Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 48730 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 244(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48730 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 244(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
“Upstairs.” He gestured. “Sersh took them up when I started in on Mom.”
“Alright, I’ll go up.”
Everything was quiet upstairs, and I found the kids playing with Legos in the girls’ room. Saoirse was reading, as usual, but she was sitting on the floor next to Aisling.
“I’m home,” I announced, poking my head in the door.
“Is Richie here?” Ronan asked hopefully.
“Nah, he had to go home and see his own family,” I replied, walking into the room. “But he said he’ll come back tomorrow.”
“Do you think he’ll bring more water balloons?”
“Doubt it.” I scrubbed my hand over his head as I sat down beside him. “Whatcha building?”
“A satellite.”
“Like up in space or the one on Mrs. Kinder’s roof?”
Ronan looked at me like I was an idiot. “Space.”
“Got it.”
“I’m building a bed for my Barbies,” Aisling announced.
“I told you—” Ronan glared at her. “You’re not keeping my Legos in your room.”
“Whatever,” Aisling muttered.
“Have fun?” Saoirse asked, looking up from her book.
“Yeah.” I smiled. “We got tacos.”
“Good.”
“So,” I said, drawing the word out as I looked at each of them. “Who wants to pop some popcorn, pull out the board games, and turn on a movie?”
“Okay,” Aisling replied halfheartedly.
Ronan just stared at me.
“I get to pick the movie,” Saoirse announced, immediately getting to her feet.
“Something appropriate.”
“Not Pride and Pit-stains,” Ronan added.
“You know that’s not what it’s called,” Saoirse replied haughtily.
“A cartoon would be good,” I called out as she left the room.
“We’re too old for cartoons,” Ronan informed me as I helped him scoop the little blocks into his tub.
“You can’t outgrow cartoons,” I argued. “That’s like saying you’re too old for ice cream.”
“People are lactose intolerant, you know.”
“Are you allergic to cartoons?” I asked dryly.
“She better not pick a princess movie,” he mumbled, ignoring my question as he scrambled to his feet.
Once he’d raced out the door, I looked at Aisling, who was still building her bed.
“Gonna watch a movie with us?” I asked, gently shoving her upturned knee.
“Mom said she’d play a game with us,” she replied quietly, not looking up from her project. “And then she didn’t.”
“Cian told me.”
“He was really mad.”
“Yeah, I know.” I got comfortable on the floor.
“He was yelling at her.”
I wasn’t sure how to respond.
“Maybe if he was nicer—”
“Nope,” I said, cutting her off. “No. It’s not Cian’s fault or Ronan’s fault or Saoirse’s fault, or my fault. It’s not your fault, either. Mom does what she does because she wants to.”
“Why doesn’t she want to hang out with us?”
“I have no idea,” I replied honestly. “Personally, I love hanging with you.”
Aisling smiled.
“You almost done?” I asked. “Sersh and Ro are going to pick the movie without you if you don’t hurry.”
She didn’t reply but dropped the mostly built bed into the tub of Legos. I climbed to my feet and pulled her up with me. Holding her hand, I tugged her toward the door.
“I want to play dice,” she said decisively, following behind me.
“I thought you wanted to play a board game.”
“Well,” she said before going quiet.
“What?”
“I picked that game because it takes a long time,” she confessed sheepishly.
I smiled at her, hiding the way my guts twisted. She’d been trying to keep Mom with her for as long as she could. The memory of Mom acting like June Cleaver for the social worker flashed in my mind, and I thanked God again that the kids hadn’t seen it. Aisling would’ve been over the moon, thinking it was real.
“I like dice better,” Aisling added.
“That’s because you always win,” I teased as we walked down the stairs.
“Aisling wants to play dice?” Cian asked easily from the foot of the stairs, like the last hour hadn’t happened. I forced myself not to smooth my hand over my hair self-consciously.
“Can you get paper and a pen?” I asked, letting go of Aisling as she skipped toward the living room. “I’ll find the dice.”
“She always wins,” he complained as he headed toward the backpacks still lined up by the door. I really needed to go through the supplies left and take an inventory before I finally put those away.
“She deserves the win tonight,” I murmured as I headed toward the junk drawer in the kitchen. I found the dice and spun around to find Cian behind me.
“Sorry I blew up,” he said quietly.
“Understandable.”
“Still.” He was looking over my shoulder. “If I would’ve just kept my mouth shut she would’ve left before you got here, and you wouldn’t have had to deal with that whole thing.”
“It would’ve come up at some point.” I let him off the hook.
“Richie really got you that necklace?”
“Graduation present,” I confirmed.
“It’s pretty,” he mumbled. “You better put it on or hide it.”
He knew Mom had been stealing. I thought I’d shielded him from it. I’d never said anything.
“I will.”
Cian nodded. “Don’t forget the popcorn,” he ordered, turning to leave the room. “Sersh said she wants extra salt.”