11. Peck
11
PECK
When my sisters are all in a room, there will be trouble. And there is trouble now. It’s the night before the wedding, and Gabby doesn’t want a traditional bachelorette party. She wanted everyone to get together, so that’s what we did. Mr. Jacobson opened the game room at Lake Fisher, even though it wasn’t raining, and he grumbled about people who disregarded traditions the whole time.
Apparently, the game room at Lake Fisher is only open when it rains because Mr. Jacobson thinks it’s more important to be outside enjoying all the lake has to offer, as opposed to playing arcade games. Truth be told, though, these games aren’t like video games today are. They’re the old-style skee ball games, ping pong, pool, and air hockey. There’s Tempest and Pacman. And they’re so much fun! It’s the perfect place for a sort of bachelorette night. The guys all went to do manly stuff, Mr. Jacobson had said after he let us all into the game room.
I had no idea Marta was such a pool shark, but she is. She and Emilio arrived this morning because, as he had stated, “I go where my daughters go. “
“I used to travel with Emilio, you know,” Marta said. “I had to have something to do during the downtime, so we would go to pool halls and hustle people out of their hard-earned money,” she admits with a laugh as she breaks the balls with a clatter.
“Tell us more,” Finny says as she balances a cue stick on the top of her head. It falls off, but she catches it before it can hit the floor.
Marta closes one eye and focuses on her next shots. She shoots two balls home. “What would you like to know?” she asks.
“If you could give our girl Gabby—” she grabs Gabby in what looks like a headlock, but I know it is much softer because I’ve received a lot of them”—one piece of advice, what would it be?”
“Not to follow anybody’s advice in your marriage,” Marta says candidly.
“Boo!” Finny says, giving her an exaggerated thumbs-down.
“Hear me out,” Marta says.
“Fine.” Finny pretends to give up, hitching her hip on the edge of the pool table. “Please enlighten us.”
“Never take advice on your marriage—except this. Every relationship is different, and what works for one couple might not work for another. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in 30-plus years, it’s this: always choose kindness. There will be days when you’re tired, frustrated, or just plain fed up, but it’s in those moments that a kind word or a gentle touch can make all the difference. Marriage isn’t about being perfect; it’s about being patient, forgiving, and willing to grow together. Remember to laugh often, say ‘I’m sorry’ when you need to, and never forget why you fell in love in the first place. Keep choosing each other every single day.” She takes a deep breath and sinks two more balls with a well-placed strike of the pool cue. “That’s all I can tell you, Gabby.”
“And fuck his brains out on the regular,” Finny tosses in.
Gabby’s face turns red, but she has spent enough time with Finny to know what to expect from her, which is pretty much anything.
Katie stabs her fingers in her ears and shouts, “La la la la la la la!” which makes Gabby laugh.
“Like you’ve never had sex before!” Gabby shouts so she can hear her with her ears stuffed.
“I’ve had lots of sex,” Katie admits, “and I have the kids to prove it.” She sticks her tongue out at Gabby.
“Ew,” Gabby says, scrunching up her nose.
Someone calls for gifts, and we all move over to a small lounge area, where Gabby proceeds to open gifts for about an hour. She is absolutely scandalized by some, intrigued by others, and disgusted by one of them. I told Finny she wouldn’t like that, but she insisted that every woman needed it in her sexual arsenal.
After a while, I’m visibly fading, and so is Gabby. “You have a big day tomorrow,” her mom reminds her. Gabby yawns. “True. I’m ready, though.”
“Are you?” her mom asks softly. Her mom is sitting at her feet, where Katie has been passing gifts to her and keeping track of who gave her what.
“Yeah, I am,” Gabby says softly.
“I’m sorry your dad’s not here,” Katie says, and I think this is a private moment that’s supposed to be between them.
Gabby presses a hand to her heart. “He’ll be here. It’s okay.”
We all disburse and head back to our cabins. I heard Katie and Gabby are staying in Gabby’s room together. Seth is sleeping on the couch.
As I walk toward the cabin in the dark, I hear a slight creak, and I look over, expecting to find a small animal on the porch of the cabin where I know Edward and Avery are staying. Instead, I see Edward. He’s rocking slowly, his daughter in his arms, as he sits and holds a bottle to her mouth.
“Everything okay?” I ask as I walk closer.
“Everything is perfect,” he says quietly with a grin. He looks toward the game room. “I thought you guys would be out later,” he admits.
“Everyone was tired,” I say with a yawn. “Big day tomorrow.” I look back and see Avery talking with Gabby and her mom outside the game room. “Wait,” I say. “I thought the men were all off getting shit-faced or something.”
He chuckles. “Only some of us got shit-faced. Mr. Jacobson and Henry were the biggest offenders,” he admits. “Then Jake and Emilio got into a pissing contest, like a real-life pissing contest, to see who could piss the farthest. Emilio won, probably because he drank more beer. Then we all walked down to this big bridge, and Sam and Pete fell in, so everyone else followed. It was all ridiculous. Even Mr. Jacobson jumped in.”
“Did you jump?” I ask.
“I did. But then I came home.” He gestures to the baby in his arms. “She always wakes up once a night, and Avie pumps so I can feed her. It’s kind of our time. I love it, and I didn’t want to miss it, so I came home to change clothes, sent the babysitter home, and she woke up like she was waiting for me to get back.”
“You’re a good dad, Edward,” I say. I can still remember what he was like when Pete first brought him to meet the family. He was a mess, desperate for validation and looking for a place to belong.
