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“Jacob Sawyer Nolan-Greene, what are you doing?”
The three-year-old boy turns and grins down from his spot on the top of the scaffolding. “I wanna help Daddy.”
Emma Nolan-Greene sighs heavily and rubs at her forehead. “Karma,” she mutters. “This is karma for me being who I am.” She climbs up onto the scaffolding and sits down next to the boy, pulling him into her lap and just narrowly avoiding getting hit in the face as he swings a small plastic hammer towards the house. “Hey, watch it, Jake, this is the only face I have.”
“Gran, I wanna build a house too.” Jake stares up at her, pouting, his eyes wide.
“If you promise not to climb scaffolding while you’re all alone again, I’ll show you how to build a birdhouse. How about that? Everybody needs to start somewhere. That’s where your dad started.”
“Really?”
“Yep. It was his first Christmas present for your gramma.”
“Wow,” Jake whispers. “I promise.”
Emma gives a quiet laugh and kisses him on the top of the head. “Mhm. We’ll see how long that lasts.” She pockets the toy hammer and hooks her arm around his waist. “Come on, kid. Let’s get down from here before we’re both in trouble.”
ASPEN
Hi, and welcome to Unruly: New Renovation. I’m Aspen Nolan-Greene, and who even knows where my brother is.
CONNOR (OFF-SCREEN)
Aspen, you have to come check this out, I found a bird nest up here!
ASPEN
...That man has two children.
CONNOR (OFF-SCREEN)
Aw, look at the little eggs!
“Mom, you’re going to kill your back if you keep doing that,” Connor says as he takes Jake off of Emma’s shoulders.
“I’m not that old,” Emma grumbles.
“I won’t respond to that, because I’m not an idiot.” Connor sets Jake against his hip. “Where have you been, bud?”
“Climbin’.”
Connor looks at Emma. “Climbing what?”
Emma gives him a small grin. “That’s between him and me.”
“The pair of you are a conspiracy.”
“It’s my right.” She ruffles Jake’s brown hair, making it fluff up. “Isn’t it, kiddo?”
Jake nods happily. “Daddy, do I have to get a tuzedo?”
Connor blinks at him. “A what?”
“A tuzedo?”
“A tu x edo?”
“Uh-huh. For Aunt Ashley Day.”
“How about we get through your birthday tomorrow, pal, and then we’ll work on that, huh?” Connor sets Jake down and pats him on the head before the boy runs off towards the house.
Emma laughs. “Aunt Ashley Day, huh?”
“Hey, my son’s smart. He knows Aspen’s the you and me in that relationship.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
The door to the back deck slides open, and Alyssa Nolan-Greene leans out. “Honey, can you get the grill going? I want to start dinner soon.”
“Sure, babe.”
Alyssa heads back inside, and Connor’s wife, Olivia, sticks her head outside. “Con, help your mother.”
“Of course.”
As the door slides shut again, Emma glances at Connor’s smirk. “Ah, that’s what you mean.”
CONNOR
For the first episode, we’re going to flip a home for my dear sister as a wedding present for her fiancee. Those of you who watched our parents should know that it’s family tradition to be over the top with displays of affection.
ASPEN
I don’t know. Somebody never built his wife a house.
CONNOR
Please don’t put that idea in Olivia’s head.
ASPEN
I’m just not sure how Mom let you put her grandkids in a house we didn’t build from scratch.
CONNOR
I’m the black sheep.
“Hey, Jake, do you want one of your birthday presents early?” Emma asks, holding the boy on her knee.
Connor squints at Alyssa. “...Do I know what this is?”
“No.” Olivia laughs, passing Rowan over to Alyssa as the baby sleeps soundly. “But don’t worry. You’ll approve.”
“Oh, I’m suspicious of that.”
Emma carries Jake into the living room and sets him in the middle of the floor. “Stay there.”
“Can’t I follow you?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because kids who are about to be big strong four-year-olds do what they’re told.”
