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Noah comes into the kitchen, in flannel pants and a T-shirt, and grumbles.
“Dad duties?”
He nods. “I’m on diaper duty.”
“Gross.”
“You’ll have to do it soon.”
I shake my head. “Ain’t no way. I’m a cuddler, not a cleaner.”
Noah rolls his eyes. “Is the coffee almost ready?”
I look at the pot with my magic eyes and then flip Noah off. “Does it look ready?”
“Pound sand, I’m tried.”
“Me, too, and sore.” I lean side-to-side to crack my back.
“That’s your fault. You could’ve left Juniper in her crib and gone to the guest room.”
“Wasn’t even an option, my man.” The coffee machine beeps, letting us know we can finally get some caffeine into our veins. Because I’m a nice brother-in-law, I pour Noah a cup first and then mine. In kind, he brings me the creamer.
“Sorry, this is all we have. Peyton drinks decaf and loads it down with this vanilla crap.”
“I don’t care right now,” I tell him as I stir it in. I need the jolt.
We stand there, drinking coffee and looking out his kitchen window. “Are you going to put a swing set in the backyard?”
Noah nods. “And a pool.”
“Really? Isn’t that dangerous?”
“We’ll put a locked fence around it and the babies will start swim lessons in the spring. My mom, Talisa, and Peyton will take the kids.”
“That’s smart.”
“Yeah,” Noah nods. “It’s the only way I’ll consider it. I’ve read too many horror stories about pools and toddlers. I’m not taking any chances.”
“What are you going to do with your house in Malibu?”
“Putting it on the market,” he says, and my heart sinks a bit.
“Well shit. I’m going to miss having you guys there.”
Noah looks at me. “You know you’re welcome here any time, and we’ll be back. Obviously, since your parents live there.”
I frown and take another sip. “I don’t think they’ll be there much longer. Elle spends more and more time here, now that she has that arrangement going on with your dad. Ben really likes the slower pace of life too, especially since the cancer shit.”
“Maybe you should move,” Noah suggests. “Do you really want to go back to the house you bought with someone you’re not with anymore?”
Ugh, it’s too early to think about life. I’m not sure I do. The house is fine, the design is odd, but it’s close to the beach which was a massive bonus for me. I don’t know if I could live in Beaumont. At least not full time. I wouldn’t want to give up surfing.
“Where’s her ring?”
“Somewhere in the middle of the park or at a pawn shop.” I take another sip and let the warm liquid settle. “I kept it with me in the beginning, because I thought we’d see each other, and everything would be right in the world. By the time the tour made it to Charleston, and I went to see her, I had it in my pocket and was going to give it to her because it was a gift. Only . . . Well, you know what happened there so I threw it into the park, figuring someone would pick it up. I hope they got a lot of money for it.”
“Dude, that’s diabolical and some shit Elle would do.”