Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
T he kids were fed, the animals were fed, the grown-ups were fed.
Everyone was tickled with their bikes and their toys and the promise of a piano so everyone who wanted could have lessons.
It was deeply satisfying to see Mina and Johnny coloring, while Lucy unpacked a new sewing machine. Mason was outside riding his bike with Suki chasing him, and Ricky and Benji set up their new phones.
Brooks sat in one of the recliners he’d bought, the pair of them his gift to Coop. With so many kids, there was never any room on the couch, or even on the damn floor.
And this chair, the one he was sitting in? It had a heater and a massager. Built in.
He had both turned on, and he was warm and buzzing and blissful.
“Uncle Coop? Can you play babies with me?” Mina didn’t wait for his answer, she just plopped the dolls on his belly and climbed into his lap. “This is Sally and this is Lisa and they are so sweet. You can hold Sally and feed her. ”
He grabbed the tiny toy bottle and put it between the doll’s lips. “There, now, little baby doll. Have some milk, huh?”
Mina beamed at him. “You play the best.”
“Thank you, honey. Feed yours, and then we’ll burp them.” He understood make-believe.
“Okay.” She sang a little weird momma song as she fed her baby, then she handed him a fake towel.
When he glanced up, Brooks was watching him with a gleam of…well, it wasn’t amusement. He thought it was more than fond, too.
“Oh, thank you, sweetheart.” He put the baby on his chest and gently patted her cloth body.
She did the same, and then she was curling up with him and she was asleep in no time, the excitement wearing her right out.
“That is one happy baby girl.” Benji shook his head. “She loves you.”
“Of course she does. She’s my Mina.” He wasn’t a dad, no, but he was Uncle Coop, and he knew it.
“She is. I’m thinking about heading out on the third. There’s a three-week bullfighting intensive in Toronto, and I’m competing for a couple of positions.” Benji wasn’t asking permission exactly, but he kind of was, wasn’t he?
“Huh. Well, that’s good, kiddo. Right, Brooks?” He wanted Brooks in on this discussion.
“It is. Good on ya, Benji. You’ll do great.”
“How long will you be gone?” Johnny frowned at Benji. “You’re coming back, right?”
“Sure. Sure, three weeks this time, and then it’ll depend on my job? But Uncle Coop and Brooks are going to be here, okay? They’re going to stay here.”
Coop nodded. “That’s right. Your brother has to get back to work, and I’m going to hold down the fort with your Uncle Brooks.”
“I don’t want you to go, though. I want to go with you!”
Lucy shook her head. “You can’t, Johnny. You have school and robotics, and you wanted piano lessons. It’s boring sitting in a trailer.”
Johnny nodded, but the little boy’s eyes filled with tears. “I know. But you’ll miss my birthday…”
Benji held his arms open. “I’m sorry, kiddo, but I have to do this.”
Benji shot him a wide-eyed SOS, and Coop caught the line. “Why don’t we have your party early, before Benji leaves, and then you can have everyone you want here since it’s Christmas break?”
“Yeah?” Johnny sniffed. “Do you think they’ll come?”
“I bet. And that way I can be here!” Benji looked choked up, but was trying to smile.
“Okay. Okay, I can do that, but have a cake on my real birthday day?”
Coop nodded, and Brooks cleared his throat. “Uncle Coop and I can even hold your birthday presents for your real birthday day, so that way you have some.”
“I’ll make you another present for your birthday too,” Lucy said. “I promise.”
“Okay. I love you, Benji.”
“I love you too, Johnny. I’m sorry I’ll be gone.” Benji shrugged at him. “But I got to work, you know? I have to get back on the horse.”
“You work with the bulls, Benji.” Johnny pointed out.
Benji opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. “Okay. Okay, you’re right. I have to get back on the dirt. How’s that?”
“Better. You’ll call every day?”
“I promise. Every day.” Benji kissed the top of Johnny’s head. “You knew this was going to happen, huh? We’ve talked about it. Uncle Coop is going to be your guardian, Uncle Brooks is here for you guys, and we’re all family.”
Coop rocked Mina, so proud of Benji he could hardly stand it. It was hard to see him head back off to work, because he worried about the kid, but it had to happen, and he was glad it was bullfighting.
Brooks grinned. “I am so here. Heck, I just got new horses.”
“They’re so pretty, Uncle Brooks.” Lucy was deep in the horse love. “When will you ride them? Soon?”
“It’s cold out there, and they need some time, but soon. They’ll need riding.”
“Yay!” Lucy grinned, bouncing. “I’m so glad you came and that you make Uncle Coop happy, Uncle Brooks.”
Brooks met his gaze over Mina’s head. “I sure hope that’s true, Lucy.”
“It is,” Mason said. “He smiles way more now.”
“Well, that I’m definitely glad for.”
Coop felt heat rise in his cheeks, because well, Brooks had that look about him. That one, the one that said they hoped the kids went to bed early.
Whew. He sure didn’t need his chair warmer on right now. Thank goodness for Mina and her baby keeping him honest and not getting too hot and bothered.
“Okay, I’m gonna go start supper,” Brooks said with a wink.
“Roast beast!” Lucy crowed. “Can I come?”
“You can. I can use your help making the batter for Yorkshire puddings.”
She tilted her head. “Those are actually bread, right?”
“Right.”
She popped up. “Did you learn to make those in Australia? ”
“Nope. Your gran taught me. Her mom was from England.”
