Cook Brothers: The Whole Flipping Family

by BJ Harvey

  My father stands, bringing him level with my eyes. “Gillian, I insist you reconsider.”

  “Keith, if you know me at all, you’ll know this is not a decision I would make lightly, let alone one that I would ever feel the need to change my mind about.”

  “But our grandson…” he says, his tone unreadable.

  “Your grandson is going to be raised in a home filled with the love of two parents whose sole purpose is to give him the best life he could possibly have, with the freedom to be whoever he wants to be. However he wants to get there. He will never once doubt the support of his parents and will never have to make a decision between the family he’s chosen to build and the family he was born into by being offered money to ‘save face’ in society circles or simply so they can keep control over him. Just like his mother and father, he won’t give a flying fuck what people think about the way he chooses to live his life as long as he’s happy and fulfilled.”

  I’m almost out the door when Keith says the most stupid thing I think he’s ever said. “Your mother will be disappointed.”

  I turn to look back over my shoulder at him. “She doesn’t even factor anymore.”

  “What about what I think?” he asks. I see the briefest flash of my daddy in his gaze, and I have to swallow down hard to hold back my angry tears.

  “You think whatever Sheila tells you to think, Keith, and it’s sad to see that even you’ll soon have two estranged daughters, you’re still your wife’s puppet, and you always will be.”

  “We just want what’s best for you.”

  I scoff and shake my head, needing to leave. “Sheila only wants what is best for her, and I’m not quite sure you’ve known what’s best for anyone for a long time. Have a good night.”

  Then I’m walking as fast as I can across the floor to my office, closing my door and sagging back against it, letting all my tears fall freely.

  It’s cathartic; it’s freeing.

  Moments later, having sent the resignation letter to my father, I receive a notification on my phone telling me Ezra is waiting downstairs.

  One thing is for sure. The smile on my face is one hundred percent genuine, and the weight on my shoulders is light. The only expectations on me are mine and mine alone.

  Now, I’m looking forward to a night of packing up a kitchen, enjoying one of Ezra’s world-famous foot rubs, and falling asleep in the arms of the man I love for the last night in his bed.

  Because tomorrow, we’ll be sleeping in our bed, under our roof, and I can. Not. Wait.

  For a man who’s been divorced twice, I’d expected him to not have a huge amount of stuff. By God, was I wrong.

  I especially hadn’t expected him to have as much stuff in his kitchen.

  But thankfully, Ezra doesn’t have an emotional attachment to anything other than his expensive coffee machine—which is better than mine anyway—so the packing part of our evening is quick and painless.

  “Have you thought of any baby names?” he says, pulling me out of foot rub euphoria.

  Of course I’ve thought about it, but I was hoping something might just come to me in big flashing lights one day, and hopefully, Ezra would like it too.

  “Have you?” I ask, my eyes slowly drifting open.

  He shrugs and digs his thumb in, starting a particularly impressive swirl that renders me a little breathless. “Faith suggested I look at Pinterest for some ideas.”

  I shift onto my back to look at him. “Pinterest,” I say, dumbfounded. “You went on Pinterest.”

  His brows bunch together. “Yeah. There’s so much stuff on there. I had no idea.”

  “Yeah,” I say, as in duh. “Okay, then. Hit me. What names tickle your fancy?”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Yep. I’ve been waiting for something to grab me, and nothing has as yet. Give me some ideas. We might just find one we like. Saves a whole lot of trouble, and nobody wants to call the baby John Doe for the first few weeks of his life.”

  His chest puffs up, and it’s a little bit cute, a whole lot adorable. “Okay,” he says, leaning forward to grab his tablet from the coffee table. “Scooch over. Let’s get comfortable.”

  “I was comfortable,” I grumble half-heartedly as he lets go of my foot and slides himself between me and the back of his couch. “Thank heavens for big bachelor sofas.”

  He grins down at me, dipping his head to give me a soft open-mouthed kiss. “Some things have just got to be big.”

  “You won’t hear me complaining about that,” I murmur, wondering if baby-name-hunting can wait for just long enough for a mutually satisfying orgasm or two.

