“No, he’s not, and I’m not bein’ nice to ‘im,” Leland stated. “I don’t care if ye’ marry the fella. I’m not bein’ nice to ‘im. Not now, not ever.”
“You’ll come to the weddin’ though?” Kailen asked, smiling. “If we get married, that is.”
“Obviously,” Leland said with a roll of his eyes. “But I’m not bein’ nice to ‘im, no matter what, so you’re just goin’ to have to get over that ‘ere and now. Accept it, because I have.”
Kailen laughed, shoved his brother, then returned to the table. Leland followed him and returned his seat. Alannah was wiping her eyes, and I was grinning like a freak.
“This is so weird,” Soren said, his brows furrowed. “Why would you like boys? Girls are really pretty. Look at our ma and Georgie.”
Kailen looked at his brother, and said, “I can’t help it. I just happen to like both boys and girls.”
Soren looked around the table, then to his mom, he said, “Do I hafta like boys? ‘Cause I don’t wanna.”
His mother laughed. “It’s not a choice, baby. Ye’ like who ye’ like ... ye’ just aren’t allowed to be mean to someone for who they like, okay?”
“Okay.” Soren nodded and went back to eating his dinner.
Heath looked at Kailen, and said, “I like dogs. Does that mean I have to marry one, Kai? ‘Cause that’d be cool.”
A moment of silence passed before we all burst into laughter. Heath frowned as he looked at us; he was clearly dead serious about his question, and that made it funnier. He rolled his eyes and returned to eating his dinner, ignoring all of us. After we settled down, some of the kids asked Kailen questions about him being bisexual, then it was just accepted, and everyone moved on from it. From the look on Kailen’s face, I knew he was happy.
He was being himself and that made me happy.
“Da,” Noble said as I pushed my plate away and rubbed my stomach.
“What?”
“When are ye’ gonna shave your beard?”
All of my sons looked at me. Alannah ducked her head, but I caught her grin. I reached up at touch the beard I had been growing out over the past few months and frowned. “I wasn’t planning on shaving it.”
“Ye’ should,” Noble said. “It looks stupid.”
“Hey.” I frowned. “Don’t hate on me beard, ye’ little turd.”
My son snorted. “It was either slag ye’ your beard or your gut.”
I growled. “So I don’t have a six-pack anymore, sue me.”
“Uncle Nico still has his six-pack.”
“Noble,” I growled. “You’re on thin ice, princess.”
He hated being called princess.
“Don’t hate on me just because you’ll be fat in a few years and look like Santa Claus!”
I sucked in a sharp breath. “You take that back, you little shit.”
My son got to his feet and stomped out of the kitchen.
“Santa Claus wishes he was as ripped as me!”
I didn’t have a six-pack anymore, but I was still pretty damn toned.
“You’re fooling no one with that beard, Da,” he hollered back. “You’re gonna look like Father Christmas when it gets really thick, and Uncle Alec will never let ye’ live it down.”
I paused and realised my son was right. Once my older brother realised this, he would compare me to Santa Claus because my hair was white ... and that would fucking kill me.
“Clippers,” I grunted as I got to my feet. “I need my clippers.”
Everyone laughed as I left the room and headed up to my bedroom. I entered mine and Alannah’s bathroom, picked up my clippers, and stared in the mirror.
“Can I shave it for ye’?”
I glanced at Noble as he leaned against the doorway. “Does it look that bad?”
“Nah,” he answered. “I’m just teasin’, but I know what Uncle Alec is like, and he’ll slag ye’ for sure.”
He was right. I lifted him onto the counter, handed him the clippers, instructed him on what to do, then held perfectly still as he shaved my beard. When he was finished ten minutes later, he looked proud of himself. He leaned in and kissed my cheek, which was so cute I forgot about him being a turd.
“Want to watch how I shave with a razor to get the rest of it off?”
Noble nodded and spent the next few minutes watching me shave. He was interested in the whole process, so I talked him through it all. It dawned on me that it would only be a few more years until I would be showing Leland how to shave, then Kailen, then Noble then my other sons. Time was flying by, and there was nothing I could do about it.
“There.” Noble smiled when I used a towel to dry my face off. “Ye’ look like me da again.”
I chuckled as he jumped of the counter and ran out of the room. I looked in the mirror, then left the room, walked over to my bed, and fell on top of it.