“Oh, neat! I didn’t know that.”
“Yep.” They headed into the kitchen, and Coop wondered if he should go with them. He kinda felt bad for Brooks, because, damn, that had to be some weight, because these kids knew dick-all about their family history, really.
He knew Nora’s family had kicked her ass to the curb for marrying a rodeo man, and he thought maybe Andy and Nora had tried hard to make their little family group all there was, but Brooks, he knew all the stuff from Andy’s side, and it was gonna fall to him to teach it to the kids.
Mason came trundling in, looking just about blue. “I like my bike, it’s cool.”
He grinned at the frozen boy. “Good deal. Did you get it put away? It’s getting late and colder.”
“I did, and it’s not too bad, really.” Mason was beginning to shiver, and Coop arched an eyebrow. “It is a little cold, I guess. Wh-what are we doing tonight?”
“Well, I thought we could play some games, just chill out.” Personally, he thought Mason looked pretty chilled. Hell, he wasn’t one hundred percent sure Mason didn’t have frostbite.
“Good deal. I’m gonna go get out of these jeans and put on something that’s not wet.”
He nodded, then he shook his head as Mason wandered off. “Good Lord and butter, that boy.”
Benji’s answer was a low chuckle, and Johnny climbed down to get his iPad.
His phone buzzed, and Coop peeked at it, surprised to find a text from Brooks.
Just wanted you to know that I’m willing and able to spend the night again tonight.
Coop’s cheeks heated, and he glanced over to see if Benji was paying attention, but Ben was focused on the football game, so Coop felt comfortable texting back .
I believe that can be arranged.
He added this little twirling mustache sticker he had.
Good deal. I just wanted you to know. To be clear. No confusion
No. No, for the last couple of nights, there hadn’t been any confusion at all.
He was more than happy to know he was on Brooks’s mind. If he were honest, he wanted Brooks to think about him all the time. Everyone wanted to be important…
Ricky came over and leaned close. “Uncle? I got a favor to ask.”
“Okay, ask away.” He knew this had to do with leaving the house.
“Can I go get Bella and have her come over? Her parents are fighting, she’s crying, she’s outside, and it’s getting dark.”
Dammit. What was he supposed to do? “Of course, Ricky. Of course she can come here. What’s one more person?”
Ricky nodded, shoulders relaxing. “Thanks, Uncle Coop. She’s really upset, and it’s Christmas. I promise I’ll be careful.”
“Of course. We have gifts for her, so come on, she can come spend however long.”
Ricky grabbed his keys and his coat and headed out.
Benji and Coop shared a long look.
“Those two are going to be trouble, you know that, right? They’re stupid in love.”
Coop shrugged. He knew, but what was he going to do? “Should I ignore it? Leave the little girl out and alone and wandering around outside?”
“Are you sure she is?” Benji shrugged. “I don’t put it past him to lie about it.”
“I don’t know, man. He seemed pretty upset, and I guess…if it’s worth lying about, I don’t…” What was he supposed to know about teenagers and hormones bubbling and colliding .
Brooks and Lucy came back in after a long minute.
“I heard the door close?”
Benji rolled his eyes. “Uncle Coop’s a sucker.”
“Ricky says that she and her folks got into a fight, I guess, or her folks are shouting or something, I don’t know.” Now he felt a little bit like a sucker, for sure. “That she’s outside and crying, and he wanted to go get her and bring her here, so I told him okay.”
“Oh, the drama. All right, there’s plenty of food.” Brooks sat close to him, shaking his head. “Are you sure you want to raise these kids up to grown?”
“Well, I can’t see what the alternative is.” He winked at Johnny.
“You could eat us. You can feed us to bears.”
Mason came clumping down the stairs. “Bears? Where did Ricky go?”
“To pick up Bella, and yeah, we’re talking about feeding Ricky and Bella to bears.” Coop couldn’t fight his grin.
“Cool. I read that they rip off people’s heads. And their hands are like bigger than dinner plates.”
Really interesting, but also a bit of an exaggeration, but he’d take it.
Johnny glanced up from his iPad. “You don’t think Bella’s parents were mean to her, do you?”
“Oh, honey, I don’t know. I think that they’re just really frustrated and very passionate. I promise though, we won’t let anybody hurt her, all right?”
“Cool. I like her. She’s nice. She’s in a band.”
“I know. Remember we had to go to all of the football games and the concerts and listen to her play the flute?” Because he needed another child’s activities to attend.
“I wonder if she likes to play his flute…”
Coop’s nose wrinkled instinctively and he shook his head. “Oh, don’t be gross, Benji. ”
That was the last thing he needed to hear right now.
“Sorry, man.” Benji didn’t look sorry.
“He’s not sorry,” Mason said. “He’s a butthead.”
“Hey!” Benji chased Mason down and gave him a noogie.
“Ow!”
“Well, don’t call me a butthead.”
Mason stuck out his tongue, and Brooks made a tsking sound. “No fighting on Christmas.”
Both boys subsided, and Coop thought Brooks was getting way better at that.
At making the kids listen to him, and in being brave enough to tell them like it was.
That was what he needed to help raise them.
Not everyone’s careful uncle, afraid to rock the boat. No, Brooks was acting a lot like a dad.
He loved it.
Because he wasn’t at all sure he could do this by himself. If nothing else because he was too damn gullible.