Just Pretend

Chapter 37 - American Boys

"Isla you're in Europe." My grandad explains to her.

"Well it's very nice. Europe is nice." She smiles at Jolly who nods politely at her. "I like your hair. It's like my sisters." Isla continues and I can't help but cackle at her statement.

"I suppose it is." Jolly agrees with a shrug.

"You too!" She squeals at Nick who jumps at the attention. "Boys with long hair, very interesting." Isla proclaims and I shake my head at the innocence of kids. I smile apologetically at the boys who don't seem to be bothered at all by Isla's comments. "Would you like to see my play room? I have Lego."

"Sure, I love Lego." Jolly replies as Isla holds out her hand for him.

"Come on boys." Isla says holding Jolly's hand as she pulls Folio out of his seat with her other. Rose sense the chaos and slides off Noah's knee taking his hand in hers.

"Come, we go." She smiles up at him, her curly head bobbing as she looks up at him innocently.

"Okay, we'll go too." He kindly smiles at her as she lifts her arms over her head to be picked up. Noah looks at me then shrugs as he easily scoops Rose off the floor holding her to his chest.

"So high!" She squeals as she wraps her little arms around his neck. "Go, come on." Rose looks at me, Folio and Jolly already dragged off to the playroom by Isla.

"C'mon Nick. Looks like we've been invited to build Lego." Noah smirks at Nick who reluctantly gets up.

"Thank you for the tea." Nick politely says to my grandparents who are trying to hide their smiles.

"Anytime. When you are ready I'll show you to your rooms. Enjoying playing with Lego." My grandma chuckles as we leave the kitchen and head up the wooden stairs to the girls playroom.

"Did you grow up here Mar?" Nick asks me as we get to the top of the steps.

"Mhm." I reply as we make our way down the hall.

"Wow... big house." He comments as we get to the playroom.

"Yeah, it was a working farm but my grandparents ran it as a B&B business... well that was until the little ones came along." I explain taking a seat in the lime green bean bag chair on the floor.

Isla's already got a huge box of Lego pulled out and is showing the boys things that she's already made, putting them to work for things that she needs to make next.

"I made a house, so I need a garden a car and a big dog. Got it?" She instructs Folio and Jolly who just nod in agreement to the demanding five year old. "Good!" She claps her hands seating herself on the floor between them.

"What are you going to do Rose?" I ask who's seated on Noah's lap.

"Drawing." She replies getting up and taking my hand guiding me over to where she keeps her pens and pencils. I grab her a stack of paper off of the drawers as she makes her way back over to Noah and hands him and Nick some pens. "You draw?" She smiles shyly at them.

"What are we drawing?" Nick asks Rose who stares sweetly at him.

"Monsters from Scooby." She replies as I put the paper between them.

"Perfect." Nick chuckles a reply and starts to draw. I pull out my phone and take a photo of everyone. The moment is too wholesome to not save. Noah catches me and smirks.

"What a sight, right?" He says and I nod in agreement.

"Yeah, a bunch of knuckleheads drawing and building Lego mid tour after being conned into it by a five year old and a three year old. That really is something." I laugh making Rose laugh too.

"Funny Go." She claps and I wink at her as I take a seat on the bean bag again, Rose leaves Noah's lap in exchange for mine.

"Are we gonna draw together Rosie?" I ask as she looks up at me with those big brown eyes.

"Yess, monsters." She says again and nod. She grabs at a red pencil and starts to scribble on the paper that's resting against a book on my knees.

The room is quiet apart from Isla singing her own slightly out of tune version of "Touch The Sky" from Brave. I brush down Rose's curls kissing the top of her head, humming along to Isla's poor performance.

"I will fly chase the wind and touch the SKYYYY!!" Isla squeals the same line over and over, spinning in a circle her own curly red hair flowing behind her.

"Shhh, settle Isla. Rowans in bed." I giggle.

"She does kinda look like Merida." Noah laughs at Isla as she continues to sing the same song again, clamping Lego bricks together.

"I know... that's why she's obsessed with the movie. She looks just like mum when she was little. I took after dad unfortunately." I whisper rolling my eyes.

It's true, Isla is the spit image of mum when she was wee. Bright auburn hair, dark brown eyes, a smattering of freckles, Rowans pretty much the boy version of Isla. I look just like dad, straight brown hair, although now coloured almost black, green eyes, pale skin. Little Rose seems to be the only one of us who has an equal mix of features from both parents.

"Woaaah." Rose is mesmerised by the monster that Nick has drawn.

"Do you like it?" He asks her with a gentleness to which she nods her head. "Here." He holds out the drawing for her.

"Keep?" She asks making Nick chuckle.

"Yes you can keep it."

"Fanks." She smiles shyly getting up off my lap heading towards Nick.

"You're welcome." He smiles back and she wraps her arms around him giving Nick a cuddle. Nick looks directly at Noah who just shrugs in response. He slowly wraps his arms around Rose returning the hug.

"I think you've got a new best friend." I say to Nick who laughs at my statement.

"I've been replaced." Noah jokes.

"You'll never be replaced Noah."