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Chapter Twenty Seven

"I didn't know this was going to be a party! I would have put on better slacks."

Dr. Tresher smiled at Noah and me.

"Good to see you two again. You sure are growing up."

I smiled. Noah shuffled nervously.

"They're growing up too fast," mom said. I know she was specifically addressing Noah. Dr. Tresher hummed. I had a feeling mom had already told her she was going to be a grandma.

"Are we ready for the big unveil?" Dr. Tresher asked. Dad smiled.

"Absolutely."

Peyton and Landon were at home with grandma and grandpa. Mom had pretty much insisted that Noah and I tagged along. Noah would be seeing his own child on the ultrasound soon. I'm sure mom and dad were just trying to give me a reality check.

As if I hadn't had enough of those lately.

I watched as mom lifted her shirt. I studied the dark purple line that stretched down from her bellybutton.

Dr. Tresher prepped everything quickly. I watched the wand press into mom's stomach. The screen came to life with perfect clarity.

It was amazing. There were four arms, four legs and tons of movement. I saw tiny mouths moving. Noah leaned forward.

"So here we have baby A," Dr. Tresher said. She tapped the screen. "She's being a great exhibitionist."

Dad grinned. "Another girl to spoil."

Dr. Tresher moved the wand and the screen shifted. There was a couple moments of intense concentration.

"C'mon..." she whispered under her breath. As if on cue, there was a tiny shift. Dr. Tresher smiled.

"Double trouble," she finally said. "You've got two active little girls here."

I smiled. Twin girls! I was excited. I didn't remember Pey as a baby; I had been too small. It would be fun to have little baby girls in the house.

One day, Carter girls were going to rule the world.

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"I'm so worried about Kay and Noah," mom said later that day. Dad, Jasper, and Noah had gone golfing. Mom, Peyton, and I were in the kitchen making apple raisin bread. Landon was off getting spoiled by grandma and grandpa.

"I just can't picture Noah being a dad," I said. "It's scary."

"Noah? What about Kay?" Peyton said.

We all sighed. Peyton grabbed a handful of raisins and tossed them in her mouth.

"You know, I was in my twenties before I lost my virginity," mom said. "There's really nothing wrong with waiting."

I looked down at the batter. I felt a bubble of shame.

"That's what I'm going to do," Peyton said. "Besides, penises are ugly."

We both looked at Pey. She seemed oblivious to the effect of her comment. Finally, she noticed the look on our faces

"What?"

"Can I ask who's should your theirs?" mom asked. She put her hand on her hip. Pey looked at her in surprise.

"Landon runs around naked all the time. Noah doesn't close the bathroom door sometimes. JeanFranco lost his swimtrunks in PE last year," Pey shrugged. "I've seen three. That's enough. They're ugly. They're not worth the trouble."

I laughed. Mom's face relaxed into a smile.

"You girls never cease to amaze me," she said. She grabbed the bowl of batter and tipped it into the bread pans. Pey leaned her elbows on the bar and wiggled from side to side.

"Hey Brookey, what's going on with Jasper?"

I wiped off a huge spot of flour and hopped up on the countertop.

"Nothing, why?"

Mom made a noise. "You two looked pretty comfortable with each other at the Halloween party."

I blushed. "We were just hanging out. Kay was distracted. He's cool. That's all. I'm done with relationships. I'm joining the 'penises are ugly' club."

Pey laughed. Mom closed the oven door.

"Could you both stop saying penis?"

Pey and I looked at each other.

"PENIS!"

"PENIS!"

"PENIS!"

Mom smacked us both with her towel. We all laughed.

There was no place like home.

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"I demand a rematch!" dad said loudly. The sound of golf bags hitting the wall reverberated through the house.

"Anytime," Jasper said lightly.

"I think you just need to pick a different sport, dad," Noah said with a laugh.

"I just had a bad day!" dad said. "Hey...do I smell bread?"

I poked my head out of the kitchen and smiled. "Mom, Pey, and I made bread!"

All three guys made a beeline for the kitchen. They kind of reminded me of zombies. Dad had on his plaid shorts and pink polo. Noah had borrowed another plaid/polo set. Jasper hadn't bowed to tradition; he had on jean shorts and a black tank top.

"They took longer than I thought," mom said. Dad swooped in for a kiss.

"We would have been done two hours ago except dad got stuck in a sandtrap," Noah said with a grin. He tore off a hunk of warm bread from the loaf and stuffed it in his mouth.

"There was a slight lake issue too," Jasper said. He grabbed a knife and cut off a neat slice of bread. Meanwhile, dad took off his shoe. A hunk of pond scum plopped out on the kitchen floor. Mom sighed.

"Sure you don't want to pick up tennis?" mom asked. Dad ran a hand through his hair.

"Carter's aren't quitters," he declared. "Right, BooBoo?"

I laughed and handed him a piece of bread. "Right, dad."

It was a nice scene. Three girls feeding three hungry guys. I leaned back against the bar. I didn't want to leave. The road and the bus didn't hold a lot of appeal compared to a kitchen that smelled like warm cinnamon and apples.

Mom seemed to read my mind.

"You all packed sweetie?"

I tossed my head back. "Yeah, I'm all packed. I left a lot on the bus."

"Where are you headed?"

"The East Coast," Jasper said. Our eyes met. He picked at the crumbs on his napkin.

Mom smiled.

"You'll be happy to know that your grandparents have decided to rough it. They're going to follow you in a camper."

My eyes widened. "What? Why don't they just stay on my bus?"

Mom laughed. "Your grandma saw this camper for sale and fell in love with it. It has a little kitchenette with rooster wallpaper."

I slapped my forehead. I could just see the sleek black busses going down the road followed by a little gas chugging RV. Jasper looked like he was trying not to laugh.

"On the bright side, you're going to get a little more independence this way," mom said. Dad didn't look happy about that idea. "Your dad and I know you've learned from your past mistakes."

I nodded. I would never be able to look at a weight bench the same ever again. I'd never be able to go into a hotel's exercise room without feeling watched.

"Trust me, lesson learned."

"If you have any trouble..." dad said.

Jasper cleared his throat. "They're won't be any trouble, Mr. Carter."

They shared a look. Something told me they had talked about me during their day of male bonding.

I knew I should have felt annoyed, but I didn't.

Dad and Jasper had both had enough of chimps.

This leg of the tour was going to be banana-free. Figuratively and literally.