Jake pauses, seemingly debating, before nodding. “Okay, Gran.”
“Wish she’d teach us how to do that,” Connor mutters.
Olivia pats him on the shoulder. “It’s only because the kid adores her.”
“Mhm.” Alyssa lightly kisses Rowan on the forehead. “And this one will be mine.”
“I don’t know, Mama, you thought the same thing about Aspen, and then the Nolan Golden Retriever Disease got to her.”
Alyssa holds Rowan closer, glaring at Connor. “You listen to me, pal, your gaggle of disasters can’t have everyone in my entire family. Understand?”
He gives her a lopsided grin. “Maybe Ash and Pen will have a kid you can steal?”
“If I have to wait for the day that happens, I’ll be waiting forever.”
There’s a loud commotion, and Emma practically trips back into the living room, a German Shepherd puppy racing in front of her and immediately pouncing on Jake.
“Oh, no,” Connor whispers. He looks at Olivia. “You didn’t.”
She gives him an innocent grin. “You’ve always said that you wanted to get the kids a dog, honey.”
Connor sighs. “I knew I’d come to regret that.”
Alyssa laughs as the puppy races over to Crunch’s bed and tackles the sleeping golden, gnawing on her ear. “I think Crunch is regretting it, too.”
Jake’s eyes are wide as he goes over to the dog bed and lies down. “Is… Is he… mine?”
Emma puts her hands on her hips and grins down at him. “Yeah, kiddo, he’s yours.”
Jake pets the puppy, who immediately rolls onto the boy and starts chewing on the string of Jake’s sweatshirt. “What’s’s name?”
“That’s up to you.”
“Really?” Jake pets the puppy on the head softly. “I’m gonna name you Toast.”
Emma laughs. “Why Toast?”
“It’s my favorite food.”
“Hm.” Emma sits down on the floor, handing Jake a squeaky toy for him and the puppy to play with. “Fair enough.”
CONNOR
You’ll never guess what I found in your new attic, Pen.
ASPEN
Do I want to know?”
CONNOR
That depends on how much you like honey.
ASPEN
...Oh, God.
Alyssa finishes cleaning up the kitchen and walks out to the back deck, smiling softly when she sees Emma asleep in one of the deck chairs. She sets her glass of wine down on the table next to the chair and takes a seat on Emma’s lap, kissing her on the cheek.
“Hm. Wh.” Emma stirs and rubs at her eyes before she adjusts her glasses. “Hey,” she says with a sleepy smile. “What’s up?”
“The kids have all gone to bed. Jake couldn’t convince Olivia to let Toast sleep in the same bed as him, but I definitely heard giggling and a quiet bark when I walked past his room, so I don’t think it’s working out too well.”
Emma laughs. “Connor pulled the same stunt, if you’ll recall.”
“Oh, I recall. You let it happen.”
“What can I say? I’m a sucker.”
Alyssa kisses her, long and slow. “God,” she murmurs against Emma’s lips. “Jake’s four tomorrow.”
“I know. Jesus. Between that, the kids having their own show now, and Aspen getting married next month, I feel like I need to retire.”
“Please. Like you’ll ever retire. You’ll work until you fall off another roof.”
Emma narrows her eyes. “Very funny, Greene.”
“I like to think so,” Alyssa says with a grin. She cuddles in, her forehead tucked against Emma’s neck. “Did you ever imagine our lives would become this?”
“Well, yeah, sure.”
“You did?”
“Imagine it? Of course. I always imagined that I could have everything with you. Did I think it could ever happen? Hell no. A part of me thought that at this point we’d still be just starting to consider dating.”
Alyssa snorts. “We weren’t that bad.”
“We kinda were that bad, darling.”
“...Maybe a little.”
Emma kisses her on the top of the head, giving a soft sigh as she looks out towards the lake. “It’s alright,” she murmurs. “I couldn’t build a better life if I tried.”