Page 71 of Where It All Began
Phoebe settled Beckett on her hip while John hefted Jackson over his shoulder. Carter hopped on his father’s back.
“Thank you just doesn’t seem like enough.” Phoebe leaned in to wrap Elvira in a well-earned, one-armed hug.
Elvira smirked. “Please. Piece of cake. I don’t know what you parents are always complaining about,” she winked.
John, juggling Jax, exchanged a shoulder slapping manshake with Michael.
“Welcome home,” Hazel said, pressing a coffee cup into Phoebe’s hand.
“I’m afraid to go inside,” Phoebe whispered.
Hazel’s laugh boomed under the porch roof. “There’s no puke. I promise.”
“I frowed up yesterday,” Jax announced cheerfully from John’s arms.
“He gets his emotional eating from me,” Phoebe joked.
Donovan wrapped his chubby little arms around her leg. “My Mommy and Daddy wrestle nakeds just like you and Uncca John!”
“Oh, lord.” Phoebe clamped a hand over Donovan’s mouth.
“Let’s see if we can dig up some booze for that coffee,” Hazel said, red-faced.
“Kitchen pantry behind the wheat bran,” Phoebe called after her.
With her arms full of boys, she stepped into the house that no longer smelled like blueberry vomit. It smelled lemony with a hint of lavender. The living room had been redecorated with a large quilt and cushion fort bursting with blankets and pillows. The hallway floor was swept clean, and there wasn’t a speck of dust on any of the picture frames dotting the entryway walls.
Gone was the puddle of disgustingness. The linoleum gleamed brighter than new. The kitchen counters were clear, the breakfast dishes were drying next to the sink, and there was a full pot of coffee on.
“I know John is my husband and all, but I’d marry each and every one of you for this,” Phoebe said, feeling her eyes grow misty.
Murdock, the aging canine who refused to embrace his elderliness, woke in his bed in the corner. His rear end wagged, and he let out a greeting yip before rolling onto his back and falling asleep again. Sadie, the dopic retriever John had found on the roadside with a broken leg, danced at their feet until one of the cats wandered through the kitchen drawing her attention.
“Let’s see,” Elvira said. “Nordemann worked her magic on your casserole dish. I don’t know how she got that charcoal brick out of it, but it’s good as new. The dishtowels were a complete loss. Hazel picked some new ones up on her way in this morning. The boys had breakfast. Laundry’s done and hanging out on the line. And there’s sandwich fixings for lunch.”
“Alfie Cofax and Carson showed up at six a.m. and should be finished with the spraying by noon,” Hazel put in. John swiped a hand over his face and rubbed the back of his neck.
“There’s also a new deadbolt on your bedroom door after MacGyver here announced that he learned to pick your lock,” Michael said, jerking his thumb in Carter’s direction.
“Carter!” Phoebe gasped impressed and horrified.
He shrugged his shoulders, a move that was one hundred percent Phoebe. “Beckett locked me out once, an’ I didn’t like it.”
John, in a rare display of emotion, grabbed Elvira by the shoulders and placed a loud kiss on her mouth. The boys cackled when he repeated the same with Hazel and even Michael.
“Who wants one more game ofSuper Mario?” Michael asked, clapping his hands. He winked at his wife.
Hands shot up around the room, including John’s.
“Go play with your friends, Michael,” Hazel grinned.
Team Testosterone stampeded into the living room, and Phoebe sat down at the table. “I honestly don’t know what I’d do without all of you.”
“You’ll never have to find out,” Elvira promised, squeezing her hand and sliding the donuts closer.
“What’s this?” Phoebe asked, fingering the envelope on the table.
“It’s an application from Nordemann. She’s starting up some committee for the betterment of Blue Moon,” Hazel rolled her eyes.
