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Diane shook her head, looking at , Mr Maddox"
"New icebox, new couch … no carpet and paint? We’ll have a whole new house about the time we’re ready to sell"
Diane playfully jabbed her elbow intothis house"
Tho his chubby little hand in front of his nose "’Cause it’s stinky"
"No, it’s wonderful That’s the smell of new paint and carpet, and Daddy"--she paused as I leaned over her belly to peck her lips--"even put all the furniture back while ere at the grocery store"
"Oh!" I said, heading to the driveith a start I popped the trunk and loaded ht them into the house As I walked into the kitchen, I bleay the leafy celery steiggled at roceries on the counter She dipped her hands into the sacks to unload the fresh vegetables "Twosacks, slalad the carpet and paint were finished, and we could enjoy ht before work I’d just celebrated et ether, and noe could relax in our practically new living rooh the mouth of the hall into the kitchen, frozenat the puddle on the linoleulass, but then I recognized that her water had broken The doctor had to break her water during Tho there in her bare feet, wiggling her toes and grossed out by the liquid on the floor She hadn’t even complained of any contractions
She grunted, and her knees bent She reached for the icebox to steady herself "Ji Don’t panic Going to get the bag, and I’ll be right back" I sprinted up the stairs, and just as I hooked my hand around the strap, I heard Diane moan I bounded down the stairs three at a ti my ankle as I landed at the botto out her free hand
Tho up the water with a towel
"Good job, son You ready to rinned wide as I picked hi her to my side with my free arms, and dipped my head so she could hook her elbow behindDiane in Tho his mom’s hair while she breathed
"Shit! The keys!"
"The dining table," she said, her voice low and controlled She began her La into the house, swiping the keys, and then returning to the car I slid in behind the wheel of our green 1970 Chevelle, and I yanked the gear into reverse I stretched my arm across the top of the bench seat behind Tho behind ht Thomas when he jerked forward as I braked and stared at me ide eyes "Get us there in one piece, Daddy," she said
I nodded, a little embarrassed I was a cop Panic wasn’t supposed to be possible forDiane was going to deliver twins So le birth, never rabbed her belly with both hands, and ear into drive, and we raced toward the hospital
Thomas slipped his arms around Trenton’s shoulders while Taylor stood behind his twin at the podium Tyler repositioned thethe foa for Taylor to start Taylor shot Tyler a look like that was not what they had agreed to, but he stepped up and bent down
"Dad was the best assistant coach in the league He had a busy schedule eird hours, but I don’t reas for Moout Everyone said we had the best parents When Mom died, no one said that anymore, but to us, they were still perfect When Dad stopped ht up where he left off He coached our teah--"we didn’t win as hed--"but we loved hiame, win or lose He packed our lunches, drove us to football practice, and attended all of our games When Dad was around, I was never scared, whether it was because he knew the right thing to do, or because he had hest h I know if he had to go out, protecting his family is the way he’d want it to be" Taylor touched his knuckle to his nose "We couldn’t’ve had a better dad, and that’s the truth The same for our wives And my kids couldn’t’ve had a better Papa I e lived closer so they could have gotten to know each other better, but the time he spent with them, he made it count That’s what I want everyone to reed his brother, and then he opened a piece of paper His lips trembled, and he looked out at the crowd and then back down at his paper a few times before he spoke He cleared his throat and then took a deep breath Taylor put a hand on his shoulder, and Thoth for their brother as well
Tyler’s lips formed into an "o," and he breathed out "I loveHe sed and then shook his head Thoement "He had to divide his time between five sons and his wife, but I never felt like I had to wait for his attention We weren’t rich, but I don’t re I reet remarried because he’d always said there would never be another woe, I asked hi on his kids He said the only wo for hione, but I’ether now They’ve been waiting a long tiain, and it coht now, unable to keep their hands off each other, grossing out all of your passed friends and relatives the way they used to do to us" The crowd chuckled "They never spent more than a shift apart froot over it So Dad, I’lad … I’ you how proud she is of hoell you took care of us, because you did"