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“You need to lift with your knees, old man. Not with your back.”

Kevin narrowed his eyes at Nick; his thick eyebrows just barely visible above the tan coloured cushions. “I AM lifting with my knees.”

It was just after noon and the mid-day sun was beating down from a clear blue sky, taunting him. Kevin could feel the sweat trickling down his back beneath the fabric of his t-shirt, and he mentally cursed his cousin as he struggled to maintain his grip on the oversized piece of furniture. It wouldn’t have killed Brian to hire a moving company. It wasn’t like he couldn’t afford to pay someone to do this for him.

“It’s slipping!”

Kevin winced as Nick’s anxious voice cut through the stillness of the quiet street. His sweaty fingers clawed frantically at the expensive fabric, but it was to no avail. He and Nick simultaneously lost their grip on the couch, and the two of them watched helplessly as the focal point of Brian’s living room landed roughly on the front lawn. The custom-made piece toppled over, the cushions and throw-pillows rolling across the grass amidst squeals of delight from Mason and James.

“I told you that it was slipping.” Nick shrugged. He ran his arm across his forehead in an effort to remove the sweat that was pooling just above his eyebrows. His face glistened in the early afternoon sun, and his t-shirt was soaked through; clinging to his chest.

Kevin took in Nick’s haphazard appearance and let out a heavy sigh. They had been unloading the truck for hours and they were still only about half way through. The majority of the boxes and the smaller items had already been placed inside under the direction of Kristin, Rochelle, and Leigh. In order to avoid being asked to unload the bigger, bulkier items, the women had scurried inside to begin the daunting task of unpacking Brian’s belongings. They had concealed their desire to escape the unnaturally warm mid-October sun under the pretence that Brian would have no idea how to go about organizing a kitchen or a linen closet. The heavy lifting had been left to the men.

“We better get this inside before Brian has a shit fit.” Kevin muttered. He pushed his damp hair off of his forehead and motioned for Nick to get into position.

The younger man grumbled in annoyance, but he did as he was told. The two men quickly righted the couch, and Kevin resisted the urge to moan in discomfort as they, once again, hoisted the heavy object into the air. He could feel his arm muscles straining in protest as they struggled to manoeuvre the bulky item across the lawn, up the front porch, and through the double entry doors.

“Couch! Couch!” Nick frantically announced their arrival as the two of them staggered into the foyer.

“To the left! To the left!” Kristin’s frenzied instructions reverberated down the hallway.

With the side of the couch lodged squarely in his line of sight, Kevin had no idea where his wife was or where exactly it was that he was supposed to be going. He merely followed Nick’s lead as the younger man pivoted swiftly to the left.

“To the left – to the left – mmmm to the left - everything you own in the box to the left.” AJ belted out a portion of Beyonce’s hit song from somewhere beyond Kevin’s field of vision.

“In the closet, that’s my stuff – Yes, if I bought it, then please don’t touch.” Howie completed the verse in a full-out falsetto, and Nick began to rumble with laughter.

“Easy!” Kevin yelled. The couch started to shake in time with Nick’s laughter and he braced himself for a potential disaster. He had a terrifying vision of the overpriced, tan sofa crushing his foot beyond recognition.

Thankfully, Nick began to lower his end to the ground and Kevin eagerly followed suit. He breathed a sigh of relief as the couch clunked onto the dark, hardwood floor. Mission accomplished.

“Seriously?”

Kevin righted himself into a proper standing position in response to his wife’s nagging. His back creaked in protest as he moved. “What?”

“That song.” Kristin chided. “Think about where you are, what you’re doing, and why you’re doing it.”

“Ahhhh.” AJ’s face fell at Kristin’s words. “Right.”

“I have nothing against a little Beyonce.” Brian announced.

He walked into the room and tossed bottles of water at both AJ and Nick before extending a bottle of Stella in Kevin’s direction. Kevin gratefully accepted the beer, and he quickly removed the seal as his cousin handed the other bottle of Stella to Howie.

Brian took a long pull from the half-empty beer in his hand and grinned. “Have I told you guys that I really appreciate all of your help?”

“It’s no problem.” Kristin acknowledged. “We’re all happy to help.”

“Speak for yourself.” Nick rolled his eyes. “You’re not the one standing outside in the sun and wrestling with the monstrosity that Brian calls a couch.”

“Speaking of my couch ...” Brian trailed off as he took note of his prized sofa that was still positioned at an awkward angle in the middle of his new living room. “...where are the cushions?”

“Cushions?” Kevin feigned ignorance as he stole a quick glance out of the large bay window that faced the front yard.

Baylee was currently orchestrating the construction of an elaborate fort involving the pillows and couch cushions that Kevin and Nick had forgotten to retrieve. The two younger boys were dutifully following Baylee’s instructions, and Kevin resisted the urge to cringe as he watched James drop one of the pricey throw-pillows directly in the middle of the garden that lined the front walkway.

“I think the boys are bringing them in.” Howie, who was also staring out the window, waved his hand in the air dismissively and took a quick sip of his beer. “They’ve been asking to help all day.”

Kevin raised his bottle to his lips in order to hide his smirk. Howie’s smile faltered ever-so-slightly as James rolled the oversized pillow through the dirt in an attempt to pick it up. A few agonizing seconds later, James finally managed to wrap his small fingers around the decorative tassels. He yanked the pillow into the air in triumph. Kevin wasn’t sure but he thought that he also saw a stray tulip dangling from the boy’s small fist.

“Daddy!” James’s voice, feverish with excitement, floated through the propped open double doors. “We’re making a fort! Come and see!”