“It’s not that hard, honestly,” he says with a shy smile. “I don’t know why some dads struggle with it. It’s honestly the easiest and most rewarding job I’ve ever had.”
I yawn again and sit on the top step since I can still see Avery talking with Katie. “I wish somebody had told my mom that,” I admit. My mom finally succumbed to her addiction a year ago. Sam and I had put her through rehab several times, and the last time she got out, she went out and got a bad batch of drugs the same day we’d picked her up. She died. We buried her in a neat and tidy grave, and the only people who came to the funeral were our friends and Sam’s family. Well, our family, really. He shares them freely.
Edward doesn’t say anything about my comment. His mom had a substance use disorder, too. He knows exactly where I’m coming from. When my mom died, it felt like closing the cover of a book I never wanted to read.
“When I was younger,” I say, “I would have given anything for a good family.”
“Now you’ve got one,” he reminds me. “But the best part of it is that you get to give your kids what you never had—a family with people you can trust to care for them. That’s what every kid needs. Just someone to trust.” He stares wistfully down at his daughter’s face. Her lips are still moving, but the bottle has fallen to the side.
The door opens, and Penny sticks her head out. “Dad,” she starts. She stops when she sees me, and I can see her cheeks turn pink under the porch light. “I mean—Edward. Can you come and tuck me in?”
“I’ll be right there,” he says quietly. Penny steps back into the doorway and closes it softly behind her.
I grin. “Dad, huh? Is that new?”
He smiles. “It started a few months ago, but she only does it when we’re alone. It’s almost like she’s testing me out. The first time she did it, she stumbled over her words and rushed to ask me if it was all right.”
“How does that make you feel?” I ask, my voice quiet in the night. It feels like a loaded question. Even the cicadas go quiet as I wait for his response.
“Honestly, it’s the best fucking thing ever,” he says with a laugh. “I mean, being married to Avery is great, but being a dad to these two kids—that’s on a whole other level. Equal in perfection, but different.”
“Did you ever think you’d get here?” I don’t mean here at Lake Fisher. I mean here in his life.
“When I was younger, I saw a bleak future. But you know the rest,” he admits with a soft smile. “I’m here now, and that’s what matters. I’ve heard people say that you go through life wanting your kids to have what you never had, and I never had anybody love me. So, I make sure they have that because I can’t help but feel like if they have that, they have the world.” He adjusts the baby so he can stand up. “I’m going to get my daughters to bed,” he announces as he stands up. “Everything okay with you?” he asks at the last minute when I don’t immediately get up.
“Yeah, I’m just going to sit here and bask in this feeling for a minute.”
“Have fun,” he says quietly. He goes inside and shuts the door behind him.
Avery strolls up, stopping when she sees me sitting on her top step. “Everything okay?” she asks as she sits down next to me. She bumps my shoulder with hers.
“I was just talking about life with Edward. Did you know Penny is calling him Dad?” I ask.
Avery laughs lightly. “I do, but she doesn’t do it around me yet. She’s still trying it on for size, I think. It makes Edward feel like a million bucks, though, so I hope she keeps it up.” She glances at her watch. “I’m actually not surprised he beat me home. He likes his quiet time with the baby. It’s almost like he’s sucking up all the love he didn’t get growing up and basking in it, even. It’s fun to watch him be a dad. Endless patience and love. He reminds me of my parents and how they were with me and Penny. Boundless devotion, I guess you’d call it.”
“I think it’s sweet.”
She gets up, brushing her butt off. “I’m going to get to bed unless you need me for something.”
“No, go to bed,” I say. “Tomorrow is going to be a busy day.” I get up with a groan.
When I get to my cabin, I send the babysitter home, take a shower, and crawl into my bed. It’s late when I hear Sam come in, and I hear him curse as he trips over the rug in the entryway. Then, he bumps into the coffee table and knocks the lamp over. I get up and stand in the doorway to the bedroom and watch him as he tries to navigate the furniture he’s not used to.
“Fuck,” he mutters as he stubs his toe against an old chest.
“Follow my voice, Sam,” I say with a quiet laugh. “This way.”
He looks up and grins that goofy smile he only has when he’s drunk. “I have to shower off the lake water. Pete pushed me into the lake.” He burps loudly.
“Why does that not surprise me?” I ask as I go to the small bathroom and flip on the light for him.
“You light up my life,” he says with a snort. “You give me hope,” he continues.
“That’s enough,” I say, shushing him. I lean against the edge of the bathroom counter as he turns on the water and steps in. He doesn’t close the door, so I take that as an invitation to join him. I strip and step in, and he grabs me and holds me close just like he always does.
“Did you have fun tonight?” he asks.
“Finny gave Gabby a couple of vibrators,” I admit. “She was thoroughly embarrassed.”
“Be glad that’s all she gave her, I guess,” he says with a laugh. “It could have been much worse.”
“True,” I say with a shrug. Sam pulls me from the shower and dries me off, wrapping me in a towel.
“I missed you,” he says.
“Hey, did you know that Penny is calling Edward Dad?” I ask as he turns down our covers.
He nods. “He’s trying not to make a deal of it.”
“It’s a big deal.”
“It is,” he agrees. “Huge.” He points down below his waist. “You know what else is huge?” He waggles his brows.
“That might be an overstatement.” I snort.
“Wait. I’ll prove it to you,” he says as he rolls me onto my back and stares down at me. He runs the side of his nose up the length of mine. “God, I love you,” he says. And as he settles between my spread thighs, I believe him with my whole heart.