Page 98 of Expecting an Argument
Tyson could barely contain his laughter as his daughter passed by. “Oh no, she’s spent way too much time around my mom.”
I shrugged. “Hey, the kids have to go somewhere while you’re filming the new show.”
Tyson sighed and shifted his beer from one hand to the other. “Thanks, by the way, for being part of it.”
Letting a camera crew into Fontaine Manor to film the first episode of Ashley and Tyson’s new renovation show had been a test of my resolve, but I did it for Olivia.
“No problem, man,” I responded. “The primary suite needed some major work, so the timing was perfect. I can hardly wait to move out of my grandparents’ old room.”
Tyson gave me a half smile. “I don’t really tell people this, but I’ve never liked the cameras.”
I paused just before taking a sip of my beer. “Really?”
“Yeah. They make me nervous, I just put up with them to provide for my family.” He shrugged and looked up at me. “But being with a friend makes it a lot easier.”
I smiled back at him. “Just like the good old days.”
We clinked our beer cans together in a silent toast.
“Ugh,” Ashley groaned at us as she waded toward the pool’s steps with Tarik in her arms. “Can you two stop having so much fun over there? You’re making me want a beer.”
Tyson gave a sweet apology to his wife as she slowly climbed out of the pool, her very pregnant belly visibly dropping as she left the water.
“I still can’t believe it,” Tyson said with a shake of his head as he watched his miserable wife waddle to the snack table, “identical twin boys. How lucky can a man get?”
“Well,” I said with a soft smile as I turned my eyes to my own wife, “you could get lucky enough to reunite with the love of your life after ten years. Or finally get your mother to come to holidays again. Or find out that your most trusted employee is actually your half-brother-in-law.”
Olivia caught me looking at her and smiled back.
“You might have never expected twins,” I said, “but they’re just the beginning of everything good that’s coming to your life.”
Olivia bounced Annie on her hip and pointed at me. Annie looked at me and waved, shouting “Dada!” from across the pool.
Speaking of twins, where was Brady?
I turned my head just as my mother squealed with delight. She stood by the manor’s back doors with Aunt Liz, holding an ugly lacy bundle in her arms.
Wait, that wasn’t a mere pile of ivory frills—it was my son!
I jumped up from the edge of the pool and rushed over. “Mom, what are you doing?”
“The Fontaine gown still fits!” Mom said triumphantly as she held Brady out. “It was still in storage from when you were born!”
I had spared Brady from the God-awful tradition of being stuffed in that frilly abomination for a year, but my damnmother took advantage of me being distracted with the party. Though Brady had more strawberry in his blonde hair than I did, he looked horrifyingly like me in that abomination of a gown.
I took him from my mother’s arms, but Brady still looked at me as if to say,“Father, why have you forsaken me?”
“I’m going to change him,” I said as I brushed past my mother and aunt.
“Go ahead,” Mom responded with a cackle. “I already took pictures!”
I opened the French door into the manor and crossed into the foyer. Brady rested his head against my shoulder and let out a miserable whine.
“I know, I know,” I soothed as I patted his back. “I’ll liberate you from that gown as soon as—”
The portrait on the wall caught my eye and I stopped. It was my favorite photo from our wedding—Olivia and I stood in front of the stained glass window at Miss Kaye’s house as we each held a twin.
I lightly bounced Brady as I remembered just how small the twins used to be—they had looked like perfect little peanuts in our arms. Annie had on a sparkling white dress with a flower headband and Brady had somehow managed to keep his white tuxedo clean for most of the wedding. Brady had completely outdressed me, but Olivia looked like a queen as she held our princess. Olivia’s big pink—or as she had called it,blush—dress flowed down the first steps of the wooden staircase and Adelaide’s emerald brooches glittered in her hair.
