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)
“It’s none of your—or your sister’s—business where I’ve been,” she replied stubbornly.
“Listen,” I ground out, setting my hand on Cian’s back. He was practically vibrating with anger. “Child services needs to talk to you, and they’re not going to stop coming around until they do.”
Mom scoffed.
“I didn’t let them inside today—”
“Nothing wrong with the inside of our house,” she snapped.
“You’re not listening,” I said desperately. Jesus. I just needed her to grasp what we were dealing with. “They want to talk to you. They want to check out our house. They said they’ve been getting calls.”
“What have you been doing?” she glared at Cian. “Have you been getting into trouble?”
“Don’t look at him,” I ordered, rage filling my chest. “You’re talking to me.”
Cian stood a little straighter.
“I don’t need this shit,” my mom said, shaking her head as she strode toward us.
It felt almost as if I was outside my body when my hand shot out, catching her in the chest and shoving her backward a step. I’d never put my hands on our mother. Not once. No matter how many times she came home drunk and belligerent. I’d never crossed that line. More than once, I’d wondered what would happen if I did. Which of us would win in a fight if she pushed it that far or if—God forbid—I had to protect the kids.
“Shit,” Cian murmured, taking a step sideways and squaring up to protect me.
“They’re going to come back,” I hissed before Mom got over her surprise. “And if they come back while I’m at work, and you’re off on a bender—what then, huh? If Aisling opens the door and lets them in? Tells them, oh no, I haven’t seen my mom in days?”
“I’ll stay home,” my mom yelled, throwing her hands out. “Is that what you need? Fuck.”
“Home and sober,” I corrected, staring at her.
“Fine.”
She strode by us, and Cian wrapped his hand around my waist to stop me from following her.
“You’re not gettin’ more out of her tonight,” he said quietly as we watched her stumble into her room. “Let her sleep it off.”
“She’s such a fucking nightmare,” I said with a sigh as her bedroom door slammed. “Sorry you had to see that, kid.”
“Are you kidding?” He scoffed, mimicking the way my hand had shot out to shove her. “I would’ve paid to see that.”
“I’m just glad she’s just drunk enough to be unsteady on her feet—”
“And not drunk enough to think gettin’ into a fistfight with her daughter is a good idea,” he added.
“Yeah, that,” I replied tiredly.
“Told Aisling and Ronan if they went straight to their rooms and got in pajamas, they didn’t have to brush their teeth,” Cian said with a grin. “They booked it upstairs.”
“How’d you bribe Saoirse?” I asked as we maneuvered up the stairs.
“Didn’t have to,” he replied, glancing at me. “She wanted to get as far away from that shit show as possible.”
“Me too,” I mumbled.
“I’ll read to Ronan for you tonight,” Cian said as he passed me, headed further down the hallway. “But only tonight. I still maintain that he’s old enough to read to himself.”
“Thanks, brother.” I gave a little wave. “Night.”
“Night.” He walked into the room he shared with Ronan and closed the door as I opened the door to Saoirse and Aisling’s room.
Usually, I had to read to Aisling and then to Ronan before I headed to bed. Dad had read to all of us before bed when we were little, and I’d taken up the task when he died. Neither of them were ready to let it go yet, and I was okay with that.
Thankfully, we’d moved onto chapter books and were working our way through a series at the moment, so at least it was a little more exciting than Go, Dog, Go. Even Saoirse had begun to lay her own book down to listen while I was reading, even though she’d never admit it.
“Gotta pee,” she said after I’d read for a few minutes. “Night, E.”
“Night, Sersh,” I called back, glancing up at her retreating back.
“Keep going,” Aisling ordered.
When I was done with the chapter, I tucked Aisling in like a burrito and shut off the light as I left their room. Saoirse was waiting for me in the hallway.
“Okay, tell me what’s going on,” she demanded quietly.
I jerked my head toward my room, and she followed me there.
“Child services showed up today while you guys were at school,” I said flatly, making her eyes flare with surprise.
“Why?”
“Because Ronan keeps going on the fucking roof,” I mumbled, pulling my hair out of the bun I’d been wearing all day. “And Aisling must’ve made a comment at school that her teacher overheard. And probably because they’ve finally realized that I’ve been the only one at parent-teacher conferences for the past two years, and no authority figures have seen our mother for longer than that.”