Нора Робертс - The Next Always

“Code of Brotherhood. It’s strictly enforced on Man Night. What goes on here, stays here.”

Murphy thought about it as he studied his plate. Nobody cut up the spaghetti or the meatball. Maybe because it was Man Night. He stabbed at the meatball with his fork, and sent it winging across the table to land in Liam’s lap.

“Two points,” Beckett commented.

Then all hell broke loose.

On a cry of rage, Liam scooped up the meatball, threw it at his brother. He had damn good aim, and bounced the meatball off Murphy’s forehead.

Beckett had to give the little guy credit. He didn’t cry; he didn’t hesitate. He attacked.

He bounded out of the chair, leaping toward Liam. Spaghetti flew like wet confetti. Beckett managed to hook an arm around Murphy’s waist, haul him back as he kicked enthusiastically at his brother. Wild to retaliate, Liam made a grab. Beckett shifted to block, bumped the boy into the table.

And the cup of soda dumped all over Harry.

Desperate to stop the war, Beckett scooped up Liam as Harry, fists bunched, jumped up.

“Hold it, hold it. Harry, that was my fault. I knocked it over. Take it easy. Everybody just stop!”

“He did it on purpose!” Liam accused and tried to wiggle around to punch his little brother.

“Did not.” Murder in his eye, red sauce on his face, Murphy got in one good kick. “He didn’t cut it up. It’s his fault.”

“Everybody stop! Quiet!”

The shouts and accusations snapped off. Three mutinous faces stared at him as Beckett surveyed the damage. “Wow, that’s a pretty big mess.”

The meatball that started it sat partially smashed on the floor. Noodles and sauce glopped over the table.

“Mom’s gonna be mad.” And now Murphy’s eyes shone with tears.

“No, she’s not. Look, kid, these things happen when men eat together without women around.”

“They do?”

“I’m looking at it, so they do. Everybody just sit down.”

“He threw a meatball at me.”

“He didn’t throw it at you,” Beckett corrected as Liam stared at Murphy with the active dislike only siblings can feel for one another. “It was an accident because I didn’t cut it up. It’s my first day on the job, so cut me some slack. Go on and sit down.”

“But I got meatball on my pants.”

“So what? We’ll clean up after we eat.”

He set Murphy down, then picked up the guilty meatball and tossed it in the sink before sliding Murphy’s spaghetti back on his plate. He got a knife, another meatball out of the take-out dish, then set to work cutting it up.

“Big Chief Murphy. You look like you’re wearing war paint.”

And the boy smiled at him, sweet as an angel. “I like pisgetti.”

“Me, too. Want yours cut up, Liam?”

“Okay.”

“Gut shot.” Beckett poked a finger on the red stain on Liam’s T-shirt. “And still up for the battle. Harry?”

“I like to twirl it.”

“Good plan.” Fairly exhausted, Beckett dropped into his chair. “Dig in, men.”

They ate like wolves, Beckett included. Maybe virtual war followed by a minor meatball fight piqued the appetite. After the meal, the best solution he could come up with was to strip them down in the tiny laundry room off the kitchen. As he tossed his spaghetti-tagged shirt in the machine for good measure, the boys did what naked boys have done throughout history.

They ran around the house yelling like heathens.

He wasn’t sure which was more of a mess, the kitchen or the kids, but opted to deal with the kids first. Since he doubted Clare’s standards stooped low enough to deck out three sticky, sauce-stained kids in their pajamas, he herded them into the bathroom.

“It’s a three-for-one,” he announced. “Everybody into the pool.”

“Can we have bubbles?” Murphy asked.

“I don’t know, can you?”

“We got Spider-Man.” Harry reached onto a shelf in the splinter-sized linen closet, took out a Spidey-shaped bottle.

“Very cool.” Beckett dumped a hefty dose in the water. “Okay, hop in, and I’ll—”

“We need our toys.” Liam got a plastic basket out of the closet, dumped in all contents. From the sneaky look he shot Beckett, Beckett figured that wasn’t how their mom handled it.

But, it was Man Night.

“Okay—”

“We need our soap stuff.” Harry got a pump bottle. “You can wash your hair and your skin with it.”

“Handy.”

“But you gotta wash our hair,” Murphy told him.

“Okay.” Beckett studied the bottle. “Let’s go for it.”

They climbed in. If he hadn’t been distracted by Spider-Man, toys, and soap stuff, he’d have considered water displacement.

