The Redo (Winslow Brothers #4) (105)

Izzy laughs, coos, and her eyes move to where my niece sits on the couch beside us.

“Hey, cute girl,” Lexi says, smiling as she reaches forward to poke a finger at Izzy’s hand in the hope that she’ll grab it. “Who’s a cute girl?” She attempts again, but Izzy just grins, too busy watching Lex’s mouth move to notice her finger.

My niece loves babies, and as luck would have it, babies love her. Especially Izzy.

Lex will forever be the first person to get a real, true, authentic smile to crest Izzy’s lips. It occurred about two weeks ago and made me feel like I’d grown an extra damn heart. Maria had cried. Then she’d laughed. Then she’d cried a little more.

And since Izzy has enough awareness to notice who she’s with, and she most definitely loves when Lexi is around, Maria and I have taken to having Lex over as much as we can these days.

“Hey, Ri, how’d your showing with the Tomlinsons go today?” I ask toward the kitchen. She’s been worried about working with the Tomlinsons for a week now, with the missus, in particular, having quite the reputation for being hard to please.

“Better than I expected, thankfully. They didn’t like the apartment, but they’re open to looking in Nolita.”

“That’s great news, babe. You have so much more inventory there.”

“I know, right?” she replies and flashes a relieved grin at me from the kitchen. “I obviously pushed in that direction a little bit, but honestly, the area is a great fit for them. Daniel is showing them a couple of places tomorrow while I’m with the Blakelys, but I spent two hours with him today going over all the particulars of Mrs. Tomlinson’s quirks. I think he can handle it.”

“Definitely. There’s no way you can do it all. That’s why you have other agents on your team. And Tonya, too. So you can delegate.”

Tonya is Maria’s newest assistant and has been working for the company for a few weeks now. Claudia, while horrible at her job, is still on the team because Isabella’s soft spot for her is apparently still living and thriving within Maria. But Tonya is proving to be a huge asset, oftentimes ensuring that Claudia doesn’t fuck shit up.

“You have to admit, I’m getting better at the whole delegating thing.”

“That you are. I about passed out last weekend when you agreed to take the day off and let Winnie keep Izzy for us.”

Maria laughs, and Lexi waggles her eyebrows. She’s no stranger to our teasing at this point.

“Are you spending the night again, Lexi Lou?” Maria asks casually. The sound of water whooshing into the sink as she drains the pasta is my cue to get my ass into the kitchen.

I hand the baby to Lexi, who shifts back into the couch and holds her carefully while she answers, “Yes. But only if you pick the movie. Uncle Remy has bad cinematic taste.”

“Brooo,” I groan, grabbing Lexi by the shoulder and giving her a tiny shake that makes her smile. “You really gonna do me like that?”

She shrugs, ruthless as always. “You made us watch Glitter last time.”

“It’s Mariah! You can’t be mad at Mariah!” I defend.

Maria doesn’t even bother to hide her laughs in the kitchen.

I roll my eyes and groan, pretending to be put out by their criticism. “Fine. What film will the two of you be selecting tonight, then? Huh? Prove your superiority.”

With her free arm, Lexi carefully grabs the remote from the cushion next to her and pulls up Amazon Prime. An endless bounty of options fills the screen, and she starts scrolling to find the best one.

I make my way into the kitchen and start stirring the sauce while Maria puts the noodles back into the hot pot. Once we mix them both together tag-team-style, I head over to the oven to remove the garlic bread.

“If Lex is staying, that means one of us is going to have to run her Uptown in the morning. I think I can do it if my first showing is where I think it is, I just have to check the schedule,” Maria chirps, running down a plan.

“No need, babe. Tomorrow’s Saturday, remember?”

Maria lets out a little chortle, letting her head drop back. “Holy shit, how did I completely lose track of the days this week?”

I pull her into the side of my body for a shoulder squeeze and a hug. “Because you’re incredibly busy being Superwoman. But I’ve got the kids.” I raise my voice and project toward the living room on purpose so that Lexi will hear the next part. “I may even take the girls to breakfast at Lex’s favorite brunch spot.”

“Bunrise?” Lexi practically yells, her head whipping over her shoulder to look back at us. The name is a little cutesy if you ask me, but that’s New York for you.

“Can I take your shout as enthusiasm? Is that a yes vote for brunch?”

“Yes!” Lex hoots. “You’re the best, Uncle Remy!”

In an instant, her words switch my focus, and I grab my phone out of my pocket to fire off a high-priority text.

“What exactly are you doing?” Maria asks as my fingers move swiftly across the screen.

“You think I’m going to let her declare me the best uncle and not text that to my brothers?” I scoff. “No way. I have to let them know I’m atop the podium.”

Maria rolls her eyes, but she does it with a grin. “You’re children, all of you.”