Room for Just a Little Bit More(3)

“We’ll get a castle,” Brody blurted out, a huge grin spread across his face.

“Yay!” they cheered and started dancing again.

“Wait.” I reached out and tried to stop them, but they’d moved too far out into the room. They spun round and round as I turned toward Brody, staring blankly at him. “You know they’re six and they remember everything, right?”

“I know.” He confirmed proudly, his mischievous green eyes smiling at me.

“Brody, you just promised them a castle. Like… a castle!” I repeated incredulously, thinking he must not have heard me the first time.

“I know.” He laughed as he watched the girls celebrate. “But look at them. How could I not? Don’t worry. I’ll figure something out.” He reached over and patted my thigh.

Oddly enough, I believed him.



2 - Brody

“What the f*ck is this, man?” Viper bellowed as he walked into Scooter Joe’s Café and dropped the newspaper on my table.

“Good morning to you too.” I laughed, picking it up.

Front page. Top story. Bold letters.



SORRY, LADIES! MINNESOTA’S MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR IS OFF THE MARKET:

BRODY MURPHY PROPOSES TO GIRLFRIEND KACIE JENSEN



“What the hell? How do they know already?” I growled in frustration as I slammed the paper facedown on the table. As annoyed as I was with the headline, I was even more annoyed with the picture they added below it of Kacie and me at the zoo with the girls. Lucy and Piper were facing the other way, so thankfully no one could see their faces, but it still pissed me off. Kacie and I had talked long ago about my life and how it’s in the spotlight more than I’d like, and she swore to me that we were worth it and she could handle it, but when they start posting pictures of her daughters, all bets are off.

Viper pulled the chair out and plopped down across from me. “The question is, how do they know before me?”

I smiled at him and shrugged. “Sorry. It just happened a couple days ago. I wanted to tell you in person. That’s why I asked you to meet me for breakfast.”

“Well, congratulations.” He reached across and shook my hand.

“Thanks.”

“You sure you’re ready for this?”

“I’m more than ready.” I sat up, looking him straight in the eye. “I want to marry that girl today, before she realizes she can do way better than me and changes her mind.”

Viper sat still for a minute, not responding. Just before I opened my mouth to talk, he batted his eyes at me and clapped his hands together. “Awww. There’s no one better than you, Brody Murphy,” he joked in an annoyingly high-pitched voice.

“Cut the shit, Finkle.” I laughed. “You’re just jealous I didn’t save myself for you.”

“True,” he agreed, “but we could always have some scorching affair and really give the magazines something to talk about. Do you like being on top or bottom?”

I held my hand over my mouth, concentrating desperately on not spitting my coffee out. “Okay, that was a little much.”

Viper laughed heartily and smacked his hand down on the table loudly, causing a couple people to turn and look at us. “All jokes aside, I’m happy for you, man. I really am. She’s a great girl, but you’re right… definitely out of your league.”

I looked down at the table and thought about Kacie and how I couldn’t wait to spend the rest of my life with her. Lucy and Piper, the kids we would eventually make together, holidays, graduations, vacations… Those were all the big things I was looking forward to, but with her I wanted more. I wanted all the awesome little things too. Sleeping in on Sundays, date nights at my favorite little Italian place in the city, all of our weird inside jokes, her cinnamon rolls. I wanted all of it, every single day.

“Jesus, wipe the goofy smile off your face.” Viper threw a wadded-up napkin at me, laughing when it bounced off my forehead.

“Sorry.” I shook my head back to reality. “Hey, I actually asked you here for another reason, not just because I wanted to see your ugly face.”

“Oh, this should be interesting.” He sat back in his chair and locked his fingers behind his head.

“Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of guys on the team I can stomach and my choices are limited,” I joked, “so I wanted to know if you would stand up with me in our wedding?”

“Seriously?” he asked excitedly, sitting up straight.

I laughed. “Yes. Seriously.”

He clapped his hands together and rubbed them as an evil smile spread across his face. “I’m so ready. Do I get to be best man?”

“Unfortunately, no. That job is reserved for Andy. Sorry.” I shrugged.

“Really?” he whined. “Fine, but I get to plan the bachelor party.”

“Oh, Jesus.” I sighed, dropping my head into my hands.

Viper laughed wickedly and took his phone out.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

Frowning in concentration down at his phone, he moved his fingers back and forth as fast as he could. “Midget strippers. Jell-O wrestling. Camel rides. Booking it all now.” He looked up at me quickly. “You’re not allergic to maple syrup, are you?”