  His eyes sparkle with amusement as if he can read my thoughts. “Later, baby. Our son needs a name. Peanut is cute and all, but something real would be so much better.”

  He rolls me onto my side and slides an arm under my head, holding the tablet out so we can both see it. He brings up his profile and scrolls down to a list he’s created.

  “You made a board?” I squeak.

  “Go big or go home. This is serious business we’re dealing with here.”

  “I’m seeing you in a whole new light now, Ezra Baker.”

  He touches his lips to the curve of my neck. “A good one, I hope.”

  “An amazing one. Now show me what you’ve got.”

  We spend what seems like forever looking at different lists: popular for the year, old names making a comeback, weird monikers, strange, unique ones, and slightly out there but definitely cool unisex names. When we finally see the one we like, it’s an instant unanimous decision. It feels right, perfect even, and when Ezra asks if I’d consider having James as the middle name in honor of Jamie, I agree without question.

  “Do you go on Pinterest?”

  “Is there a woman alive who knows about it and doesn’t?” I ask back. “But I gotta admit, I haven’t used it to hunt for baby names.”

  “What have you been looking at then?”

  “Interior design concepts, clothes, nail colors, nursery ideas, sleep routines, parenting tips, and tricks.”

  He’s quiet for a moment. “Show me your nursery board. We’ve got a whole empty room to decorate.”

  “It was dependent on the name we chose.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Let me show you,” I say, reaching out to the tablet and bringing up my name, adding Ezra as a friend in the process. When I find what I’m looking for, I bring up my favorite boys’ room idea. I turn my head to watch Ezra’s expression.

  “This is cool. It’s not your standard blue, and it’s not boats or planes or cars. It’s unique.” I can’t wipe the smile off my face. “And Faith will wanna move in because the zoo theme is totally her jam.”

  “I know. I just like the neutral browns and greens, and I like the idea of the feature wall with his name on it.”

  “Name in flashing lights.”

  “Yep. Which is why we had to choose a kickass name.”

  “Well, we definitely have that,” he murmurs, leaning over and kissing my lips. “And I’ll totally win points with Jamie.”

  I giggle at that. “It is the first boy baby, so technically that gives you first dibs.”

  “Yeah,” he says just as a yawn escapes me.

  “You want to go to bed? We’ve got a big day ahead of us tomorrow.”

  My mouth twitches. “Well, you do, since I’m not allowed to lift anything.”

  “Exactly.”

  I roll in his arms so I’m facing him and loop my arms around his neck. “That means you should rest tonight.”

  He frowns. “I’m fine.”

  I bite my lip. “You’re missing my point, Ez.” I lift my head to lightly touch my mouth to his. “You need to rest. That means I need to get to work to help you do that,” I say seductively, peppering his jaw with kisses before working my way down to his throat.

  “Mmm,” he groans, rolling his hips against my side, letting me feel just how on board he is for my plans.

 
; “Here or in bed?”

  “Bed involves moving, and I like where I am right now.”

  “More room on my mattress.”

  “Ez?” I whisper, my lips curved into a smile as I touch them just below his ear.

  “Mmm?”

  “Lie back and take it.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  19

  Ezra

  A lot can happen in six months.

  You can find out you’ve made a baby with the woman you’re casually sleeping with and propose like an idiot.

  You can take a chance at love and make a family with one of the best women you’ve ever met and shack up, knowing your life will never be the same again.

  And for the first time ever, you can decide to give yourself and the woman you’re having a child with a taste of life to come by babysitting a certain mischievous nine-year-old boy for your best friend so he can have date night with his wife.

  That’s the reason Gilly and I are walking hand in hand toward Jamie and April’s front porch on a Friday night instead of relaxing at home after a long week at work.

  Gilly looks over at me after I knock on the door. “Are you sure we’re ready for this?”

  I scoff. “It’s Axel. He can talk, he can wipe his own ass—unlike Joey—and he’s a good kid. How hard can it be? We’ll eat pizza, play games, and then he’ll crash. Then we can sit back and take it easy.”

