That Blue Gibson: Another Round

forty-seven

A split second passed before he was gifted with a face full of freezing water himself and bellowed a sharp, "Shit!" just before looking up into the face of their attackers.

Jack and Annabelle screeched loudly and ran off with their super-soakers high in the air, but Violet and Harper held firm on the ledge with their aim directly on their father.

"Make us breakfast and we'll cease-fire," Violet announced.

"Hey," he raised his hands in surrender and glanced over at Liz laughing into her hand, "We don't want any trouble. We were just-"

"Trying to drown each other?" Harper cocked her water gun and her hip at the same time, "Yeah, we saw."

Dave cleared his throat and tried to ignore Liz's awkward giggle, "Yeah. Yup. That's... exactly what we were doing."

After being allowed to peacefully leave the pool, Dave wandered into the kitchen with his empty coffee mug, surprised to find Shane already awake and hunkered over a bowl of cereal at the breakfast bar.

"Hey, man! What's up?"

His blonde head snapped upright as he nearly shouted, "Just for the record, I had nothing to do with the squirt guns!"

Dave chuckled and headed straight for the coffee maker, "It's all right, dude. We were already in the pool anyway."

Sinking in relief, Shane grabbed the box of cereal in front of him and refilled one of the Grohl's large mixing bowls before digging in again. Dave found himself fascinated by the 3/4-sized Taylor in his kitchen and how similar their mannerisms were. It was like he was staring back in time at a younger Taylor sitting on their tour bus, putting away an entire box of sugar-loaded cereal and still boasting a set of abs.

Liz slid her way across the deck at that moment, making them both look up when she nearly slammed into the glass door with a loud laugh. Her black robe was still soaked, clinging to her like a second pair of skin and making it clear that she had skipped putting a bra on that morning.

"Hi guys," she said softly while gingerly tiptoeing across the tile floor, "Just gonna change and then I'll start breakfast."

Dave smiled at her, then continued sipping at his coffee while watching Shane's face. The spoon loaded down with cereal had halted halfway to his face and his mouth hung wide open as a deep crimson blush spread up from the collar of his cut-up shirt and across his face.

"Yeah," Dave sighed in sympathy and stepped forward to clap his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Me too, buddy."

*

Weekend mornings in the kitchen were his favorite. The speakers they'd had installed above the cabinets were blaring The Four Tops and Liz was dancing around the tiles behind him, throwing strawberries into a large bowl while he watched the food cooking on the stove. 

"You think they'll eat scrambled eggs or should we stick to bacon and pancakes?" he asked when she came up behind him and bumped her hip against his.

"They'll eat whatever we put in front of them," her laugh made him look back at her just as she wrapped her arms around his waist, "And whatever the girls don't eat, Shane and Jack will."

"Yeah, that's true," he smiled at the thought of so many kids crowded around their big dining room table then reached for his phone to turn down the music. "Is it quiet in here?"

Liz furrowed her brow and picked her head off his shoulder to look around, "Too quiet. I'll go-"

Her offer to go check on them was interrupted by the eight kids marching into the kitchen in order of age with Shane and Violet leading the army. Harper and Jack were carrying the easel from the playroom and quickly unfolded it on the other side of the island from where Dave and Liz were watching with wary amusement.