Dating Her Brother’s Best Friend (Silver Spoon Single Serve)

Epilogue

EPILOGUE

JEREMY

It’s been seven wonderful, eventful years since I married Caroline, and I’ve come to realize our life is like a hilarious sitcom. With three kids under six, the chaos in our house keeps me on my toes. Today’s scene unfolds innocently enough over coffee and kiddie cartoons, with my brother Sawyer providing the usual comic relief.

The breakfast bar is still covered with cereal bowls and discarded napkins, the remnants of mornings corralling three small children. Caroline refused to leave her job at the school, so I took on the stay-at-home dad gig, which suits me more than I initially thought it would.

Sawyer sits across from me, nursing his coffee and looking every bit the proverbial "cool uncle" who occasionally stops by to survey the chaos. The noise of the kids’ favorite cartoon filters in from the living room as Sawyer tells me about the weird rash Simon developed on his backside a few days ago.

Eleanor, our little three-year-old dynamo, waddles into the kitchen, dragging a vibrant blanket behind her. Her hair's still a bedhead masterpiece, which she pulls off better than anyone. Just like her mother.

“Uncle Sawyer,” she chirps, commanding all my brother’s attention, “did you know my mommy has hair on her bottom?”

Sawyer chokes on his coffee, liquid spurting from his mouth, coating the breakfast bar in a sticky mess. His eyes are wide, caught between shock and laughter. My effort to keep a straight face is futile, and I bite my lip, attempting to stifle the chuckle bubbling up my throat. There’s something uniformly timeless about my spoiled little princess’ truth bombs.

“Eleanor!” I say when I’m able to speak without laughing. “Why don’t we keep Mommy’s secrets between us?”

Her eyes are earnest, considering the weight of this new responsibility. She nods solemnly. “Okay, Daddy,” she promises, and then she’s off, tiny feet padding away across the hardwood floors, blanket trailing behind her.

Sawyer, still catching his breath, wipes at the mess with a dish towel I toss his way. “The universe has a sick sense of humor,” he muses, shaking his head, his face accommodating a grin so wide it almost circles his head. “I can’t believe you ended up with the female version of Simon.”

“Don’t worry. My wife has it all under control,” I quip, leaning back and taking a leisurely sip of my now much-needed coffee.

He blows his nose to clear the coffee he snorted before chuckling. “I still can’t believe Caroline stayed with the school job,” he says, changing gears smoothly. “And left you at home with the kids. She’s one brave woman.”

“Yes, she is,” I agree. “It’s the perfect arrangement.” I shrug, unconcerned that some of my friends think I’m crazy for being a stay-at-home dad.

“You know, I really thought you’d give Dad a stroke when you skipped college and refused to work for the family business to go into the Army, but he somehow handled the shock and even got past it. Then you decided to be a stay-at-home dad while your wife works, and I figured this would be it. The thing to finally push Dad past his limit. Yet again, he surprised me and rolled with the flow. I have no fucking clue how you did it. You’re my hero,” Sawyer teases, rolling his eyes.

My brother doesn’t throw out compliments for no reason. “What do you want?”

“Can’t I give you a compliment without you assuming…”

I interrupt him before he’s able to really get going. “Cut the bullshit. What do you want?”

“Tickets to the Riggers game next weekend.”

“You don’t have to kiss my ass for football tickets.” He knows I always have available tickets.

“Tickets for Simon’s entire second-grade class plus parents,” he clarifies, and I mentally run through all the favors Paxton owes me, wondering if it will be enough to cover that many tickets.

“Why do you want to take his entire class to the game?” My brother isn’t usually one for grand gestures like this.

“Well, you see…” He glances at the living room to make sure all the little ears are occupied with the cartoons. “Simon is trying to impress this girl.”

“Say no more.” There’s nothing more important than keeping the women in our lives happy. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Can we keep this between us until I find a way to break it to my wife?”

I bite my lip to keep from laughing. She’s going to kick his ass for this scheme. “Good luck with that one.”

“We live fucking crazy lives,” Sawyer comments, surveying the scattered chaos around my home.

“Yeah… but it’s our brand of crazy.” The corners of my mouth tug upward. “And I couldn’t be happier. Well, I could be a little happier if my wife lets me knock her up again. In fact, tonight I’m going to…”

“Stop.” Sawyer sticks his fingers in his ears, muttering, “La-la-la-la… I don’t want to hear this.”

“Tough shit,” I tell him and rub my middle finger up the side of my head facing away from my young and impressionable daughters.

“Dickhead.” He goes for the bullseye, using the nickname he used to torture me with when we were young.

“I’m still butt-hurt you told Caroline my middle name.”

“She was bound to find out at some point; I just used it to my advantage.”

It's one of those typically chaotic Tuesday evenings at the Head household, the kind where you just hope to make it through with some semblance of order intact.

Caroline's been caught up with an especially long school board meeting, which leaves me in charge of our three rambunctious daughters and their chaotic nighttime routine.

By some miracle, I manage to get the girls bathed and tucked into bed without anyone crying. Eleanor, our youngest and the instigator of most bedtime escapades, finally closes her eyes after a drawn-out negotiation involving one extra story, two goodnight kisses, and a promise of pancakes in the morning.

The house is blessedly quiet now, a calm contrast to the giggles and splashes from the hour before. I flop onto the couch, savoring a moment of peace and the gratifying sense of a mission accomplished as I breathe in the rare tranquility.

The front door clicks open, and in walks Caroline. When her eyes meet mine, she offers a tired but genuine smile.

"Hey, sweets." I walk over and pull her curvy body close. "Kids are asleep, and peace reigns."

"My hero," she responds warmly, shrugging out of her coat before kicking off her shoes. "After I say goodnight to the girls, I need a backrub."

“Anything for you.” I follow her up the stairs and stand at the bedroom door, watching her give each girl a soft kiss on the forehead.

As we head to our bedroom, I decide to pull the Band-Aid off quickly and tell Caroline about our excitement this morning.

"There's something you need to know," I begin, watching as her eyebrows raise slightly.

"What did Eleanor do now?" she guesses, not missing a beat.

I can’t help laughing as I sit back on the bed and pull her body between my legs. "How’d you know it’s Eleanor?"

She rolls her eyes and leans over to place a soft kiss on my lips. "It's always Eleanor," she says.

“True,” I admit, laughing. “Well, it seems our youngest wanted to tell Uncle Sawyer about your hair.”

Caroline asks, frowning, “My hair?”

“The hair on your bottom in particular.” I chuckle, watching the understanding dawn across her face.

“I have to stop letting them come into the bathroom with me,” she mutters, her gaze meeting mine with resignation.

“Our kid has perfect timing, too.” I grin, dropping a light kiss on her forehead. “She waited until my brother took a big sip of coffee before she made her announcement.”

Caroline laughs again, and the musical sound fills the room. “That’s my girl.”

"She really is all you with a tiny bit of Simon thrown in for good measure.”

“You said you wanted girls who look like me,” my wife teases as she starts undressing. “So, you got your wish.” She steps into the bathroom, and I hear the water running while she brushes her teeth.

“True. Now, I have one more wish.” I decide to go all in since she seems to be in an accommodating mood. “Do you think we could work on twin boys to help even out the score?”

She leans out the door and glares at me. “Now, you’re pushing your luck.”

“I thought it was worth a try.” And I plan to keep trying until I convince her we need to add to our family. I keep the thought to myself, knowing my wife will figure it out herself soon enough.