Chapter 7 Chapter Seven

“Oh men, you’ve really stepped in it now, Derek. To say that they are mad is an understatement dude, and shit’s about to get worse. No offense Gwen but damn Derek, you’ve fucked—ow!” he winced ducking his head.

Tasha walked out from behind him holding the other twin, “Language,” she reprimanded sternly.

Derek wanted to snicker knowing his cousin had just gotten a smack to the back of his head, but he didn’t want to tempt fate and risk getting punched.

She moved to Dale and handed the baby over to him, “Hold her for me would you? The moms are in the kitchen getting everything else ready and Ellie needs help firing up the grill.”

Dale took the baby even as he spoke, “I can do that for you.”

“No,” she turned to Derek then, staring daggers at him and he could actually feel them pierce his skin. He winced. She turned back to Dale, “You’ve done enough.” She walked away going down the turn that led to the kitchen.

Dale glared at him then, “She says that, as if I introduced you two. Gwen, how did you come to know my cousin?”

She shrugged, “I heard you had a cousin in the hospital, one I hadn’t met yet and I went to introduce myself.”

Dale’s eyes narrowed, “Yeah, I bet you did.”

“Aw men,” Damien frowned, “Today was thee day and now it’s no day. Do you have any idea how long it’s been?”

Derek smiled cheekily, “I’m guessing six weeks since the twins were born, probably a few weeks more before that. But I’m sure your hand would be happy to help.”

“Not funny man,” Damien grumbled, shifting his daughter to cradle her in his arms. She was barely visible in his thick arms. She was beautiful, with pretty tiny curls on the top of her head and already fast asleep.

Dale sighed loudly, “Gwen I hope Derek let you know ahead of time what the deal is because… let’s just say he shouldn’t be in any kind of relationship at the moment.”

Derek clenched his jaw hard at that. No one dictated what he did with his life. But Dale had a point. He already had one lunatic woman in his life and she didn’t like to share. If she found about Gwen, blood would be spilled.

“Well too bad,” Gwen retorted before he could speak. She reached up and kissed him long and wet on the lips, gave him a saucy grin and said, “I’ll go find Paloma and the rest,” she took off her coat and handed it to him, then walked away.

“Derek…”

Derek raised his hand to stay him, “Dale, it was only supposed to be sex. That came out of left field.” Grumbling under his breath how everything was getting messier than he liked, he hung his and Gwen’s coats in the hallway closet by the door and followed his cousins to where the party was.

Dale had moved houses again almost immediately after he’d bought his former one. Having someone murdered there had killed the dream and made it less of a home and more of a subject for Halloween stories. So they moved into a six bedroom house with more living space than he thought necessary for a family of four. Dale and Ellie had used up all their savings since the sale of the other house had taken longer than they expected. It was a relief when Dale Sr. had helped them out so they wouldn’t have to take out a second mortgage. He told Dale it was an advance on his inheritance. Dark humor that pissed his wife and daughter-in-law off. But now that Dale’s parents were on an extended vacation in the States, the house was just the right size.

Damien and Tasha lived next door to them. The twin sisters didn’t want to be separated. They had an easier time with buying their home. Tasha made a fortune as Ellsa Jabari, though she believed it was a generous divorce settlement from her previous—none existent—marriage. They hid so much from her about her own life, Derek was sure the whole situation was a live grenade waiting to blow and the damage would be catastrophic and unsalvageable.

Damien’s big brain was a hot commodity in the mathematics and physics world. He and his son were registered Mensa members. Uncle Hero had put up one hell of a fight to make sure his grandson went to a private school for young geniuses unlike his own son. He even paid the exuberant fees. Damien’s parents had also occupied their guest room and they didn’t look like they were in any hurry to move out. They’d been around eight months already and Uncle Hero loved study time with DJ and so did the kid. Damien joined in after Tasha told him how ridiculous he was being jealous of the two instead of just adding himself to their little group.

After the two couples chaotic beginning, they were quite happy and had settled into family life just dandy. Derek was glad for them.

Derek’s own parents had also come for a visit, but only because they heard someone had walked into his condo and shot him. And now they were thinking about moving back, permanently. Derek loved his parents, but having them around all the time especially when he went back to work… his mother would have questions he couldn’t and wouldn’t answer. He could already foresee the disaster that would be. But he was glad his new apartment was a one bedroom and his parents currently lived in a hotel. Derek didn’t know how his cousins held onto their sanity. A house full of kids and their parents at the same time, he would have lost it by now.

He smiled when he spotted his father Alonzo Silva, in the sunroom standing next to a potted plant, watching the room. It was in complete chaos, filled with children’s laughter as they rolled around on the floor with his uncles.