Page 67 of Embers in the Outfield

“Awww, Clay, just getting a step closer to you.” Kennedy winks.

“The fuck, Skipper!”

They both laugh—traitors—and I scowl. After a beat, I bring my gaze back in front of me.

“Mom is going to lose her mind. She always looked at me as the one with my shit figured out. She never imagined River would save the day and get her a step closer to having grandchildren.”

I know my brother is playing around, but I see the slight change in his features when he makes that little joke. I know what he not only lost after Abby left but also what he lost when they were together. The moment she walked out, though, she took all his dreams with her.

I move my eyes to look into the rearview, catching my brother’s gaze where I’m joined with Kennedy. His gaze quickly darts up to meet mine, and he gives a small smile.

As we pull up to the house, we find my mother standing in her garden, pretending to tend to her flowers. The moment we park, she acts surprised to see us. This woman is way too transparent.

My brother and I move out of the car, my brother going in for a hug when my mom pushes him aside and grabs hold of my girlfriend, pulling her into a hug.

“Ma, what the hell?” Clay exclaims as my mother hushes him and directs all her words to Kennedy.

“Come here, you saint of a woman. I know what a pest River can be, and I’m so glad you’re taking a chance on him,” she says, and I stop in my tracks in shock that my mom would throw me under the bus like that.

“Hey, I heard that!” I say, throwing my hands up in the air.

“It was meant for you to hear, son. Now come along, make yourselves useful, boys. The table needs to be set. Kennedy and I have some chatting to do.” She gestures for my brother and me to go inside while she steals Kennedy away from me.

I look back at them, and the satisfied look moving across Kennedy’s’ face tells me all I need to know: she loves the fact she’s the new favorite in the Nichols household.

* * *

“Oh, you should have seen him. My sister and I were exhausted, and all we wanted was to put those rascals to bed and call it a day. We came back from the beach and bathed Clay, River, and Antonia together, but the look of horror that passed across his face was priceless. He pointed at his cousin Toni and said, ‘Auntie, her penis fell off!’”

Even as my mom retells this story for the hundredth time, she laughs about it like it’s her first time reliving it.

“I swear I nearly peed my pants.” My mother cackles, and Clay being the dick he is, laughs right there with her. Motherfucker! I’ll find a way to dig up some shitty story about him and share it with the next girl he brings over.

“Yeah, yeah, River didn’t realize girls had vaginas. Whoop-de-doo. Can we change subjects?” I say, a little scared of where another story may lead now that my mom brought out the big guns.

“Oh, you’ve got to share more. That was priceless!” Kennedy says as she wipes literal tears from the sides of her eyes.

“Oh, sweet girl, let me go get the photo album,” she says, and both my brother and I moan.

“Come on, Ma, not that. Please. Kennedy does not need to see me with my ass hanging out,” I beg, but my mother has already left the room.

“Yes, Kennedy does need to see this!” Kennedy responds, and I see the gleam in her eyes. She likes this too much.

My mom comes in holding not just one album but multiple, and I groan.

“Ma, we won’t be here that long. Please don’t tell me we’re going through all of these right now.” I move my hands through my hair.

“Oh hush, Riv. Let me have my moment,” she responds, and the smile Clay gives me is pure evil. He’s loving this too damn much.

Kennedy is moving her hands together like she’s gearing up to get all the dirt on me she possibly can. My mom is kind enough to start at the very beginning, and I decide now is the time to get up and grab a drink from the fridge.

“The boys were so cute when they were little. Even the nurse said they were beautiful from the moment they took their first breath.” My mom oozes pride as she talks about us.

“See, we couldn’t get enough photos when they were in the nursery at the hospital. They were the only boys born that day and the only twins too.” She’s pointing, and I know exactly what photos they are. We’re wrapped like burritos, and my brother and I were side by side in bassinets they had to keep together. We apparently needed to know where the other was at all times, even just hours out of the womb.

They’re flipping through photos, and Kennedy is asking questions about Clay and me. Most of the pictures they’re goingthrough are literally just us: our first swaddle, our first bath, our first time opening our mouth. I guess that’s what new parents do—they take a shit ton of photos, especially in the first hours of life.

They’re about halfway through the pictures, and we finally get into more group settings, where my parents are holding us outside at the hospital, our first trip to the zoo, in the park, and around the neighborhood.

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