“What can I say? I was ahead of my years. I would not be put into a box.”
“Power to the woman!” Reese, Georgia, and Brinkley shouted at the same time.
“Damn straight. And since when is being a people pleaser at five years old a bad thing?” Reese said over her laughter.
“Okay. We get it. It’s the year of the woman.” Cage raised a brow. “And let me guess. Hugh and Finn were perfect angels?”
My father barked out a laugh. “I don’t think Mrs. Clifton thought any child was perfect. What did she say about Hugh?”
My mom thought it over. “Hugh was not a big fan of full-day school. He’d fall asleep every afternoon during circle time.”
My sister-in-law, Lila, smiled up at her husband. “Awww… he was a tired bear.”
“Thanks, baby. If memory serves, I thrived at recess and lunch, and work time had me tapping out for a little siesta.”
Gracie was giggling so hard and clapping her hands. “What about Uncle Finny?”
“Uncle Finny was a chatty little guy,” my father said. “What did she call him?”
“She said that he was the mayor of the classroom. Always buzzing around from table to table. And, do you remember, Jenny?” My mother smiled, turning her attention to her best friend. “She’d said that Finn couldn’t handle being separated from Reese in line.”
“I sure do. They had that fire drill when Reese was in the bathroom, and Finn was frantic that Mrs. Clifton was going to leave her.”
“Awww… you always had my back,” Reese said.
“Always. That will never change.”
“You two were ridiculous back then,” Olivia said over her laughter. “Do you remember when Reese found out that she and Finn weren’t going to be in the same class in second or third grade, and she cried so hard that you had to go to the school and get them switched into the same class?”
“That was third grade, and it would have been the first time that we weren’t together.” Reese shrugged.
“Which leads us to the elephant in the room,” Cage said. “Time for you to go watch a movie for a little bit, munchkin. And then we’re heading home. You’ve got school tomorrow.”
“I’ll go get her set up,” Lila said, pushing to stand and leading Gracie to the family room where she’d get her settled on the couch while the grownups harassed us.
Of course, my siblings were ready to pounce. They all had the patience of a toddler on a sugar high.
“Okay, let’s get into it.” Brinkley rubbed her hands together. “Is this the real deal?”
“I’ve got money on this, so you best tell the truth.” My oldest brother turned his attention to me.
“You’re betting on us now?” I said over my laughter.
“That was Cage’s idea,” Hugh said.
“Well, I tossed in ten bucks. I think this is some sort of stunt to get that annoying ex of yours back,” Olivia said, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked at Reese.
“Let’s not talk poorly about Carl,” Jenny said. “And let them speak, for goodness’ sake.”
Lila came back and took her seat beside Hugh. “What did I miss?”
“Well, this is a ‘code of silence’ moment. So everyone here has to agree to keep this a secret.” Reese glanced around the table.
“What happens at the Reynolds’ house stays at the Reynolds’ house,” Georgia said.
“I don’t know that we can say that. You and Brinks have had too many slips to put that slogan on a T-shirt,” Cage grumped.
“Don’t be a hater,” Brinkley said, shooting him a warning look. “A Reynolds-Murphy code of silence is different. Obviously, we will all keep our mouths closed.”
“Finn and I are just going to have some fun. I wasn’t ready to face Carl and his new girlfriend,” Reese said before clearing her throat. It was obvious that even the mention of them dating caused her pain.
“Whom we shall leave unnamed because the fact that she uses a three-name title is annoying as hell.” Olivia held her wine glass up, and everyone raised their glasses and chuckled as they clinked them together.
“It’s not that big of a deal. She wants to make Carl jealous because he can’t stand the idea of her being with me. And it will clean up my image and hopefully put Jessica’s claims to rest. She’s going to live with me anyway, and we’re always together, so it’s a win-win. We’ll keep up appearances for the next two months, and then I’ll head back to filming after the holidays, and Reese will get her happily ever after.” I shrugged.