Page 62 of Takedown

Before she said please, I was already out of bed and digging through our closet for clothes. “Sure, love. Text me the address and I’ll be there soon.”

Five minutes later, I’m downstairs and just about to make my exit out the back door when Diane pokes her head out.

“Are you leaving for the shower now?” Her voice is tentative and small. Jason pokes his head out too.

“Mel needs help,” is all I say. Jason and I haven’t talked since I got in his face almost a month ago.

“Would you mind if I ride with you? I’m a nervous driver in the snow, and I’d like to help too.”

I stare at her, unsure of how to respond. “Let me call Mel and see how much help she needs.”

She purses her lips, crosses her arms, and waits. Mel must be inundated because she doesn’t balk at her mother coming, so I spend the next fifteen minutes in my car with my passenger. Neither one of us said a word the entire time.

The instant we arrive, Ananda grabs Diane and takes her into the kitchen to set up the food. It’s like a pink explosion when I get there. I’m not sure if it’s because Alex is having a girl or because Jake’s wife is obsessed with the color, but I’ve never seen so much pink in my life, including the pink shirt my wife said I had to wear.

It took everyone three hours to get the house decorated and set up for the shower. It didn’t help that Jake and Sandy’s seven-month-old son was attempting to crawl all over the place. I ended up strapping him to my chest while we worked. By the time the guests start to arrive, I’m no longer needed to do manual labor and am left to enjoy the party.

“If those two spent less time kissing, we would have been done hours ago,” Mel whispers to me. Our hosts are in a corner of the kitchen and Jake has his wife pinned to the wall while he grazes her neck. She lets out a shaky laugh and pushes him away.

Their son, Jackson, smiles at me. He’s a curly haired, tanned version of his father. Even though he’s only seven months old, he has a head full of dark curls. He laughs, and drool runs down his chin. I wipe it with his bib, and he sticks a chubby hand in my hair and pulls.

I put an arm around my wife and pull her close. “You having fun?” I ask her. “Are you going to take a turn doing that?” I jerk my chin toward Ananda who is wrapping a long piece of toilet paper around Alex’s stomach. “Whatever the hell that is.”

The baby in my arms grabs my nose and starts to bounce, laughing and gurgling.

“He likes you.” Mel tries to reach for him, but he pushes her hand away and lays his head on my shoulder.

“Back in Dublin, I was the bairn whisperer.” I embellish my brogue, and I don’t miss how my wife licks her lips and looks at my mouth. We lean against the wall and look in the living room as everyone laughs and talks at once.

“You know, love, I’d like nothing more than for us to find an empty room upstairs and bend you over.” I lower my head close to her ear, letting my mouth tickle her earlobe. “I didn’t get a chance to give that pussy a pounding this morning.” I lick her earlobe, and she jumps in shock. Jackson claps and drools a big glob of spit on my hand.

She hooks her free arm with mine and rests her chin on my bicep. I lean down and kiss the top of her head.

“I got a tour of the house before you got here.” She lets out a loud whistle. “It’s gorgeous. The master bedroom is almost as big as our apartment. They have a pool too. That’s so impractical here, isn’t it? We only get a couple of months of summer, but I would love a pool. Honestly, their old house is like my dream house. Life’s unfair sometimes, isn’t it?” She sighs wistfully. A tinge of guilt hits, and I open my mouth to tell her everything, but someone in the other room laughs, and I realize this is not the time or the place.

“You want to buy their old house?” I ask her instead.

She lets out an undignified snort. “It’s not for sale, but we couldn’t afford it even if it were. Besides, I like the city. We might have to find a fixer upper. That wouldn’t be so bad since you’re good with your hands.” She puts her face on my bicep and kisses it. Jackson reaches for Mel’s hair and gives it a good tug. I remove his little hand and he whacks me on the nose and laughs.

Our little bubble is interrupted when Addy comes running to us with her grandma behind her. She seems irritated when she sees me holding another baby. She raises both her hands and tries to climb my legs.

“My Unco Ada,” she says. Diane picks her up and when Mel drops my arm, she puts Addison in my free arm. She kisses my cheek and rests her head on my shoulder.

“Told you, Mel.” I wink at my wife, and she rolls her eyes. I bounce both kids.

“So,” Diane says, making no moves to walk away, “I see you’re comfortable with kids, Adam. You’re an only child, right?”

Mel goes completely rigid.

“The only child of a single mother,” I tell her, weighing my words carefully. “But my ma comes from a large family, and I have cousins back in Dublin. Maybe I can take you for a visit next year, love,” I say to Mel.

She gives me a doubtful look. For once, I’m happy to have her mother nearby. There’s no way she’ll go on a tirade about how we can’t afford European vacations with her mother around. I can practically hear her doing the calculations in her head.

“Maybe,” she says, but I know she’s only saying that for the sake of our audience. When Diane turns away, Mel shakes her head no.

“Ireland,” her mother says. “Mellie’s never been out of the country.”

“Well, we’re going to Paris this summer,” I tell her.

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