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“Thank you for bringing him to see me,” Rhiannon says as the two of them sit on the sofa. She gives me a soft smile. “Don’t worry. Mom just went in for the lunch shift. She’s just being Mom and didn’t mean what she said yesterday.”
As much as I appreciate the words, I don’t believe them.
Me and Mom have always had friction. That’s not going away anytime soon.
“I, uh, actually have to tell you something. Both of you.”
Before I can speak, the front door opens. Lucy, smelling like hashbrown grease, staggers in, eyes drooping from having to do the early shift. When she sees her mom and brother together, she joins them on the sofa, grinning happily.
All they need is Trevor now.
That one is going to be a lot trickier.
“What is it?” Rhiannon finally asks after Lucy rambles about all the things that went wrong this morning at work. “You said you had to tell us something.”
I force myself to sit in the aged recliner Mom uses and drag my gaze over Rhiannon and her kids. There’s no easy way to say this.
“Lenny’s dead.”
The three of them stare at me as though I never said a word. Finally, Rhiannon’s brows pinch.
“What do you mean Lenny’s dead, Sloane? I don’t understand. We just saw him yesterday.”
I run my fingers through my damp ponytail and let out a tired sigh. “Last night, someone cut his throat. It was a homicide.”
“That’s why you had to go to work last night?” Kaden asks, confusion on his face. “Because there was a murder?”
Lucy gapes at me. “You’re joking, right?”
Rhiannon continues to blink, still trying to make sense of my words. “You worked the scene? You saw him? Is this real?”
“Yes,” I mutter. “I, uh, was the first one on the scene. It was definitely a homicide. You may get a visit from the detectives who are working the case.”
A strangled sob rips from Rhiannon’s throat. Fat tears well in her eyes and then spill over. Both kids, though not crying themselves, cling to their mother to show their support. Fact of the matter is, even though Lenny was an abusive prick, she still loved the guy.
Rhiannon shakes her head and then shoots me a pleading stare. “Who would do that to him?”
I don’t dare breathe a word that Trevor was the one who called me. Letting them think I was at work and came across the homicide is better for now. The last thing the three of them need is to worry about Trevor being implicated for the murder. That’s on me to worry about for now.
“We’re not sure,” I say quickly, “but the detectives are working diligently on it. I was going to call today to see if there were any leads. I’ll keep you informed.”
Rhiannon continues to softly cry. When she gets her bottom lip to stop wobbling, she says, “I’m…Sloane, I’m pregnant. Lenny was going to be a dad. Now…” Another sob. “Now this child will never know their father.”
The other children don’t have a relationship with theirs either and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
“I’m sorry,” I murmur. “I really am.”
“I’m going to have a little brother or sister?” Kaden asks, gently patting his mom’s belly that’s not showing. “No way.”
This has Rhiannon drying up her tears and giving her son a smile.
“Well, we really should get going,” I say, rising to my feet. “I just wanted to deliver the news in person.”
“Can I spend the night here with Mom?” Kaden asks, eyes lighting up with hope.
“No,” I blurt out at the same time Rhiannon says, “Of course, honey.”
My sister frowns at me and her features harden. She’s not exactly in a position to suddenly care about her son, but she is his mother.