Everyone had now turned to stare out the window. The two younger boys were grinning from ear to ear and waving frantically for their parents to come and join them in the front yard. Brian let out a small, exasperated sigh and waved back at the boys. He took another long pull from his drink and frowned when he realized that the bottle was almost empty.

“I’ll be there in a minute!” Howie promised his son while shooting an apologetic glance in Brian’s direction. “I’ll pay to have those pillows cleaned.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Brian reassured him. “I have a feeling that Baylee was the brains behind their little project.”

“This is why you guys should have tried harder to have a girl.” AJ smirked. “My little Ava is a perfect angel.”

“A perfect angel.” Nick parroted. “Is that why she’s currently gumming the shit out of Baylee’s giraffe?”

“What are you ...” AJ stopped himself mid-question as he followed Nick’s gaze.

Ava had somehow managed to crawl, unnoticed, into the far reaches of the living room. She had wedged herself between a stack of boxes and a peculiarly placed end table. Her pudgy little hands were clutching Baylee’s primary source of comfort; a now somewhat ratty looking stuffed giraffe that he had been given only hours after he was born. Ava had shoved the neck of the giraffe into her mouth, and she was happily gumming at the fabric. Her round eyes registered a look of extreme contentment as her drool was quickly absorbed by the toy’s plush interior.

“How did she even get back there?” AJ mused. He dropped to his knees and bent down so that he could fit underneath the table. He hooked his hands underneath Ava’s small arms and gently dragged his daughter across the floor by her diapered bum.

“Give daddy the giraffe.” AJ cooed. He opened his eyes as wide as they would go and pursed his lips together in an attempt to distract his daughter while he quickly pulled the toy out of her grasp. Ava stared back at him in confusion as AJ tossed the sopping stuffed animal in Brian’s direction.

Brian snatched the toy out of the air and grimaced as his fingers connected with the wet fabric.

“You’re probably going to want to wash it.” AJ advised. He picked Ava up off of the floor and pointed her in Brian’s direction. “How can you be mad at this face?”

Brian failed miserably to suppress his smile as he took in Ava’s wide eyes and cheeky grin. He quickly deposited his empty beer bottle and the drool-soaked giraffe on top of a random box and held out his hands. “I couldn’t ever be mad at my little Ava.” He admitted.

In one swift motion, Brian pulled Ava from AJ’s arms and hoisted her on his hip. Ava squealed in delight and batted at Brian’s nose as he covered her face with kisses. “Who loves their Uncle Brian?”

Kevin could feel the smile stretching across his face as he watched his cousin interact with AJ’s daughter. “You know, Bri, it’s not too late for you to have another one.”

The words were out of his mouth before he even had a chance to think about what he was saying, and Kevin immediately felt guilty. He purposefully avoided Kristin’s gaze as he continued to watch Ava playfully swat at Brian’s face. If Kristin had considered the Beyonce song to be insensitive, she was probably ready to lynch him over his baby comment.

“I should probably focus on getting moved in before I think about doing anything else.” Brian skirted around his cousin’s comment.

Brian’s voice was light, but Kevin caught the glimmer of sadness that passed through his eyes. He was pretty sure that everyone else had noticed it as well.

“Let’s take a look at the boys’ fort and then finish unloading the truck.” Howie suggested. “I’m sure that Leigh and Ro are almost done unpacking the kitchen.”

“Someone younger better help me this time.” Nick grumbled. “The old man practically killed me with that stupid couch.”

Kevin scowled at the back of Nick’s blonde head as the youngest member of their group followed AJ and Howie out the front door. HE was the one who had almost been crushed by the couch.

Kevin waited until the others had stepped outside and Kristin had returned to the kitchen before he turned to face his cousin. “I’m sorry.” He apologized. “I meant it in a good way when I said that you should have another baby. I wasn’t trying to be a dick.”

“I know.” Brian replied. He adjusted Ava’s weight on his arm and ran his hand lightly across the dusting of hair on her head. “You don’t have to tip-toe around me. I’m fine with everything.”

“Are you?” Kevin prodded as he stole a quick glance out the window.

Howie was busy telling the boys to dismantle their fort and to bring the cushions inside, while AJ and Nick were already hauling a solid wood dresser out of the truck. Judging by the look on AJ’s face, the piece of bedroom furniture clearly weighed a ton. Kevin was immensely glad that he was currently playing no part in moving it.

“I’m fine.” Brian repeated. “It’s better this way. Not only for the two of us, but for Baylee as well. The fighting was bothering him.”

“You were married a long time.” Kevin stated. “There’s no shame in being upset.”

“Kev, I said that I’m fine.” Brian’s voice came out sounding harsher than he had intended. He glanced down at AJ’s daughter; Ava had fallen asleep in his arms, her small head resting gently in the crook of his neck. “I can’t dwell on what could have been. I have to get on with my life.”

Kevin nodded and offered the younger man a small smile. “You’ll find someone else. You’re still young.”

“I’m thirty-eight.” Brian snorted. “I have a soon-to-be eleven year old kid and I’m in a boy band.”

“All of those things make you a great catch.” Rochelle interrupted. She gave Brian’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze before lifting Ava gently from his arms. “Thanks for holding her.”

“Any time.” Brian grinned. “I should help the fellas unload the rest of the stuff from the truck.”

Kevin sighed and exchanged a knowing glance with Rochelle as he watched Brian wind his way through the mess of children and couch cushions in the foyer. He knew that the divorce had hit him hard, and he knew that it was going to be even harder to convince Brian that he needed to talk about it.