The QB Bad Boy: Playing for Keeps

Bonus chapter

Three years later.

N A T H A N

Balloons, streamers and lanterns add colour to the living room in Drayton and Dallas' Hermosa beach house. Halsey drifts from the sound system, the aroma of barbecue comes in from the deck, the living room windows pushed open to create a large entrance.

Celebrating Dallas' twenty-sixth birthday and my thirty-fourth wasn't meant to be a big event, but once she and Spencer put their heads together, one thing led to another and while there aren't a huge amount of people, the decor is extravagant.

I sit on the living room sofa watching the triplets — a nickname given in attempted simplicity — while they run in and out, chasing each other on to the deck which was encased with secure fencing once the three of them started walking.

The three of them are often confused for triplets, all of them sharing almost white blonde hair and green eyes. Abby, being a little girl and four months younger than the boys is smaller but it's still hard to tell that there's an age gap. Unless it's a need to know, Dallas and Drayton introduce them to people as triplets. It saves a big long explanation every time someone stops to coo over them in public.

My gaze moves around the room, glancing over my shoulder and into the kitchen so that I can assess all of the guests and make sure that no ones standing because Lydia and Johnny are sprawled out on the other sofa reading a sea life book. That hasn't changed at all. Johnny is still fascinated with the animals of the water and Lydia still pretends that she's listening to his profound teachings.

A few new people arrive in sunglasses with gifts in one hand and I watch Dallas push the deck gate open to let them in. It looks as though it's Lennon and some girl but I don't focus for long when Abby comes bounding towards me with a small doll in her hand.

"Bubby!" She holds the doll up and shakes it, her curled pigtails wobbling as she jostles on the spot.

"Barbie," Lydia slowly corrects her.

"Bubby!"

My stepdaughter rolls her eyes, refocusing on the book that's set between her and Johnny. He's a good kid, polite and intelligent and he seems intent on schooling Lydia on anything that she doesn't understand. It's amusing.

Abby lifts her arms when I reach out and pick her up, setting her on my lap while she continues waving the doll around. The twins come racing through a moment later, throwing handfuls of sand at each other and I watch in alarm, wondering if I should tell Dallas that her living room is turning into a sandbox or pretend as though I haven't seen it.

"Boys," I get their attention with a firm but quiet voice. "Sand stays outside. I'll have to tell Momma."

"Snitch."

My eyes widen in the direction of Lydia who grins at her smart ass remark. She starts to laugh and I soon join her. She's a little shit but we give each other a hard time and have a chuckle while we do it.

"Snitch," Lucas copies her, the braver and more outspoken of the two. His voice begins to raise an octave each time he says it.

"Snitch, Snitch, Snitch!"

"Hey," Drayton's loud voice comes bellowing through the room as he comes in from the deck, slipping his sunglasses onto his head. The triplets whip their heads towards him, abrupt silence settling like a blanket. "What's going on in here turd one and two."