He switched off the taps, tossed a towel on the floor where the water had lapped over. Because he was currently shirtless, he metaphorically rolled up his sleeves and got to it.

Realized inside of thirty seconds he’d need more towels.

It brought back dim memories of baths with his brothers, the water battles, the floods, the silly fun.

The wheedling protests when it was time to get out.

“Here’s the deal about Man Night. Women come back. If your mom comes home and sees this bathroom, the kitchen, men, we are toast. It’s better to get rid of the evidence.”

He pulled the plug. Between the floor, the walls, the kids, he used half a dozen towels. And now naked boys ran around yelling again, but at least they were clean.

“Everybody go suit up.” Beckett grabbed wet toys out of the tub, tossed them in the basket. “I’ve got to go deal with the kitchen.”

He carted the towels down, switched the wet clothes to the dryer, dumped the towels in the washer.

He glanced at his watch. Jesus, how the hell did it get to be quarter to eight? Moving fast now while running feet and shouts sounded from upstairs, he stuck dishes in the dishwasher. He scrubbed off the table, swiped the sauce off the floor, then tossed the dishrag in the washer with the towels.

“Hey, you need to come down and put away these games.”

“We’re putting on our pajamas!” Harry shouted back.

The hyena laughter followed.

“Yeah, I bet.”

But time was running out. He made a dive for the living room, gathering up games, controllers, then charged up the stairs.

They’d pulled on the bottoms, and wore the tops on their heads like war bonnets as they sat on the floor around a small mountain of action figures.

“I can fart with my arm,” Murphy told him. “Liam showed me.”

He demonstrated to his brothers’ hysterical laughter.

“An important life skill, well executed. Tops on, guys. Your mom’ll be home any minute.”

“She says it’s rude to fart in public, even with your arm.”

“Words to live by.” Taking matters in his own hands, Beckett tugged down Murphy’s shirt.

And got that angel smile again.

“Can it be Man Night tomorrow?”

The oddest sensation of pleasure glowed in Beckett’s belly. “Can’t tomorrow, but we’ll do it again.”

“We can do it when it’s not school, then have a sleepover.”

Here’s hoping. “I’d like that.”

“Mom’s home. Mom’s home.” Murphy raced off, followed by, then passed by, his brothers.

When he started down they surrounded her, Murphy holding his arms up to be lifted, and all of them talking a mile a minute.

She laughed, hitched Murphy up, managed to kiss the top of Liam’s head and run her hand over Harry’s.

“Man Night, huh? Well, we’ll have to . . .” She looked up at Beckett as he came down the stairs. Blinked. “Ah, hi.”

“Hi. How’d it go?”

“Really well. Um, how’d it go here?”

“Good. We just played some poker, drank a six-pack.”

“Naturally. You boys have to go up and brush your teeth. I’ll be up in a couple minutes. Say good night to Beckett.”

He got high fives from Harry and Liam, a down low and leg hug from Murphy.

“We’re gonna have a sleepover,” Murphy told his mother. “Bye, Beckett. Bye!”

Clare set her purse aside as they raced upstairs. “So, everything’s okay?”

“Sure.”

“You didn’t have to give them baths.” She tapped the side of her nose when Beckett looked blank. “They smell like their bath soap.”

“Oh yeah, well . . . There was a little spaghetti incident.”

“I see. Is that why you’re not wearing a shirt?”

“Oh, right.” He glanced down. “Forgot. I tossed the shirt in the washer with their clothes. They’re drying. Ah, there was also some minor flooding, so I dumped the towels in the wash.”

It was her turn to look blank. “You did laundry?”

“Sort of. I deserve a reward.”

“I guess you do.” She stepped to him, kissed him on one cheek, then the other before laying her lips softly on his.

His bare skin was warm and firm, his arms strong as they wrapped around her.

“You smell like an orange smoothie,” she murmured. And wanted to lap.

“Sorry?”

“The bath wash I use on the kids. It’s different on you. Beckett—”

“Mom!” Liam’s shout made her jump. “We brushed our teeth. Harry’s got the book.”

“Okay. Be right there. Sorry, it’s bedtime, and I try to read to them for a few minutes most nights.”

“I’ll get going. I’ll pick you up at seven tomorrow.”

“You can’t go out without a shirt.”

“I don’t think anything of yours will fit me.”

“But—”

“It’s still warm out.” He gave her another quick, light kiss.

“Well, thanks.” Flustered, she stepped back. She’d actually started to ask him to stay—until his shirt dried. Maybe have a glass of wine with her. Maybe . . .