Page 46 of Backup Plan

“It’s in my hand now!” Benji retorts. “That means it’s mine now!”

“Gimme it!” Sammy yells, and when I turn around to see what’s going on, I see Sammy reach for the toy, which is essentially a green, slimy, sticky figure with a body that stretches. Sammy pulls and stretches the thing until it looks like it’s going to snap in half, and then he lets it go so it ricochets back at his brother’s hands.

Benji starts to cry, Penny looks flustered, and Sammy has a little evil gleam in his eyes.

I stare him down, and when he glances over and his eyes meet mine, the gleam seems to disappear.

“I totally saw that,” I say quietly to Sammy.

He looks scared, like he’s going to get in trouble. Like I’m going to tell his mom.

“Let him have a turn, and then you can have it back,” I suggest. “Deal?”

Sammy shakes his head. “It’s mine!”

“Be the big brother, bud,” I suggest calmly.

“Fine. I get it next car ride,” Sammy says.

“Okay,” Benji sniffs, and Sammy grabs some other toy and starts playing with it, the entire fight forgotten.

I glance over at Penny as I realize we’re stopped at a light, and she’s staring at me.

Thank you, she mouths at me.

I tilt my head and offer a small tip of my lips. I don’t really feel like I did anything to warrant a thank you. I just handled the situation without stepping on Penny’s authority.

When we get to my place, I direct Penny toward the guest parking spot in my parking garage, and I grab our luggage. The boys each handle their own suitcases, and Penny carries their school backpacks plus a bag with their favorite toys. She drags her suitcase behind her, and I carry my duffel bag plus her suitcase from our trip to Vegas.

I realize I haven’t been home and also haven’t touched base with Dolores, so I have no idea what to expect, but I trust that she took care of every last detail. After all, she has grandkids the age of Penny’s kids. She knows what they’ll need, but just as importantly, she knows what they’ll want to make this feel like home for them.

“How long are we sleeping over at Uncle Liam’s?” Sammy asks.

I chuckle at the title. I guess it makes sense since they call my sister Auntie Everleigh. Actually calling me uncle means he’s already got his familial relationships down, which seems pretty damn smart for a seven-year-old.

Penny glances at me. We’ve never discussed an end date.

“As long as you need,” I murmur.

“It’s open-ended for now, boys,” Penny says. “I’m not really sure. It’s nice and close to school, and Liam is leaving for San Diego soon, and he said we can stay there a while.”

“What’s open-ended mean?” Benji asks.

“It means I don’t have an exact date yet,” Penny tells him. We walk into the building and head for the elevators, and the boys look around the lobby with a bit of awe in their eyes.

It’s just home to me, so I guess I sort of forget that it’s actually pretty damn impressive with its crystal chandeliers and gold-plated details.

“Whoa,” they both breathe.

We walk to the elevator, and Sammy yells, “I call inside!”

I’m not sure what that means, but Benji huffs.

“I wanted inside!” Benji says, and I’m starting to think they fight over just about everything.

“Too bad. You get outside,” Sammy tells him.

“Inside?” I ask. “Outside?”