  She eyes me skeptically. “Somehow, I don’t think it’s that straight forward.”

  I flash her a grin. “Axel’s awesome. You’ll see.”

  Moments after we knock, Jamie swings the door open with a huge smile. “Hey guys. Come in. April is almost ready, so it’s good timing.” He steps aside, and we stop in the entryway to take off our shoes. “Look at you. How are you doing?” Jamie asks Gilly.

  “I’m really good. Thanks,” I reply.

  He rolls his eyes. “You’ve never been good.”

  I laugh and wiggle my brows. “Oh, I dunno, Gilly might say otherwise.” The pregnant woman in question elbows me in response.

  “I’m doing okay.” She rubs her bump. “Beginning to wonder if I’ll have to be rolled into the delivery room though. He’s a big boy.”

  “Aww, baby, Jamie doesn’t need to know that about me,” I reply with a smirk.

  Jamie barks out a laugh. “The only thing big about you is your ego.”

  “I heard my husband teasing someone. It must mean Ez is here,” April says, appearing at the top of the stairs.

  Jamie looks up and smirks at his wife, watching as she walks down to join us. “He makes it easy.”

  April rolls her eyes and catches Gilly’s gaze. “I swear these men will never quit giving each other shit. They’ll be eighty, sitting on the porch in their rocking chairs, bickering like a bunch of old ladies.”

  I grin at April. “You make that sound like it’s a bad thing.”

  “It’s a funny thing, that’s for sure,” she replies. “Now, let’s go find Axel, and we’ll leave you to it.”

  We all walk down toward the back of the house, hearing Ax before we see him, turning the corner and find him shouting at the TV as he plays some shoot-’em-up game on his Xbox.

  I follow Gilly as she slowly sits down on the corner of the couch. “Hey, Ax.”

  “Hey,” he says, right before shouting, “Take that, sucker!”

  “Axel,” April gasps.

  Jamie intervenes. “C’mon, buddy. Time to switch that off. We agreed that you’d hop off there when Ez and Gilly got here.”

  “Yeah, Dad,” the boy says, logging out of the game and switching it off. He places the controller on top of the entertainment unit and turns to where we are.

  “Whoa. Your belly is huge,” he says, wide eyes on my girlfriend.

  “Heaven help me,” April groans, shaking her head. “I’m so sorry, Gilly. Our son doesn’t seem to have a filter.”

  Jamie and I look at each other and chuckle, earning a disapproving look from April as if to say ‘don’t encourage him.’

  Gilly just giggles though. “He’s not wrong,” she says, shooting the boy a wink.

  “I do too!” he replies. “I’m always hungry. Mom and Gran always say I’m going to eat them out of house and home.” He grins and puffs his chest. “I bet your baby will eat lots too.”

  “If he’s anything like Uncle Ezra, I think you might be right,” Jamie says.

  Axel studies Gilly’s stomach before lifting his eyes to mine where I stand behind her. “How does the baby come out?”

  “Uh… um…” I say, waiting for one of the women to step in and help me out, but no assistance is offered.

  “Because Mom said I came out of the sunroof.” He looks back at Gilly. “Do you have a sunroof like Mom does? Hers is closed now though. She said no more babies are coming out that way.”

  Gilly giggles, April, Jamie, and myself joining in too. It’s then that April decides to wade in. “Ax, we can talk tomorrow about how babies are born if you still want to know.”

  “Thanks, Mom. I like to know these things. It makes me sound really smart when I tell my school teacher.”

  April looks up at the roof, muttering, “Heaven help me.”

  “Alright,” Jamie says, meeting my eyes. “We’re going to leave now, but we won’t be too late.”

  April sidles up to her husband and wraps her arm around his waist. “I remember how hard the third trimester is, so we don’t want to keep you up too late. Especially after our monster wears you out.”

  Axel’s mouth drops open. “I’m not a monster. I’m awesome.”

  “You totally are. You’re an awesome monster,” April replies with a smirk.

  That seems to appease her son because he turns his attention back to me. “Dad said we could play Battleship. Nana Marcy brought a bunch of games over that you all used to play in the old days.”

