By noon on Saturday,the moving company has brought everything in, set it up, cleaned it up, and left.
Efficient and effective.
Just how I like it.
There wasn’t that much to be moved, considering I bought this place fully furnished, but anything I didn’t want, I had them move into the guesthouse in case I changed my mind. But something is still missing. I guess I should order some groceries. And a meal service. And a cleaning service. Maybe I can combine the two and get a house manager like we have at Dad’s house. Wonder if Mrs. Burns wants a change of scenery.
If I stole her away, I think I’d have a Kingston sibling riot on my hands.
It’d be worth it for her cooking skills alone.
I add the task to the Notes app on my phone just as the doorbell chimes.
When it chimes a second time, like an impatient child keeps hitting it, I know one of my brothers is standing on the other side of the door. Turns out, it isn’t just one of them. It’s all of them.
Everyone.
I don’t have time to be annoyed before my sister Amelia walks in, kisses me on the cheek, then hands me my nine-month-old nephew, Maddox. She grabs two bags full of Sweet Temptations pink bakery boxes from her husband, Sam, and holds them up triumphantly. “Where do you want these? I brought your favorite.”
Madeline, and Cade’s daughter, Brynlee, race by us into the house with Ashlyn following more slowly behind the two of them. “Coffee, Max. We need coffee.” She disappears among the commotion.
Jace takes the bags from Amelia’s hands. “Strawberry shortcake?”
“They’re your favorite, and I send them to your dorm all the time. Max’s favorite is lemon-raspberry.” She plants her hands on her hips and smiles.
Jace pouts, just like Maddox, and Amelia shoves him away, then follows. “There’s strawberry shortcake in there too.”
As the rest of the family follows her in like a swarm of bees, I shake my head and laugh. This is what was missing.
Chaos.
“Wherever you want,” I yell back to Amelia, who’s halfway through the house already, then blow a raspberry on Maddox’s chubby neck and whisper, “Your mom’s nuts, kid.” He slaps his drooly, wet hands against my face and giggles uncontrollably.
Yeah. He knows his mom’s crazy.
He better be careful because she’s a perfect shot too.
Lenny and her fiancé, Sebastian, follow behind Amelia with a new, stainless-steel espresso machine still in the box. “Which way to the kitchen? I need a cup of coffee.”
I look between her and Bash. “Are you allowed to have caffeine, Len?” My sister is pregnant. Not as far along as Scarlet, but the next generation of Kingstons is coming. I guess they’re destined to love caffeine as much as this generation.
Bash makes an oh shit noise somewhere deep in his throat. “Don’t even try to separate your sister from her coffee.” He kisses the crown of Len’s head, then smacks her ass.
I’ve learned to ignore the two of them.
“Watch it. I have decaf too.” Len reaches her hands out for Maddox. “Come to Auntie Len, sweet boy.” Already a lover of all the ladies, the little man throws himself at his aunt before they disappear down the hall with Bash following dutifully behind them.
Their wedding is next week.
She wanted something small and intimate at Dad’s house.
Something perfectly Lenny.
And I was happy to make it happen for her.
I have no idea when we all grew up, but somewhere along the way, we did.
Well, most of us anyway.