“Yes,” he looks up at me.
“When you have Mother and Father, I would like to talk to them. Before, you know,” I let the last part trail off. Somehow still unable to voice what I know will happen to them.
“You shouldn’t call them that. I don’t want you anywhere near those sons of bitches.” Ronan’s protectiveness is such a reassuring thing to me. It’s such a strong reaction that it’s like a living thing deep in my soul.
“You will be there with me, but I need this Ronan. I need to ask them questions for myself. Once it’s done, I never want to think about them again. But I need to hear the answers for myself.” I explain.
“You will have your answers. But I’m not letting you face it alone.”
“Thank you.”
A couple of hours pass before I finish my ninth child search when Kieran’s phone rings. He answers it and listens for a minute.
“Okay, we will be there shortly,” he says as he hangs up.
“Finn and Taylor have the targets secured at the compound,” he tells us. Getting to his feet, Ronan turns to me.
“I need to go with them. You’re to stay in the house. Mom and Kenji will make sure you and Ollie are safe until I get back.”
“I understand. I think I’ll take a break while you’re gone. I’m kinda hungry, and I want to check on Ollie.” I stand with him and kiss him gently on the lips. “I promise to stay in the house. I need you to promise me that you will be careful and come back to us.”
“I will be back as soon as I have the answers that we need.” He kisses me back and follows the others from the room.
Alessia places her arm around my shoulder and squeezes me. “They will be fine. This is what they do. Let’s go get you fed.”
She leads me to the kitchen. I stop in my tracks as I take in the mayhem that is in front of me. Ollie is sitting in his highchair, covered in what I think is flour. He has a small piece of dough on the tray, hitting it as if it owes him money. Xavier has flour on his cheek and a huge smile on his face. Franklin is the first to notice us.
“Welcome to baking 101. I’m teaching Master Ollie the art of bread today.”
Ollie sees me and starts blabbing while still hitting the dough. When Xavier laughs, Ollie picks up a handful of the loose flour and throws it at him. He’s quick enough to jump back before it lands on him. My heart is so full in this moment that I think it might burst. Ollie is normally a happy child, but never like this.
“That’s fantastic, Franklin,” she turns to me. “Franklin is the reason that all the boys know how to cook. I taught them the art of the dessert. We’ll keep that tradition going with Ollie. Do you cook?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m self-taught, though. I specialize in all the easy stuff.” The smile on my face is not going anywhere anytime soon.
“I will be happy to share some of my recipes with you,” Franklin says. He looks over at Xavier with narrowed eyes and then adds. “Maybe you will be able to follow them better than others.”
“Are you ever going to let me live that down?” Xavier asks, giving the cook a cold stare. I can see the mirth behind it.
“What happened?” I want to know.
“I’m not a cook, never have been. Frankie here was teaching me to make spaghetti. It’s not my fault that Declan distracted me and the noodles burned.” He crosses his arms over his chest.
“They didn’t just burn. You ruined my pot.”
“Not my fault,” Xavier stresses again. Franklin just huffs as he places a tray of rolls into the large oven.
Alessia pulls out a few things from the industrial size fridge. After heating some of it in the microwave, she piles a plate full of what she tells me is pulled pork, baked beans, and potato salad.
“This looks amazing. Thank you.”
“I grew up in Savannah, Georgia, so I like to have traditional southern comfort foods.”
That explains the slight accent that I can pick up on from time to time. I picture Alessia dressed in a flowy cream colored dress, complete with lace gloves and a floppy hat. It fits her and makes me smile.
“I think it’s bath time for this young man.” She uses a few wet wipes to clean a good portion of the mess off Ollie’s face and hands. “You finish eating, and I’ll take care of him.”
I learned after the playroom that arguing with her would do me no good. I finish my plate as Xavier keeps me company. It’s just mundane everyday things that we talk about. But the conversation grounds me somehow. It feels real.
