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White-hot rage simmers inside me for both Cedric’s childhood trauma and his current cruelty toward the only family he has left. I want to reach through the phone and shake him furiously for turning his back on vulnerable children out of petty resentment. Can someone want to hug a person to console them just as much as they want to hurt them?
But I can’t say anything because he has ended the call. I’m speechless and frozen by the bombshell. I remember him telling me that Karla was his worst nightmare. Did he seriously tell Izzy, and she didn’t do anything? I have so many questions, but at least I got a few answers. Not that this is enough.
Seems like my siblings are just as broken as I am. Is this why they decided to let me just deal with my own problems when Dad disowned me? Did they resent me in a way or something? Does it even matter?
I still love the Izzy and Cedric I grew up with. These two . . . I don’t think so, not even a little bit.
“If it were your sibling needing help, would you be there for them?” I ask Gabe as we pull into the hospital parking lot.
He shifts the car into Park, turning to me with a solemn expression. “Of course. We support each other no matter what—not just us siblings, but all our cousins, too.”
“Then, what’s wrong with my family?” I ask.
“I wish I had the answer,” he says. “But at least we’re piecing together what happened with Isadora.”
“True,” I sigh, worrying mostly about Caleb and Cora. It seems like Izzy’s problems have been going on for a long time. And what if she can’t recover from the stroke?
“Let’s focus on Caleb tonight, baby,” Gabe says. He keeps calling me his baby even when I’ve told him many times, for some reason I don’t correct him now. I want to pretend just for tonight that we’re together and we’ll be able to solve this problem without either one of us getting hurt.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Gabe: Mom wants to know if you’ll be joining us tomorrow.
Ameline: What’s tomorrow?
Gabe: Breakfast at my parents followed by an entire day of fun with the entire Decker clan.
Ameline: Pass.
Gabe: What do you mean pass?
Ameline: Pretty self-explanatory . . .
Gabe: But they want to meet you.
Ameline: Let me guess, you finally told them you’re married—right as you’re about to get served with another round of divorce papers.
Ameline: Which you should sign this time.
Gabe: What happened with being a united front against social services and all that shit your boss said?
Ameline: Fitz Everhart’s opinion doesn’t count.
Gabe: How so?
Ameline: He’s a biased party. I can’t believe my boss is like an honorary Decker. You two have a special handshake and all that . . . why are you friends with him again?
Gabe: His husband has been best friends with my older cousin, Grace, since they were children. (shrugs innocently)
Ameline: I want a second opinion, seems like this whole ‘you need to stay married to become the temporary guardians or even adopt them’ might not be true.
Gabe: You’re a lawyer, I’m sure you can figure that out on your own. No need to involve more people. In my opinion we need to get this moving fast.
Ameline: Maybe the laws in Washington State are different.
Gabe: Can we focus on the kids first and then we’ll discuss breakfast and dinner with the Decker family?
Ameline: Let me do some more research, but there’s not much we can do until my sister wakes up. Fitz confirmed that there aren’t any laws in the state of Washington that will punish her for substance use during pregnancy.
