24. Faye #2
As we walk over the last dune, I’m surprised by the setup this family has.
Not only is there a large fire, blankets and chairs already set out, but there’s a small half-dome-shaped shelter with a large tarp attached to the bottom set up on one side, where two girls are playing with dolls.
Some kids are digging in the sand with beach toys, while others race back and forth between lines they’ve drawn in the sand.
Their dads stand nearby with drinks in their hands, chatting about something to one another, as Mark’s daughters gather around the fire, sitting in chairs or on blankets.
I’ve quickly been forgotten as the twins play with their cousins.
“Over here, Faye,” Lanie calls out. “Dad can help watch the kids while we catch up.”
“If that doesn’t sound like a lamb being led to the slaughter, I don’t know what does,” I mutter.
Looking at Mark, he squeezes my hand in reassurance.
“Go ahead… They won’t bite,” he teases. “But fair warning, they will dig into your past relentlessly… So be careful what you reveal.” Then he whispers, “Oh… If you tell any of my girls, I’ll deny it, but I truly think they each missed their calling as detectives.”
Before I can respond, one of his younger granddaughters calls out, “Papa, come help us dig. We need a deep hole around this castle.”
“Okay, Vivy. I’ll be right there.” Before he heads off to help, his eyes lock onto mine. “You good?”
“I’m good.” I quickly nod, then make my way over to his daughters.
When I get there, Lizzy offers, “Would you like something to drink? We’ve got wine, soda, and water.”
“If you choose wine, we’ve got tumblers to keep the sand out,” Lanie interjects, holding a cup out to me. “We just opened the best Moscato.”
“Moscato, it is.” I grin, then take a seat on the empty blanket beside them.
“So…” Raven claps, then grins conspiratorially. “I’m dying to know… How old were you when you and Dad started dating the first time?”
This earns a loud roar of laughter from the entire group.
When they settle, I say, “As I said, we were the best of friends for years before we started dating. Hmmm… I think things changed the summer between our sophomore and junior year.”
“Wait,” Lizzy gasps, “That was you in his prom photo. I remember he was wearing a purple tie, and you had a really pretty dark-purple dress. Nana showed it to me once when we were looking for something in her craft room. She found it in a box.”
“Yeah, we went to both junior and senior prom together,” I reveal, taking the sealed teal tumbler from Raven when she hands it to me.
“Forget vintage Dad.” Raven snorts out a laugh as she nearly drops her sunglasses; she’s leaning so far forward in her chair. “I’m dying to know how the two of you reconnected this time?”
“Uh… Don’t get your hopes up, as it’s far from cute or glamorous,” I scoff in warning.
“Even so, we’d like to know… if you’re willing to share,” Sloane prods.
“Ladies, I caught your father’s attention again…” I draw out, giving a theatric pause, then go for the punchline, “while taking out the trash early one morning… Glamorous, I know. My can nearly got stuck in a rut, and it drew his attention.”
“Uh…” Raven draws out, clearly unimpressed.
Before any of them can say anything, I continue, “Then he disappeared for three days and showed up, expecting to take me to dinner. No warning, no invitation, just a knock on my door.”
“Yeah, that sounds like Dad.” Lanie sighs heavily. “He’s so used to commanding battalions, he often forgets he’s around civilians.”
“He hasn’t been that bad,” I quickly assure them. “In fact, he was quite flexible the night we watched movies with the twins.”
“He can be… until he starts making plans. Then he forgets we’re not nearly as regimented as him,” Raven points out. “He’s getting better now that he’s retired, but you can’t teach an old dog like him too many new tricks.”
“Good to see he hasn’t changed much over the years.” I laugh. “Though your nana was much the same way, so he came by it honestly.”
“Really?” Lizzy asks in disbelief. “She was always so go-with-the-flow with us, growing up.”
“Probably because we outnumbered her four-to-one,” Raven deadpans in a tone that reminds me so much of her father.
“That, and she didn’t have to be the heavy, if our parents were around,” Lanie says, rolling her eyes.
Suddenly, their gaggle of kids screeches in laughter.
Our attention is drawn to their dads and grandfather chasing them in circles through the sand.
Once they’re caught, they’re carried like human footballs under each arm until another can be nabbed.
Then, they’re swapped out once both arms are full.
My heart warms at the pure joy radiating on both the kids’ and the grown men’s faces.
Their smiles are infectious, and my cheeks ache as I watch them.
Mark is so lucky to have this.
