gag reel | trent alexander-arnold³

eight.

the hills

"I'm just going to say it how it is," Wynter rubbed her hands over her face, sighing low. It was only late afternoon yet she felt like she had just finished a training session. This was the effect of caring for four little humans. "Your kids are out of control and I don't like it."

Peyton was fixing up Bryce, her fourth child with Nate, while Wynter let all her words fly freely. The younger woman was one to rant and speak with no regard whether the listener was really tuning in or not. Peyton had experienced this since Wynter's early teen years. She hummed, situating the toddler on her lap. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"What do you mean—" Just then Dylan came from behind where Wynter sat and hit her with a couch pillow, running away in a fit of laughter. She hung her head back on the couch and squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn't even bring herself to react, becoming so immune to Dylan's newfound behaviour. So much energy and for what? She opened her eyes when she heard a laugh that didn't belong to Dylan. "I know you're not laughing."

"I'm sorry," Peyton shook her head when she let out her final laughs. She exhaled with a smile. "I couldn't stop myself! He's just playing with you. Dylan just wants your attention, that's all."

Wynter folded her arms. "I'm sure he does." If that was the case, could Dylan not translate that with a hug, maybe even a high-five? Why was playful aggression his go-to? "Now that I think about it I never have this problem with Iris. If you and Nate decide to have more kids, the baby better be a girl."

Peyton's eyes widened, and Wynter knew what the answer was. It was the same look Claire gave little Wynter when she asked when she would have a younger sister. "We're not having any more kids in this house."

Nate came down the stairs with Dylan hanging over his shoulder. The kid's laughter had yet to down die. "Uh, I don't remember agreeing to that."

Peyton shook her head. Her husband's truth was denial on her terms. "He's talking out of his ass," she said handing Bryce over to Wynter.

There was real truth in what Peyton was saying. Nate really was talking out of his ass. Still, Wynter found it all amusing and interesting. Of what was Nate, and of what he let be Nate and Peyton and everything that followed after them. Young Nate would rebuke the idea of having more than two kids. Turning to the present day, Nate didn't think there was a limit to having too many kids (in agreement with his wife, of course). That, in itself, was some character development in his sister's eyes.

This, however, refused to help Wynter's case.

Laughter in the Reyes household never seemed to die down, maybe it simply didn't want to. One voice, two voices, three voices. In came Trent with Iris and Milo under his arms, the kids in so much giggles and fun and spirit. It was almost impossible to believe that they were having a bad time with Trent. In fact, the kids never did.

Her smile left sooner than came. She looked at Peyton, but she had beat her to it. The player gave the older woman a pointed look. "No, no, no. Don't look at me like that. I swear." As much as she loved the older woman, Peyton could bring more than what was necessary to the table. It was far too overwhelming for Wynter from time to time.

Peyton was the one who did the most with Wynter and Trent. Like the absent third party in the relationship. She would give Wynter tips on how to navigate a relationship. She would always give Trent tips about his girlfriend. Whether it was a newfound way to impress her or insight into something Wynter had yet to tell him. She loved to emphasise nothing and turn it into something, the little interactions between the two had to mean something to her. Trent having the kids didn't help Wynter's case.