Page 83 of Under Her Skin
“No! Lord have mercy! Lexi, these kids!” I walk away as Zoey grabs one leg and Zane grabs the other. They giggle like crazy people as they try to slow medown.
Lexi grabs the baby and follows behind me. Once I reach the door she gets the kids to leave me alone, using just one word, “Stop.”
They let go as if she magically made them somehow. I look ather.
“You have to teach me your ways, you’re a Jedimaster.”
“Iam,”she says as she scoots the kids back. A little kiss she leaves on mycheek.
“Hurry back to me. And thanks again for meeting with this guy for my brother, Josh. It’s a really sweet and nice thing for you to do,Max.”
I smack my head and turn back as I remember we have guestscoming.
“What time are Kip and Peyton gettinghere?”
“Around four, Peyton said. They’re coming in on his new chopper, since you helped him get hislicense.”
“Cool, I’ll try to have this guy squared away by then so we can chill out by the pool with you guys,” I say and make my way to thecar.
Looks like it’s going to be a fullday!
Kip
“I know I put his toy in the diaper bag, Peyton. Keep looking,” I say as our one-year-old son, Pax, screams his headoff.
Rachelle, my wife Peyton’s, best friend tries to distract the child by making silly faces at him. We’re in my new helicopter, flying to Houston to spend the weekend with our friends, theLanes.
I didn’t know Pax was going to freak out when he realized his little stuffed bear wasn’t by his side once he woke up. Peyton pulls the bear out of the bag with an expression of triumph on her prettyface.
“Here it is! I have it,” she shouts over his wails. “Here, baby, look Mommy foundit.”
His mouth shuts, and he sniffles and holds his hand out for his toy. I roll my eyes at mywife.
“You really need to work with him more. He’s a very demandingchild.”
“He’s your son. All the way around, Kip, he’s you. From his dark blond hair to his deep blue eyes, the boy is you all over again, bad temper and all.” She pats the back of myhand.
“I don’t even have a temper, Peyton,” I say as I adjust our speed as we come into a little cloudbank.
“No, sure you don’t,” she says with a laugh. She turns to look at Rachelle in the back seat. “This man has no temper, but let me tell you what. If you use the last egg without getting more and it is early on a Sunday morning, watch out! This man will read you the riot act and let you know that can never happen, notever.”
I do recall that particular little scene, but I was dog tired from a night of agony as our son was cutting his first tooth, and there was no coffeeeither.
The mansion comesinto view and I see the pad has been cleared for me. Max and I have been mates for a couple of years, but it seems like forever. He and his wife are as close as siblings to me andmine.
It doesn’t take long once we land to find their twins running towards us. Zoey shouts, “Hunky Kip, AuntiePeyton!”
I hold out my arms and she rushes into them, little kisses she pecks all over my face as she holds my cheeks between her smallhands.
“How’s mygirl?”
“I’m fine. How’s my pony?” she asks. I bought her and her brother ponies last Christmas and kept them at our place in LosAngeles.
Her brother, Zane, tugs at my pantsleg.
“Is my pony being good, UncleKip?”
“He is,” I say and put Zoey down and tussle the little, blonde boy’shair.
