Chapter1

#Chapter1

Time to play catch up

After our older siblings graduated, our fathers set us up in a house with the brothers. It wasn’t too bad, except instead of having Drew to taunt, Liam now had Angelo. I swear he was going to get his ass kicked one of these days.

I guess I should catch everyone up to speed on what happened. Let’s start with the end of our freshman year to the beginning of our senior year. A lot has happened. Let’s start with Junior. Hope and he had their baby, a girl, and she was cute as a button. Thank god she got Hope’s beauty.

Then Matt and Scarlett got married after they graduated. It surprised us when they went to Vegas and eloped. They did it under intoxication since Matt needs that push. Drew and Elijah didn’t help matters since they were the ones that got Matt drunk. Yeah, that move pissed Dad off. That was a fun spring break.

Speaking of Elijah, he didn’t fare any better when Davina came up pregnant and not married. Yeah, that was a big oopsie on their part. Jordan was even more pissed than Dad. Elijah and Davina ended up in a shotgun wedding like Junior did with Hope. What is with these two and not wrapping their shit?

Elijah and Davina had a girl. Believe it or not, it thrilled Jordan. After the many boys in his family, he loved that he had a granddaughter. Yeah, it still boggles my mind.

Then there was Liz and Drew. At least they were more proper and had an actual wedding a few years later. Dad offered to drive the getaway car if Liz bowed out. She refused his offer. Dad ended up with Drew as a son-in-law. He’s still praying that he falls off a cliff. I enjoy having Drew as a brother and Scarlett as a sister. They keep the family on their toes.

Did I mention that Liz and Scarlett are both expecting this year? Yeah, it surprised us too. From what I can tell, both are giving my brothers a run for their money.

/"RJ! Breakfast is ready,/" I heard Dad shout from the bottom of the stairs.

We head back next week to finish our senior year, but I got one more week at home with the folks until then.

I came out of my room and went downstairs to see Dad at the stove, cooking up breakfast. Mom sat at the table, revising manuscripts and drinking coffee. I grabbed a plate of food from him and took a seat next to mom.

Once Dad finished, he brought over two plates, each one for him and mom. Then he kissed her before taking a seat opposite us.

/"What’s on the agenda today?/" Dad asked me.

/"Got me. Liam asked me to help him with something, but knowing him will get him beaten,/" I said, taking a bite.

/"Sounds about right,/" Dad said.

The door opened, and Liz waddled into the kitchen with Drew behind her.

/"Don’t touch me,/" Liz snapped at him.

/"Fine, I won’t,/" Drew grumbled.

/"Hormones, a bit out of control?/" I asked with a smirk as I sipped my coffee.

Liz gave me a look and mimicked me as she took a seat next to dad.

/"Elizabeth, why are you so cranky?/" Mom asked.

/"Because I’m freaking big as a house,/" she exclaimed.

/"Don’t snap at your mother, Elizabeth. Snap at Drew,/" dad said.

/"Hey!/" Drew yelled.

/"How much longer do I have to carry this demon spawn?/" Liz asked with a groan.

/"A few more months,/" Drew answered, bringing her a plate of food. /"A few more long months,/" Drew mumbled.

/"What was that?/" Liz snapped.

/"Nothing, honey,/" Drew said, getting a plate of food.

I hate to say it, but my sister is a royal bitch now. I don’t hate to say it. I will say it. Damn.

A few minutes later, Scarlett waddled in along with Matt. Neither one looked happy. I’m guessing Scarlett was giving Matt hell with how freaking miserable he looked.

Scarlett took a seat next to Liz. /"The next baby we have, you’re carrying Matt!/"

/"I hope there isn’t another one,/" Matt mumbled.

/"What?/" Scarlett asked, daring my brother to speak.

/"Nothing,/" Matt muttered.

Dad looked at mom, and they both smiled. I guess this is what my brother and sister get for giving my parents a run for their money when mom carried them.

/"Well, on that note, I have to go help Liam,/" I said, getting up and getting out of the fire line. Anything is better than home right now with two hormonal pregnant women. Well, that was until I got to Liam’s house.

I knocked on the door. The door opened, and someone yanked me inside, closing the door. I saw Elijah and Davina’s bundle of joy in the living room.

/"Who the hell would leave you in charge of a baby?/" I asked in disbelief.

/"My brother thought I could bond with my niece,/" Liam said in frustration.

