Page 13 of Frog

“I will,” Tristan told me.

“Pancakes!” Phillip yelled loudly.

“I can make that,” I told Cyrus, turning to look at him.

“I’ll make it,” he assured me. “You need to take a shower and get out of your wet clothes before you catch pneumonia.”

I smiled at him because the man never stopped worrying.

“And you need to just sit down and relax.”

“Well, maybe just a quick shower, and then the boys can show me how your game thing works that you got last time I was here.”

“The Wii.” He chuckled.

“Yeah, that,” I told him as Micah started fiddling with the collar of my jacket and Phillip slipped his hand into mine.

“That sounds good.” He smiled at me, and I saw his eyes were filling suddenly.

“Looks like you had a long day yourself.” I smiled at him, leaning forward to kiss his forehead.

“Oh!” Tristan gasped. “You kissed Uncle Cyrus.”

I looked down at him. “I did. But that don’t bother you none, does it?”

He thought about it a minute. “No. Josie Dole has two moms. She’s in the same class as me, and Jake Finnegan, he has two dads, but he’s in Mr. Wong’s class.”

“Well see there, you know all about this sort of thing since you’re a man of the world.”

“You think I’m a man?”

“You’re eight, ain’t ya?” I squinted at him.

“Yes, I am.”

“Well then.”

He nodded fast, smiling big.

I looked back at their mother. “I reckon we’re ready to go in. Cy, will you grab my pack?”

“Course.” He sucked in a breath. “Everybody in.”

The house was huge. He had 7400 square feet: five bedrooms, four bathrooms in a house that looked more like it belonged on the edge of the ocean than on the end of the street. I always thought beach house when I was in it, from how light and airy it felt inside. But even though it was huge, the views of the city out of the enormous windows, along with the masculine feel of the house, never failed to make me feel welcome. As much as it made no sense, as much as I could never stay (there was no need for cowboys in San Francisco), it felt like home every time I walked through the front door. It smelled good too. Between the leather furniture and polished wood floors, I felt the calm sink into me like it never failed to.

I put Micah down on the couch and smiled at all three boys. “Y’all, I have to shower, but you get the machine there warmed up and I’ll be back out to sit with ya. Your uncle said he’d cook, so we all need to thank him.”

And the two boys did with Micah looking over at him.

“Thanks, guys.” Cyrus smiled at them and then looked at Micah. “And I heard you, okay?”

Micah nodded and then looked back up at me.

“Be right back,” I told him before I walked toward the hall that led to the bedrooms, stopping only to bend and grab my pack.

I walked to Cyrus’s bedroom, put the pack on the floor, and was shedding articles of clothing on my way to the shower, starting with my boots. Under the hot spray minutes later, I heard the snick of the door before I turned my head and smiled at my host.

“You can’t come in.” I chuckled. “Go make breakfast for them boys.”