When they settle, I probe, “Okay… So I don’t get caught in the lurch, someone please fill me in on who all these kids are. I’ve gotta keep the twins thinking I’ve got these magical superpowers they claim I miraculously have, and stay one step ahead of them.”
“Well, for starters, they’re not the only set of twins,” Raven warns. “My two girls, Vivian and Savannah, are over there, chasing my husband.” She points to the girls chasing Finn McGowen, whom I recognize as the drummer for Ruby Frax.
If I had to guess, I’d say they’re nearly the age of Jason and Josh. Raven interrupts my cataloging when she adds another tidbit of information. “Though we typically call them Vivy and Vanny. Vivy’s wearing yellow.”
“Good to know.” I smile as I watch them each get snatched by their dad and giggle with delight.
Then Lizzy chimes in. “Cameron’s got our youngest of this brood, Embry, snagged under his arm, and they’re chasing Jason and Josh. Over there, by Dad, is Milli, our oldest…” When we watch her sprinting away from Mark, Lizzy cheers, “Go, Milli! Don’t let Papa catch you!”
“Hey… Whose side are you on?” Mark grumbles as she darts to his left just as he’s about to snag her and misses.
“She’s got moves, Papa! Watch out!” Lizzy taunts.
“I see how it is….” Mark zips to the right and snags another kid instead.
“That’s Carter, my youngest.” Lanie chuckles. “Poor guy, he didn’t even see Dad coming.”
“Gotta be quick on your feet when Dad’s around. The man still runs miles each morning, for fun,” Raven adds, then shouts, “Go, Candace, go! Papa’s on your heels… Turn and burn, baby!”
For the next few minutes, our attention is on the impromptu game of chase. From what I gather, there’s really no rhyme or reason to their chaos. The only thing that matters is they’re having fun.
When the guys finally tucker all the kids out, they come over to join us.
It’s Mark who declares, “Are you all ready for some dinner? I brought hot dogs, and Ryan’s got our roasting sticks ready.”
That’s all it takes.
To my surprise, Jason and Josh both come to sit near me, ditching their parents.
As the rest of the kids find places to sit further back from the flames, Ryan gives campfire skewers to Mark and each of the dads.
Efficiently, Ryan passes out hot dogs to everyone once they’re settled, and like a well-oiled machine, someone pulls out these Y-shaped spikes, and they’re quickly bored into the sand to hold the skewers over the coals, which are perfect for roasting.
This is obviously not their first rodeo.
As Mark settles next to me, he leans in so that only I can hear and asks, “Still doin’ okay?
“Yep.” I grin as Jason scoots closer and reaches for my hand. “I’m having a great time. Thanks for inviting me. I absolutely love your family.”
“Good.” Shifting closer, he whispers, “I know we’re a wild and chaotic bunch at times, but I’m glad you’re here to share this with me.”
“Papa,” Josh interrupts. “Is Faye your girlfriend?”
Mark reaches around me and tussles his hair playfully, “What do you know about girlfriends?”
My heart stalls, and my breath catches in my throat.
There’s no way I just heard him say that.
When neither Mark nor I says anything, he continues matter-of-factly, “Momma said she was.”
“Your momma’s a smart woman,” Mark muses. From that twitch of his lip, I can tell he’s fighting like hell not to laugh.
“So… is she?” Josh pushes further, wide-eyed and expectant in learning the answer.
“Would it be a problem if she were?” Mark counters.
“No. Jay and I love her.”
Oh. My. Heart. He is just the sweetest boy ever.
Mark leans in conspiratorially and whisper-shouts, “That’s good, kiddo. Cuz I love her, too. Should we try keeping her?”
Both boys nod fervently.
Then Josh asks as if his papa hasn’t just rocked my world, “Is my hot dog ready?
It’s a good thing I’m sitting down, because between the two of them, I’ve been rendered speechless.
Not only did they just completely steal my heart, but I’m not so sure I want it back.
Mark must notice my shift in mood because he lifts an arm over me and pulls me in close.
For the longest time, all I can do is lean into Mark and stare at the burning fire in front of me.
By the time everyone has their hot dog roasted and s’more eaten, it’s getting dark. As I lean further into Mark on the blanket beside me, Jason falls asleep with his head on my lap.
“Hey, Dad,” Sloane hollers, catching our attention, “Faye is the twin whisperer. Just look at what she’s done to my boys.” I glance down and smile at Josh who’s fallen asleep leaning against Mark and myself. “You need to bring her around more often.”
Squeezing me tight, I hear Mark’s smile without even looking when he says, “Oh, I plan to, trust me.”