“God help me.” Jake shook his head at his brothers’ laughter. “It’s not funny. She never dressed you up.”
“Nope.” Tony chuckled and took a sip of his beer. “Just the luck of the sibling order draw.”
“Well, he was a beautiful little boy. That dark hair curling around his ears. Big brown eyes.”
“Mom. You’re not helping.”
“I’ll help. He was gross. Always dipping his pizza in orange juice.”
Paige’s mouth dropped open and she swung her gaze to Jake.
He winked and squeezed her neck.
“Besides, I played with you,” Lizzie said, just as a group of kids came rushing in. “I let you be the dog, didn’t I?”
“You were the dog?” Casey asked, climbing into Jake’s lap and making herself comfortable.
“And painted your nails,” Lizzie added, laughing. “You can’t say I left you out.”
“I painted his nails too!” Casey exclaimed.
Jake shook his head at the relentless heckling that ensued, but then Casey smiled up at him, and the way he smiled back told Paige he’d let her do it again if she asked.
Mary, Caroline, Cole, and Mitchell sidled up to their respective parents, all angelic faces.
“Uh-oh. Looks like a plan has been hatched,” Matt said. “Brace yourself.”
“We want to have a spend-the-night,” Caroline said.
“Hmm.” Stephen grabbed his son in a headlock. “That might be arranged.”
“And Casey wants to stay too,” Cole added.
Still in Jake’s lap, Casey turned to her. “Mommy, you have to see this room. It’s the best room ever!”
“Really?” She didn’t doubt it. Everything about this house and family was the best.
Andrew stood and stretched. “Time to round up my people.”
Planning, negotiating, and reminding people of other plans they had in the morning followed. One had a birthday party, one a Scout outing.
Casey led Paige up the back stairs while exactly who could stay was sorted out. Family photographs and children’s framed art lined the wall. Paige passed them slowly to look at each one, and to search for Jake.
They came to the top and into a large room. Two entire walls were dedicated to built-in bunk beds, two sets on each wall that met in the corner for a total of eight beds. The rest of the space was available for open play and from the looks of it had been well used over the past few hours.
“Are you sure this is okay?” she asked Hannah.
“Positive. We haven’t done it in a while.”
“But you’re so…”
“Pregnant?” Hannah laughed.
“No. I meant…” That’s exactly what she’d meant, though not in a bad way.
Hannah smiled. “It’s fine, really. Stephen will handle it.”
“I’ll blame this on my two,” Abby said. “They’re usually the instigators.”
Casey made her way up a ladder only slightly slower than the other kids and sat on one of the top bunks. “It’s so cool! I already picked out my bed.”
“Wow, this is a great room.” And the kids did seem to know what was going on, like this wasn’t a new thing.
“Yeah, I’m not sure if Stephen is planning to have eight kids or if it’s for the cousins, but either way it works.”
“Can I stay?” Casey yelled, now sitting on the next bed over with Caroline.
“It’s amazing. All of it.” The room, the kids, the women. She had exactly zero friends with kids.
“Matt and Stephen can’t sit still,” Abby was saying. “You’d think they’d be busy enough with their work outside the house, but no. Always a project.”
“They did it first for the riding camp cabins,” Hannah told her. “Then Matt did it for Abby, then this house.”
“Mine’s next,” Beth said. “My youngest is eight, but it’s just too cute. You know Marge is dying to turn her basement into sleepover central.”
Hannah’s and Abby’s eyes went wide. “That is the best idea I ever heard. A grandparent sleep station.”
“Can I stay?” Casey called out.
“It’s not easy to get alone time,” Abby said with a smile. “I should know.”
“What? You’ve got built-in babysitters,” Hannah said.
“True. Annie and Gracie are always willing. Even Jack does a good job, but there was a time. Dark days.” She grinned and faked a shiver running through her body. “Though Matt can get creative when he needs to,” she added with a slightly dreamy look.
Paige felt a tingle zip through her, thinking of all the ways she imagined Jake could get creative. Pictured them trying to sneak away for stolen moments. “How long have you been married?”