smiled and reached up to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear before caressing her cheek. My little thinker liked to have her own space, and there hadn’t been much of that in recent months. Having her own room would be a huge relief to her. “Yes, baby. You each have your own room.”

“You think he gots horses?” Ainsley practically shouted, bouncing up and down in her booster like she’s had pure sugar for breakfast.

“No, chickadee. No horses. But he does have a dog.”

It was a wonder her excited squeal didn’t shatter all the windows or burst my eardrums. “Lemme out! Lemme out! I wanna see!”

I didn’t make her wait any longer. Climbing out of the car, I moved to the back door and threw it open, helping Ainsley out of her seat so she and Adeline could climb out and explore like their brother.

“Don’t wander,” I called out as I moved around the car and opened the back hatch. “And stay where I can see you!”

“Yes, ma’am,” Adeline returned, taking her little sister’s hand as they jog-skipped toward the house for further investigation.

The sound of tires crunching on gravel caught my attention, and I spun around to see the line of vehicles coming down the drive. Rhodes’s truck was in the front, followed by Tristan’s. Behind him, Trick steered his Suburban while my mom sat in the passenger seat, with Sunny and her family bringing up the rear in a white sedan. It was moving day, and it looked like my crew had finally arrived.

Rhodes slammed the door to his truck and started toward me. The top half of his face was hidden by the shadow his baseball cap cast, but I could see the wide grin stretching his lips clear as day. I shouldn’t have taken notice of the way the sleeves of his white T-shirt bunched up above the swell of his biceps, like they couldn’t stretch over the muscles, but I did.

“Hey, Angel,” he greeted, stopping two feet in front of me and reaching up to twist his hat backward.Damn it. What was it about a backward ball cap that was so damn sexy? “Between Tris and me, we managed to get everything you had in storage packed up.”

I dragged my tongue across my dry lips, preparing to thank him, when Ainsley’s voice filled the air. “Mommy! I hear the dog!” Rhodes and I both turned in the direction of the front porch. My girls were standing at the door, their hands and earspressed hard against the wood. “She’s sayin’ she wants to meet me!”

Rhodes let out a chuckle and started toward my daughters. “Is that what Koda’s sayin’?”

Ainsley nodded earnestly, her turquois eyes big. “Uh-huh. She’s so sad, bein’ locked in there all by herself.”

He smiled at my youngest with such tenderness and affection I felt it in my chest. “Then we shouldn’t keep her waitin’.”

My girls bounced in place, waiting to meet the dog of the house.

He pressed the code to the lock—one he’d already given me, along with the key for backup—but before he opened the door, he said, “Now, she’s a big girl, and she might look a little scary, but I promise she’s gentle as a kitten. She’d never hurt you. But watch out for her tail when it really gets goin’. It can pack a punch if she whacks you with it.”

My girls nodded, Adeline giving him a, “Yes, sir.”

Sure enough, as soon as he pushed the door open, the dog I met at the beginning of the week charged out, her rear end swinging wildly. Her claws clicked against the wooden planks of the porch as her paws scrabbled around like she was dancing.

Ainsley let out an ear-piercing shriek. “Eeeeeee! She’s so pretty!”

“Koda, calm,” Rhodes ordered, and just like last time, the dog did her best to rein in her enthusiasm. She stood in place, her whole body practically vibrating as my kids loved all over her.

Avett came over just then, abandoning his attempt to climb one of the trees that lined the driveway. “That dog looks so much cooler than Uncle Tristan’s!” he exclaimed before running up the steps to get in on the petting action.

“Christ,” my brother grunted as he came up beside me, crossing his arms over his chest. “How quickly they’re willin’ to toss a guy over for one with a bigger dog.”

I bumped my arm into his and laid my head on his shoulder, smiling at his grumpy tone. “Don’t worry. You’ll always be their favorite uncle.”

He twisted his head to look down at me, his expression deadpan. “I’m their only uncle.”

“See?” I chirped. “You’re already ahead of the game.”

“I’ll have you know, Doc’s incredibly smart.” He harrumphed as he watched Ainsley latch her arms around Koda’s neck. “Sure, he’s not tall... and he looks more like a box than a dog?—”

“I always thought he resembled a rump roast with stubby little legs.”

I had to curl my lips between my teeth to keep from laughing at my brother’s glare. “My dog’s just as good as that one.” He threw his chin in Koda’s direction with a sneer. “You’ll see. You’ll miss Doc in no time.”

I nodded. “Of course,” I said solemnly, all the while thinking I highly doubted that.

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