/"Where are the others at?/" I asked.

/"Well, mom and dad went out of town. JJ and Lydia skated out of here. And Mel, well she’s crazy, plus she doesn’t know a thing about babies,/" Liam answered me.

Then the baby started crying.

/"Don’t stand there. Pick the baby up,/" I told Liam.

/"Like how?/" Liam questioned.

/"I don’t know, like how one would pick up a baby,/" I reasoned.

Liam reached down and picked the baby up, holding her at arm’s length.

/"Now what?/" Liam asked, holding the baby away from him.

/"I don’t know, bounce her or something,/" I suggested.

Liam started moving her up and down, still at arm’s length. As Liam was dealing with trying to get the baby to stop crying, there was a knock at the door.

/"Get the door,/" Liam ordered.

/"You get the door. It’s your house,/" I countered.

/"Kind of busy here,/" Liam said.

/"Fine,/" I said, walking over to the door and opening it only to find Nik there. I grabbed him and yanked in inside the house.

/"Damn, I didn’t know you cared, RJ,/" Nik said to me.

/"I don’t. But you’re familiar with babies,/" I said.

/"That hurts,/" Nik said, feigning hurt.

/"Shut it,/" I said.

Nik looked to see Liam holding the baby and started laughing. /"Dear God, what is wrong with you? Have you never held a baby?/" Nik questioned Liam’s parenting skills.

Liam looked at him. /"No,/" he told Nik.

/"Give the baby to me,/" Nik said, taking the baby and cradling her. Then he started talking to her, and she stopped crying.

/"Oh, thank god,/" Liam groaned.

/"Uh guys, she needs a diaper change,/" Nik said to us.

We looked at each other and said, /"Not it./"

/"Damn it,/" Nik said.

We took the baby into Elijah’s old room and laid her on the bed as we got stuff out of her diaper bag. The minute Nik undid her diaper, we all said, /"Oh, good lord./" Yeah, she dropped a load in her pants.

We handed stuff to Nik as he cleaned her up, then Liam gave him baby powder. /"You can’t use baby powder on a girl?/" Nik exclaimed.

/"Well, it was in her diaper bag,/" Liam reasoned.

/"No, idiot, if you do, it’ll plug her up,/" Nik said, throwing the bottle of baby powder at Liam, causing it to go all over him. That made the baby laugh.

Nik looked at the baby. /"Abby, your uncle is an idiot./"

Nik finished changing Abby, and after that, she seemed happy. I guess when you drop a load in your pants, it will make you miserable.

Two hours later, Elijah and Davina returned to pick up Abby. They saw the remnants of baby powder on Liam.

/"I don’t even want to know,/" Elijah said.

/"Yeah, it wasn’t pretty when Nik threw the opened bottle at him,/" I said.

Elijah started laughing to the point he almost dropped the baby until Davina took Abby from him. They left as Elijah was still smiling.

/"Look at this way, in a week, we’ll be back to school and won’t have to deal with babies,/" I said.

They looked at me, and I shrugged.

After hanging out with Nik and Liam for a while, I went home. I walked into the living room and saw dad reading something. /"Is the coast clear?/" I whispered.

He looked up. /"Yeah, you coward,/" Dad told me. I shrugged as he continued, /"What did Liam want?/"

/"He needed help with babysitting duties,/" I said. I took a seat on the couch.

/"How did that go?/" Dad asked me.

/"Thanks to Nik, a lot better until Nik threw an open bottle of powder at Liam,/" I said.

Dad started laughing when mom walked into the room. /"What’s so funny?/" Mom asked us.

/"RJ was telling me about his babysitting adventures. How Liam became Casper the Friendly Ghost,/" Dad chuckled.

/"Who would let Liam babysit?/" She asked.

/"Elijah and Davina would,/" I said.

She shook her head while dad laughed.

/"You know, with all the babies invading our life lately, I’ll wait a long time before I have any,/" I said.

Dad stopped laughing. Both he and mom looked at me as he said, /"God, I hope so./"

/"RJ, you have plenty of time to decide that,/" mom said.

/"I know, but first, I kind of need to meet someone,/" I said.

/"Don’t worry, it’ll happen,/" dad said.

/"I’m not worried about that,/" I said with a smirk. That earned a look from both my parents. Unlike most of my family, having someone else in my life wasn’t the last thing. Yeah, sure, it would be nice, but it was the end all be all.

