OUT OF THE RED ↝ dave grohl

one-hundred-nine.

Kodie and RaeLynn had remained their happily rambunctious selves, though Reagan couldn't believe how big they'd gotten. In her mind, they'd always be toddlers, but the physical evidence of how long she'd been away from home was plainly there in the twins. They were were in fifth grade when it seemed as if they still should have been in diapers.

"I know Mom won't admit it, but she likes you here," Kate suddenly said. "She might like you better than me now."

"That's completely false," Reagan snorted.

"It's true. She's pissed that I'm still not a practicing lawyer yet." Kate laughed gracefully, clearly unperturbed by their mother's mean streak. "She absolutely hates that I failed the bar exam once."

"But you passed the second time," Reagan said. "You're done with school now. She can't complain."

"And yet she still does. Come on, you're the one having babies. We know for a fact that she loves being a grandmother."

"Funny how she likes being a grandmother more than she likes being a mother."

They both temporarily fixated on the television, neither of them speaking until a commercial for an at-home waxing kit finished playing. That's when Kate looked back over at Reagan.

"So . . . are you excited to find out the sex of the baby?" she asked, teeming with curiosity.

Reagan smiled, laughing a little before folding her arms over her chest.

"I don't think I want to know," she confessed.

"Why would you not want to know?"

"Because Dave wants a boy. We didn't really care what the outcome was with Gracie, but I know now that he's dying for a boy. So why not make him wait to find out?"

Kate shot Reagan a disapproving look. "You're a monster."

"He already knows that."

"And he still married you?"

Reagan shrugged. "I'm surprised too, trust me."

"How big is the baby, anyway?" Kate asked, peering over at Reagan as if expecting to see any changes from the day before.

"The size of a peach," Reagan answered without taking her eyes off the television screen. They'd left the channel on MTV and she'd heard a mention of the Foo Fighters, which always grabbed her attention.

"That's adorable - a peach," Kate giggled. "You should call her that. Peach. Dave can't keep calling her Peanut when Gracie is supposed to be Peanut."

"Her?" Reagan tore her gaze away from the t.v. and looked quizzically at her sister.

"I think it's a girl. If Dave wants a boy, you know it's going to be a girl, because he already gets everything else he wants."

"Damn. Would you do me a favor and try telling him that to his face?"

Over the sound of their giggling, Reagan and Kate watched MTV for a little longer, alternating between criticizing and praising each music video that aired. By the time they were joined by Robbie, Kate had decided that her favorite video was 'Gettin' Jiggy With It' by Will Smith and Reagan had thrown in her vote for Deftones' 'My Own Summer.'

"Hey guys," Robbie greeted them, striding into the living room while still in the middle of buttoning up his shirt.

"Hey Rob," Reagan smiled. She outstretched her hand and like the loving little brother he had been and still was, he gave it a squeeze.

"Robbie, come sit," Kate beckoned, pointing to the recliner. "Come be the new judge. Your sister picked Deftones over Will Smith."

"Which sister?" Robbie asked.