Page 77 of Center Ice
“You can’t stop! You have to keep drawing until you die!” Ryan’s peals of laughter ring out as he watches me draw what’s probably my thirtieth Uno card in a row. Meanwhile, he and Finn have about five cards each.
“It’s not fair,” I make my voice intentionally whiny, playing up the completely lopsided rules my nephews have set because they’re finding it hysterical that I’m losing so badly. “If adults have to draw until they get a card they can play, you should too. Why is there a three-card limit when you guys draw?”
“Our hands are too small to hold that many cards,” Finn says, his face so solemn I think he might actually believe himself. Really, they just want to win, and I’m the unbeatable Uno king of our family. But with rules like this, I’m definitely going to lose.
I chuckle as I draw, and then play a Draw 4 card on Finn. “Hope your little hand can hold at least four more cards. And the color is now green.”
Ryan cackles away next to his brother, until Finn plays a reverse, making it my turn again, and then I hit Ryan with a Draw 2 card. Now Finn’s laughing, and they’re feeding off each other’s energy and getting themselves all wound up.
“Drew,” Missy says, her voice stern, “it’s almost bedtime for these two. You weren’t supposed to get them all wound up.”
“I’m playing acard gamewith them,” I say, but I wink at the boys, which just throws them into another round of giggles. “They’re the ones getting each other wound up.”
“It’s not our fault you’re so funny,” Ryan says as he rolls around on the floor near the coffee table.
“I think we might need to wrap this game up,” Missy says. “Dad’s on his way over to get you two and bring you home for bedtime.”
“No way!” Finn says. “We have to beat Uncle Drew!”
I look at my hand, and even though there are a lot of cards, I’m still pretty sure I could beat them if I’m smart about it. But we’d be here for another half hour, at least. “Nah,” I say, trying to sound defeated, “I think you already won. Look at all these cards. There’s no way you aren’t going to beat me.”
“So you’re just going to forfeit?” Finn asks.
“What’s forfeit mean?” Ryan asks.
“It means I know I can’t win, so I’m giving up,” I tell him as I reach over and ruffle his hair.
“But what about your twenty-year winning streak?” he asks. At four, he only started playing my favorite card game this year, but he’s watched Finn play for a couple of years, and my winning streak is legendary in this family.
“Guess everyone has to lose once in a while,” I tell him.
“Alright, boys,” Missy says. “Get your shoes on. Dad will be here in just a minute.”
“Aren’t you coming home, too?” Finn asks.
“Yeah,” Missy says, lifting the glass to her lips and taking a sip. “I’m just going to finish my wine, and then I’ll walk home.” Perks of living only a few doors down, I guess.
Once the boys leave, Missy turns toward me. “Okay, spill it.”
I’m just opening the fridge, but I pause and turn toward her. “What?” I can guess what she’s talking about, but I want to make sure.
“I’ve been waiting for you to bring up the wholeI have a kidthing all night, and you’re like a freaking vault.”
“Caitlyn told you, I take it?”
“Yeah, but she didn’t give me any details. What the hell? How have you not said anything about this?”
I reach into the fridge and swipe a beer off the door. “I didn’t want to say anything about it in front of the boys.”
“Why not?”
“Because Graham doesn’t know I’m his dad yet.”
“Okay,” Missy says, pulling out a seat at the kitchen table for Mom, then taking the seat next to her. “I’m going to need you to rewind and tell me this whole story. Because I’m assuming it’s a good one.”
I sit and nurse my beer as I catch Missy up on the past few weeks, and when I get to the part about what I told Caitlyn, she says, “I can’t believe you freaking did that!”
“What part can’t you believe?”
