Heath claps his hands, chuckling. “How about we head on over to that all you can eat buffet at the Bellagio? I hear they’ve got lobster tails on special.”
“Ooh, lobster tails,” Willow says, licking her lips. She turns to me, excited. “I’m going to eat ten.”
I kiss her temple. “You really are a force of nature.”
Epilogue II
Willow
“I want to go first!” Marcus shouts.
“No, I want to go first!” Leo argues.
“Boys,” I say firmly, “settle down, please. The car isn’t going anyway. You’ll each get your turn in due time, alright? Marcus, you finished all your chores this week, so you get to ride with Dad.”
Leo sighs. “Dang it.”
I wrap my arm over his shoulder and kiss his cheek. He tries to squirm away and pretend like it’s the grossest thing to be kissed by his mother, but I know he’s only kidding. Leo’s been his mama’s boy since day one.
“Come on, kiddo,” Zane says, inviting Marcus to slip behind the front wheel of his truck.
I guide my son to the side of the parking lot. It’s big and empty—perfect for the twins’ first driving lesson. It’s difficult to tell what Zane is saying inside the cabin of the vehicle, but I can tell Marcus isn’t really listening. He goes straight for the gear shift, the whole truck lurching forward and back. I let out a little laugh when I hear Zane exclaim in surprise.
“I don’t see why we have to learn on an automatic,” Leo says astutely. “This just seems unnecessarily hard.”
“Your father says it’s important to learn how to drive a standard.”
“Yeah, but why?”
“Honestly? I’m not entirely sure. I think your dad just likes to do things the hard way.”
Leo snickers. “I think he’s going to go fully gray after this experience.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised.”
After a few more minutes of lurching, my eldest son by exactly four minutes, finally manages to put the vehicle into a slow roll forward. They do a few laps around the parking lot, make a short attempt at parking between the faded stall lines before bringing the car back to its starting position a few yards away from the curb.
Marcus hops out with the biggest smile on his face. Zane looks like he needs a good, long nap.
“Did you see that, Mom?” Marcus asks, rushing over. “I can’t wait to take the truck out on the highway.”
Zane takes a deep breath. “One step at a time, kiddo.”
“It’s my turn!” Leo announces, taking my hand. “Come on, Mom. Hop in!”
I climb into the passenger seat and make sure to buckle up. Leo looks confident behind the wheel, easily able to look over the dash with little adjustment to his seat.
“Okay,” I say as I take a deep breath. “Now, we’ve been over everything in theory, but at the end of the day, there are three very important things to know. Gas means go, brake means stop, and you should always hold the steering wheel at ten and two unless you are shifting.”
“I know, Mom,” Leo says. “Can you teach me how to do donuts?” I glare at him, but my son only laughs. “I’m joking!”
“Hilarious,” I say with a chuckle. “Why don’t you go ahead and drive forward a little bit.”
Leo is by far the more cautious brother, taking his time learning where everything is and how to properly shift between gears. His driving is a lot smoother than his brother’s, no doubt because he has far more patience. We make it around the parking lot once, twice… Before he finally pulls the truck neatly into a stall and kills the engine.
“How’d I do, Mom?” he asks, looking at me with a glint in his eyes.
I reach over and ruffle his hair, pride swelling in my chest. “Amazing, sweetie.”