I got up and went to my room. I needed to get some packing done.

/"I swear that boy is in for a major fall when he finally meets a girl he likes,/" Dad said.

/"I have a feeling whoever he meets won’t be like the others if he’s anything like his daddy,/" Mom said with a smile.

/"Baby, you’re one in a million. I doubt there is anyone like you,/" he said to her.

/"We’ll see,/" she said, picking up a manuscript and reviewing it.

As I was packing, I heard a lot of commotion coming from downstairs. Now what? The next thing I knew, Matt and Drew flew into my room and slammed my door.

/"Dare I ask why you two are here in my room?/" I questioned.

/"We’re hiding,/" Drew said.

I gave them a look. /"Don’t tell me you can’t handle impending fatherhood?/" I asked with a look.

/"No, we can’t handle the hormones,/" Matt said.

/"What did you expect? A walk in the park?/" I asked both.

/"No, but we figured it would be easier than what is happening now,/" Drew said.

/"You two are idiots. Did you not learn anything from what dad went through with mom? He told you it wasn’t easy, so did the rest of them. Look at Elijah. He’s lucky Davina didn’t cut off his dick,/" I said to both.

/"All we need is to get through the next few months,/" Matt said.

/"Good luck,/" I said with a smirk.

Then we heard a knock at the door. /"Open up Tweedledee and Tweedledum,/" Liz spat.

/"Oh, hell no,/" Drew said.

/"That wasn’t a request. Now open,/" dad demanded.

I walked over and opened the door to find dad with Liz and Scarlett.

/"Send the boys out,/" Dad instructed me.

/"Okay, on one condition,/" I replied.

/"What’s that?/" Dad asked.

/"Those two get their moods in check,/" I said, pointing at the girls.

/"RJ, they are pregnant, for Christ’s sake,/" Dad exclaimed.

/"I get that, but it doesn’t mean they can act like raging bitches,/" I responded.

/"RJ, that’s enough!/" Dad barked.

/"Bullshit. Ever since the girls got knocked up, they have been fucking hell on wheels. Drew and Matt have to hide in my room to find peace, and the worst part is you’re allowing it,/" I snapped back.

/"RJ, I’m warning you. One more word, and you won’t be standing,/" Dad warned me.

/"Go ahead! I’m not afraid of you!/" I yelled. With that, dad picked me up and slammed me against the wall. He cocked his fist back, ready to let it rip as Drew and Matt tried to stop him, but he pushed them away.

As Dad was about to slam his fist towards me, I heard someone shout, /"Ryan! Let go of him!/"

We turned to see mom standing there, furious. She walked over to him. /"Drop RJ before I get Jordan to drop you,/" Mom demanded.

Dad let go of me. I dropped to the ground, trying to catch my breath. Matt and Drew helped me up while mom glared at dad.

/"What is wrong with you?/" Mom questioned.

/"RJ disrespected the girls,/" Dad said in an inaudible voice.

/"How so?/" Mom asked.

/"He called them bitches,/" Dad answered.

/"I said they were acting like it,/" I said between coughs.

She looked at me, then at him. /"He’s right,/" Mom said, agreeing with me.

/"What?/" Dad asked, a bit surprised.

She looked at the girls as she walked over to them. /"This treatment has been going on far too long./"

/"But mom,/" Liz protested.

/"No, Elizabeth, both of you have been acting like spoil brats. Throwing a tantrum and making the boys cower. It stops now. Especially if you want to keep your husband,/" Mom warned Liz.

/"But what about you? Dad said that you were the worst,/" Liz spat at mom.

/"Only because I had complications, but both of you have had none. I love you, kid, but I will not stand by and allow this behavior anymore,/" she demanded. Then she looked at dad. /"You of all people should know better. RJ is like you, and for you to strike him when he’s doing what you should have done is appalling. Some time away from each other will get your head on straight,/" she said.

/"Alex, what are you saying?/" Dad asked, furrowing his brows.

/"I’ll stay at Frazier and Marissa’s house for a few days,/" Mom said as she left the room.

/"Fuck!/" Dad said under his breath.

We all looked at each other; then he walked over to the girls. /"Get your shit together. Now I have to deal with your mother./"

He left, and my sisters stood there, not knowing what to say. Yeah, fun times in the house of the Jones family. Thanks to my sisters.