  I bite my lip, willing myself not to comment on the ‘old days’ reference. “Did she also tell you I’m the reigning Battleship champion?”

  He scrunches his face up. “Well, we’re not playing in the rain. We can play inside, which means I’m bound to win.”

  “Have fun,” Jamie says, looking like he’s struggling not to laugh. Axel seems to have that effect on all of us. It’s a fine line between laughing at his antics and gently correcting him. “We suggested pizza for dinner, so we left the takeout menu on the kitchen counter.”

  I nod. “As long as they have pasta as well, we’ll all be happy.”

  Gilly looks over her shoulder to where we are standing. “Hey. I can eat pizza too. Your son isn’t fussy right now, just really hungry.”

  “Me too! See, Mom? I’m already friends with Uncle Ezra and Gilly’s baby already.” Axel beams, and it makes me wonder—maybe even hope—that our son will be as cool as him.

  “Hey, Jamie. Remember when we met that six-year-old pizza thief?”

  Axel turns sheepish, but there’s no mistaking his impish grin. “I was hungry.”

  “Just like you are now, right?” Gilly says. “Why don’t you go get the takeout menu, Ax, and you and I can choose which pizza we want.”

  “Okay,” he yells, halfway out of the room.

  “Good luck,” Jamie says, his eyes crinkled.

  April playfully whacks his chest. “Stop it.” She meets my eyes, her gaze speaking to me without saying a word. “We’re just going to grab some dinner, so we shouldn’t be long.”

  Oblivious, Gilly turns in her seat, reaches out for my hand, and gives my fingers a squeeze. “No rush. Ezra has a plan of attack. I’m just here as backup.”

  Jamie barks out a laugh. “Yeah. Let me know how that plan goes with Axel. He’s a tornado wrapped in a cyclone, surrounded by a hurricane. I think he might wear you out before crashing himself.”

  “Oh, ye of little faith,” I retort.

  April grins. “Yeah… of all the kids to offer to babysit, you chose the Energizer Bunny. But feed him till he can’t eat any more then watch a movie, and
I guarantee he’ll be a lot more agreeable to the idea of going to sleep before we get home.”

  I nod. “Thanks for the advice.”

  The mini ball of energy returns and rolls over the back of the couch to land with a thump next to Gilly’s legs, shooting her a cheeky grin.

  “Ax, we’re going to leave now,” Jamie says.

  The boy waves his arm in the air, too focused on the brochures in his hands. “Bye!”

  I look at his parents, all three of us trying not to laugh.

  Leaning over the back of the couch, I cup Gilly’s cheek and tilt her chin my way. “I’ll just see them out. You okay here for a minute?”

  “As long as I’m not asked about the birds and the bees, I’ll be fine,” she whispers.

  “Oh, I know about the birds and the bees. That’s old news,” Axel says.

  Gilly’s eyes widen before she giggles and shakes her head. I straighten and ruffle the boy’s hair.

  “Maybe you can explain it to me then,” I suggest.

  Axel sighs. “If I have to. It’s not that interesting.”

  “I’ll remind you of that in a few years’ time,” April says, laughing.

  “Probably around the time tissue boxes and moisturizer bottles start to go missing,” I reply, earning gasps from the women and causing Jamie to burst out laughing.

  “See you in the morning, Ax.” April gives her son a kiss on the cheek before grabbing hold of Jamie’s outstretched hand and moving down the hallway. I follow them, waiting until we’re out of earshot before speaking.

  “Here’s the house key,” I say, handing over my copy for Gilly’s front door lock. “Everything is where we left it.” I look to Jamie. “Bry, Mom, Dad, and Cohen and Skye are meeting you there. Once you’re done, just leave the front light on before you come back here.”

  “She truly has no idea?”

  “Nope.”

  “Are you sure she’s going to be okay with this?” April asks, quirking a brow.

  “Yep.”

  “Okay. I’m excited,” she says, clapping her hands together softly. “I haven’t done this in years.”

  “I haven’t done this ever, so you’re one up on me.”