Chapter 13
Knox
Simon led me to the noisy part of the house. There was a big family room straight ahead, which was open to a dining room with a giant table. A breakfast bar separated the dining room from the kitchen. All three rooms were crowded with people, about a third of whom I knew at a glance.
“Want me to introduce you all at once?” Simon asked.
I shook my head. “I’ll just make the rounds and do it gradually. I’ll start with those familiar faces.” I pointed at Ava, who stood nearby with Hayden, Everly, and another woman.
“I’ll see if Faye needs more help.” He pointed to the kitchen where there were several women plus Cash.
“Hey, man of the hour,” Ava said as I walked up to their group. “And surprise baby of the year,” she directed toward the carrier.
“Hi, half-brother.” Hayden gave me a hug. “Hi, adorable niece,” she whispered to Juniper.
“Hi, Knox,” Everly said, slipping an arm around me to pull me into their group protectively. I didn’t know if she even realized what she was doing, but I appreciated the small but welcoming gesture.
“I’m Sierra,” the fourth woman, a taller brunette with her hair in a ponytail, said, holding out her hand.
I shook it. “Nice to meet you. Let’s see, Cole is yours, no kids?” Holden and Chloe had gone over the couples with me on the drive in.
“Nailed it,” she said. “It’s good to meet you. Congratulations on fatherhood.” Her gaze lowered to Juniper, and she got that what-a-cute-baby expression.
“Thank you. It’s a lot to get used to.” I laughed, mostly because that was the biggest understatement of my life. “How are you ladies?” I hefted the car seat up to the arm of the chair next to me to rest my arm and bring Juniper closer.
“We’re basking in our auntie-ness,” Hayden said. “Or at least I am.”
“How can we not?” Everly said. “I’ve gone from zero to two, one niece and one nephew, in just a few months. Auntie-ness is awesome.”
“Pretty sure we have the cutest niece and nephew ever,” Ava said.
“I don’t know. My nephews are super cute,” Sierra said.
“Hey, your nephews are my nephews,” Hayden said.
“I wonder if they’re my nephews too.” Ava looked puzzled, and all of them laughed.
I was clearly not in on the joke.
“Between in-laws and steps and now halves, our family likes to joke about who’s actually related and how,” Sierra explained. “Hayden used to be just my bestie, but now we’re sisters-in-law. And stepsisters-in-law. We think.”
“And they’ve apparently always had a rep for causing trouble together,” Ava said.
They all laughed again, and this time I laughed with them even though I didn’t think I’d ever keep the family ties straight, even if you drew me a family tree. I wondered if I’d ever feel a part of this instead of like an outsider and merely a half-relative.
“Where’s your son?” I asked Hayden.
“In the basement with the dads,” she replied.
I tried to figure out who the dads were besides her husband, Zane. Before I could puzzle through it, she said, “Mason has Calvin and Jasper. Gabe has Wyatt. Zane has Harrison. They’re likely doing rowdy boy things down there.”
“I haven’t met any of them but your husband and son.” I looked around to see who else I knew and who I didn’t, now that the whole group wasn’t focused on me.
“I’ll introduce you to the women. They’re more fun anyway,” Hayden said.
Our group migrated toward the dining room, where four women were gathered at one end of the table, immersed in conversation.
“Eliza’s facing us,” Hayden said, gesturing. “She plays fiddle for Steele Hearts.” The dark-haired woman looked up and waved.
“Married to Mason, with two kids,” I recited.
“You’ve been thoroughly prepped,” Everly said.
“The car ride in was a crash course,” I admitted.
“Next to Eliza is Miranda, one of the North cousins,” my half-sister continued.
“Hi,” Miranda sang out, and the other two women, who had their backs to us, turned to say hello too.
“Geraldine, meet Knox Breckenridge,” Hayden introduced, indicating the oldest at the table, a smiling woman with a reddish-brown bob hairstyle.
“Nice to meet you,” I said. “Are you a cousin or a North?”
“Neither,” the woman in her sixties said and let out a loud laugh. “I’m called the honorary auntie. I’m BFFs with Faye and her sister, Liz.” She pointed at both women, who were in the midst of chaos in the kitchen and not paying attention to us.
I shook her hand. “There’s a lot of aunts around here. It’s tough for an only child to get used to.”
