Keela beamed our son’s way. “You’re such a good boy, always takin’ care of your brothers.”
“Speaking of your brothers,” I quizzed. “Where are they? It’s entirely too quiet in this house right now for them not to be doing something wrong.”
My daddy senses were tingling.
“The four of them are across the road,” my wife answered. “I’m surprised ye’ didn’t wake up when they were gettin’ dressed. They sounded like a herd of bloody elephants. Miller and Ace argued for ten minutes about who was shadowing the twins today. They didn’t stop until Jules took Miller and Nixon took Ace and separated them. Those two will put me in an early grave with how loud they are, I honestly don’t know how ye’ sleep through their chaos.”
“Sleeping like the dead is a superpower. Many want it, but few have the power to wield it.”
Enzo snickered. “You’re full of it, Da.”
“Thank you!” Keela announced. “I’ve been tellin’ ‘im that for years, son.”
“The pair of you are haters.”
“Can ye’ please stop usin’ terms that are meant for young people?”
I rolled my eyes at my child. “That term was used before you took up residence in my left nut sack, so shut it.”
“Alec!” Keela admonished as Enzo burst into joyous laughter.
He always got a kick out of me when I ragged on him, and I loved it.
“I’m being honest,” I said to my wife. “Kids these days think they own words when they only have them because we dumbed that shit down for them.”
Keela flicked her eyes to Enzo. “He’s right. All the slang you say, we said.”
“I can’t imagine Da callin’ anyone an eejit.”
“That’s different,” I said. “If I moved here on my own, I probably would have lost my accent and adapted your mom’s, but I’m always around your uncles, so I guess we keep our accent alive ... though it’s not as prominent as it used to be, I’ll say that much.”
“Agreed.” Keela nodded. “Ye’ say the word fuck more like me than ye’ use to, and ye’ don’t say talk in that funny way anymore.”
I smiled. “I’m basically Irish.”
Enzo snorted. “Yeah, Da, you’re so Irish.”
I ignored his sarcasm and focused on his mother.
“Can we make another baby while the other babies are away?”
Enzo made a noise dangerously closed to a squeal.
“Please don’t,” he pleaded. “Four younger brothers are all I can handle when I have a million little cousins to deal with as well. I beg ye’ not to do this to me.”
Keela laughed at how terrified our son looked.
“Your da is teasin’ ye’, son,” she assured him. “Five is our lucky number, just like your aunties and uncles.”
Enzo practically deflated with relief. “Thank Christ.”
I snorted. “You love your brothers and cousins, especially Georgie.”
“Georgie is everyone’s favourite because she is so precious.”
“Precious,” Keela repeated with a laugh. “She’d kick ye’ in the mouth if she heard ye’ say she’s anythin’ other than tough.”
Enzo thanked his mother as she placed six pancakes on his plate.
“We know not to say things like that around ‘er. She hates bein’ the only girl, so we have to make ‘er feel like she’s in charge.”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t kid yourself, son. She is in charge. She has you and every other man in this family wrapped around her little finger. She loves being the only girl. She just pretends that she hates it to keep you all on your toes.”
Enzo sighed. “I don’t know how she does it. Even when she annoys me, I still love ‘er stupid face.”
Keela chuckled. “She’s the only girl, so all of ye’ want to protect ‘er.”
“She can be scary sometimes, like, she knows how to fight really well. I think we all did a bad thing by wrestlin’ with ‘er growin’ up. The only people she can’t pin are Jax, me, Locke, Jules, and Nixon. She still gets the better of Beau, but only just. She’s a savage, Da. I’m tellin’ ye’.”
I grinned. “She’ll keep trying until she can pin all of you.”
“I know.” Enzo chuckled as he ate. “I think the next time she jumps me, I’m just gonna let ‘er win, so she can get it out of ‘er system.”
I leaned back in my chair and stared at my son long enough for him to stop eating and look at me.
“What, Da?”
“Nothing,” I answered as his mother put pancakes in front of me. “Just thinking that I love you. You and that mop of red hair.”
“I love ye’ too, Da,” he replied. “And don’t hate on me hair. It’s a bird magnet.”
I snorted, then bumped fists with him. We ate together, then Keela tidied around the kitchen, joining in on the conversation when something interested her, but for the most part, we talked about sports.
“Zo,” Keela said as Enzo finished eating. “If Miller and Ace act up while you’re out, phone me and I’ll come pick them up.”