This Girl: A Novel

street.”
    Lake tosses her purse on the couch and makes her way into the kitchen. “Do we have to go get them right away? I sort of want to enjoy some quiet while we can. The second we tell them we’re back, the honeymoon will officially be over. I’m having fun; I don’t want it to end yet.”
    I pull her to me. “Who says it has to end? We still have rooms to christen. Where should we start?”
    “Besides your driveway?”
    “Our driveway,” I correct her.
    She squints her eyes, then they suddenly widen with excitement. “Your laundry room!” she says excitedly. “Our laundry room,” she adds quickly, before I can correct her. She grabs the collar of my shirt and stands on her tiptoes, pressing her lips to mine. “Come on,” she whispers, pulling me along with her while she continues to kiss me.
    The front door swings open and someone runs through the living room. I squeeze my eyes shut and groan as Lake separates her mouth from mine.
    “Don’t mind me, we just need the ketchup,” Caulder yells. He runs past us and into the kitchen. He grabs the ketchup and glances at us as he makes his way back to the front door. “Gross,” he mumbles before he pulls the door shut behind him.
    Lake laughs and presses her head against my shoulder. “Welcome home,” she says unenthusiastically.
    I sigh. “I wonder what they’re eating? You gave me a solid two-day workout and I’m hungry now.”
    Lake shrugs and pulls away from me. “I don’t know but I’m hungry, too.”
    We both make our way across the street. When we reach the front door, she puts her hand on the doorknob, but pauses and turns to me before opening it.
    “Should I knock? It feels weird knocking on my own door, but I don’t live here anymore.”
    I ease past her and grip the doorknob. “Nobody else knocks, why should we?” I open the door and we make our way inside. The boys and Kiersten are seated at the table and Eddie and Gavin are both in the kitchen, filling plates with food.
    “Look who’s back!” Kiersten says when she spots us. “How was the honeymoon?”
    Lake walks into the kitchen and as soon as Eddie sees her, she immediately takes her hand and pulls her down the hallway. “Yes, Layken. How was the honeymoon? I need details,” Eddie says. They disappear into the bedroom.
    I walk into the kitchen and take over the plates Eddie was working on. “The honeymoon was perfect,” I tell Kiersten.
    “What’s a honeymoon?” Kel asks. “What do people do when they go on one?”
    Gavin spits out his drink with his laugh. “Yes, Will,” Gavin says, smirking at me. “I must know what people do on honeymoons so that I’m prepared for when I have mine. Enlighten us.”
    I pick the plates up and glare at Gavin, then walk to the table. “A honeymoon is what people have after they get married. It’s when they spend a lot of time together . . . telling stories about their past. And eating. They tell stories and eat. That’s it.”
    “Oh,” Caulder says. “Like a campout?”
    “Exactly,” I say, taking my seat at the table across from Kiersten, who’s rolling her eyes at me. She shakes her head.
    “He’s lying to both of you because he thinks you’re still nine years old. A honeymoon is when newlyweds have sex, traditionally for the first time. But in some cases,” she rolls her head toward Gavin, “people get ahead of themselves.”
    We’re all staring at Kiersten with our mouths agape when Lake and Eddie return.
    “Why is everyone so quiet?” Eddie asks.
    Gavin clears his throat and glances at Eddie. “Suck and sweet time,” he says. “Sit down, ladies.”
    “Me first,” Caulder says. “My sweet is that me and Kel are finally brothers. My suck is that I now know what Will and Layken did during their honeymoon.”
    “I second that,” Kel says.
    Lake looks at me questioningly, so I nudge my head toward Kiersten. “Blame her.”
    Kiersten shoots me a glare that has become all too familiar from her. “My suck,” she says, “is that I seem to be the only person in this room aware of the importance of sex education. My sweet is that a few months from now, thanks to Gavin’s inability to wait for his honeymoon, I’ll have a steady job babysitting.”
    Gavin spits his drink out for the second time in five minutes. “No. No way are you babysitting my daughter.” He wipes his mouth and stands up, clinking his fork on the red plastic cup in his hand. “I’m going next because I can’t wait another