“Good lord, an only child? Me too,” Geraldine said. “As you can see, they don’t know how to do only children around here. You and I’ll have to stick together.”
I winked at her. “Definitely.”
Hayden threw her arms around the last woman from behind. “This is my sister-in-law Lexie.”
“Married to Gabe,” I said.
“Mom of Wyatt,” Hayden added.
“Painter of murals,” Eliza said.
“None of them lie,” Lexie said in a quiet but warm voice. “Welcome to the madness, Knox. It’s not too late to run away screaming.”
I wanted to know more about the murals and the fiddle playing, but my questions would have to wait, as a boy around five or six years old burst into the room from the basement stairs. I was guessing he was Calvin.
“Mimi, all the boys downstairs want to know how long till eats?” he hollered.
Faye paused what she was doing, held an inviting arm out for her grandson, and looked to Cash. “Thirty minutes, Cash?”
The chef took in the different dishes in the works and nodded. “About that.”
“Do you need me to sample something?” Calvin asked, eliciting laughter and comments from the family—and a mini pickle from the veggie tray.
As the boy tore off to the basement again, Juniper stirred. Just a few days ago, her waking was a stressful event for me, every single time, but today it brought a wave of relief. It gave me an excuse to step out of the pandemonium for a few minutes.
I excused myself and carried the car seat into Simon’s man cave, then unbuckled the baby. “Hey, June Bug. You have no idea what I’ve gotten us into today. I have a feeling you’re gonna get loved on like you’ve never been loved on before.”
As I lifted her out of her cozy nest, I kissed her cheek and she cooed—so far contentedly.
We were getting to a point where, if I caught her early enough upon waking, I could get her diaper changed and mix up her bottle before she tuned up into a hungry fuss.
I liked to think she was learning to trust that I’d have what she needed, but more than likely, it was just that I’d figured out ways of distracting her from her basic needs for a few minutes.
I pulled out the changing pad and spread it on the floor, then did a quick diaper change. After that, I shook the premeasured bottle and settled onto the chair to feed her, needing a few minutes of quiet to process this significant day so far.
A few hours later, dinner was over, and we’d all moved downstairs to the finished basement where everyone could fit in one big room together for cake.
As I understood it, Faye had had the lower level finished as her family continued to expand.
At one end was a play area where the boys were enthralled with a supply of toys so big it could only have been provided by doting grandparents.
The other two-thirds was a family room with a giant sectional, a sofa, a love seat, a couple of chairs, and lots of floor pillows.
There was a stone fireplace on one side, giving the room a warm, homey feeling despite how big it was and the fact it was underground.
The egress windows helped, even though it was now dark outside.
The whole house had a welcoming feel to it.
Both the Norths and the Henrys—with the exception of Cash—had been friendly and seemed interested in getting to know me and fawning over my daughter.
There was nothing I could complain about, but I gravitated to one of the edges and sat next to Seth, appreciating that he was one of the quietest people here, content to watch and listen for the most part, while everyone else interacted with jokes and teasing and nonstop references to things I didn’t understand.
Memories, inside jokes, shared stories. None of it was meant to make me feel like an outsider, but despite their friendliness and attempts to fill me in, I did.
When my cake was devoured, Juniper needed another diaper change and was giving signs she wanted to eat.
I was once again relieved to escape the nonstop clamor as I climbed the stairs with her.
I was used to living alone and had only recently started adjusting to having both Juniper and Quincy in my living space. Twenty-some others was a tall order.
As I changed her in the den, I wondered what it would’ve been like to grow up with this, with all the people, all the love, all the connections.
I’d had friends at every stage of my life, but there was a difference between those relationships and the closeness these people shared.
To think the two families had only joined recently, first with the marriage of Hayden and Zane and then when Faye and Simon had tied the knot, was astounding.
They all acted like they’d known each other their whole lives.
Longing to be a part of it seeped through me.
After fastening the clean diaper and fixing Juniper’s denim jumper dress, I grabbed her chubby feet and made bicycle circles. She laughed, as I’d hoped she would. That giggle sent a spike of joy through me more intoxicating than Rusty Anchor’s Deep Waters IPA.
“You think we’ll fit in here someday?” I asked her in a quiet voice.
Her eyes met mine, and I felt that connection again. It was the strangest thing, to connect with such a small human, and one I’d only met recently at that. But it was absolutely a bond that reached clear to my heart.