Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 139147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 696(@200wpm)___ 557(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 696(@200wpm)___ 557(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
Cleo’s black tongue oscillated in and out on a happy rhythm.
Okay…
Holy shit!
I’d known him mere days, and I was totally falling for the guy.
And with that thought, another one hit me.
The sad truth of it was, it was a high probability my sister would never fall in love.
Because she was more than likely dead.
But I was here, with these fine people, and I’d found this man.
As these thoughts assailed me, Louise and Scott, across from us in armchairs, forgot they were starting to argue. They looked at Cap, then at each other, and Scott sat back in his chair and contentedly rested his linked hands on his belly.
Tacit approval of Cap.
Louise asked Cap, “Anything else you need, sweetheart? I know Luna’s feeding you after this, but if you’re peckish, I made some white chocolate chip, macadamia nut cookies yesterday.”
Explicit approval of Cap.
“I’m good, Louise. Thanks,” Cap replied.
“Did Luna tell you about Macy?” I blurted.
Cap went still at my side.
Scott and Louise’s gazes raced to me.
“Raye—” Luna started quietly.
“Did she?” I asked Scott and Louise.
“Sugar bun, she did,” Louise admitted, talking like her daughter.
“I’m glad you know,” I told her. “Because I’m realizing that I didn’t have the strength to do it. But if you know me, you need to know that. Because it’s part of me.”
Cap stopped petting the Yorkie and wrapped his fingers around my thigh.
“Okay, sweetheart,” Scott said.
“You’re good people. You’re good, good, kind people,” I told them. “And maybe you’re struggling with the fact that Dream’s a bit messed up, and you might have had a hand in that.”
Cap’s hand at my thigh squeezed a warning that I was taking this too far.
But I kept going.
“But she’s alive and healthy and you have her. She’s also an adult and making very adult decisions. So it’s time she acts like an adult. Maybe it’s not the right call to cut her off cold turkey. But enabling her for any longer isn’t the right call either. You would never, ever let anything harm her or Feather or Dusk. But it’s not gonna come to that. She will get her shit together because she won’t have a choice. I’m not looking after her kids unless she pays me. I’m certainly not doing it at the same time I’m at work. Not anymore. And I’ll share that with her when she gets here. Luna isn’t gonna give her more money. And Scott, you have to quit caving, Louise, you have to quit pushing him to cave and let Dream be all she needs to be for those kids. She loves them with all her heart. She’ll get her head out of her ass. What’s gonna go down whenever she gets here isn’t gonna be fun. But it’ll happen and then it’ll be over. And she’ll eventually get her head out of her ass to look after her kids.”
“Well, I guess I know what Mom asking me over is about.”
All our heads swung to where Dream was standing, laden down with children and her hippie tote just inside the door.
Whoops!
I wondered how much she heard.
She told me by asking, “Who’s Macy?”
Apparently, Luna’s sharing didn’t include her sister.
“My little sister who was abducted from a playground when she was six and we never got her back,” I announced.
All the color raced from Dream’s face and her hand went up reflexively to curl around Feather’s head.
“After that, my dad lost himself in his anger and my mom couldn’t deal so she killed herself when I was thirteen.”
“Oh, Raye,” Dream whispered.
“I haven’t seen my dad in eight years,” I went on and pointed at Scott. “Yours is right there.” I pointed at Louise. “Your mom is right there. And they’ve been right there for you too much, for a long time. You have absolutely no idea what you have in them. Get your head out of your ass, Dream.”
Dream stood immobile.
“What she said,” Luna put in.
“Papa! Papa! Papa!” Dusk shouted from Dream’s back.
Scott got up and grabbed his grandson.
“Oggie! Oggie! Oggie!” Dusk yelled, pointing at the dogs who had abandoned their wrestling match and were now crowding Scott to get to Dusk.
Scott put him down and Dusk disappeared under a pile of fur, which the Yorkie dashed across Luna’s and my laps to get in on (Cleo couldn’t be bothered), but we could hear his squeals of delight.
“You guys are cutting me off, hunh?” Dream asked her parents.
“You’re a thirty-year-old woman with two children and one on the way, petal,” Louise said carefully. “Your father and I didn’t decide to have those children. It was your decision. You must understand the burden you’re putting on us by thinking you can live like a teenager when you’re a mother. There will be times some years down the line when your kids have their own pursuits where you can spoil yourself. But now, you need to concentrate on providing for your family.”