Kaiden froze. “I came to check on Mom.”
“Why? So you can cry to her about how everyone is mean, and that’s why you ran out on us?”
Rus let out this feral grumble, almost like a growl. Kaiden turned to find his fists balled and his expression furrowed, but he remained quiet and in place.
“I just want to make sure Mom’s okay.”
“Why wouldn’t she be?” Sandra seemed oddly perplexed.
It dawned on Kaiden that his mother had lied about her fall, and he began to suspect the box of makeup, too.
“I’m an idiot,” he whispered, backstepping toward the front door.
“First sensible thing you’ve said,” Sandra snorted.
Rus took a step closer to Kaiden, glaring at Sandra, who merely smirked in response.
“Mom!” she shouted. “Kaiden’s here for his stuff.”
“You can drop the act,” Kaiden said. “I see now I didn’t forget anything.”
“Oh, you forgot something all right,” Kaiden’s stepfather swaggered into the entryway with a beer and an open palm. “You know how much work it was getting the utilities turned back on, getting deposits, getting service fees…”
It seemed Kaiden’s stunt had pissed off just about everyone.
“Now, John, let me handle this.” Kaiden’s mother brushed past his stepfather and sister, making her way over to Kaiden, where she tried to hug him.
When he recoiled, she paused.
“I knew you’d come home if you thought something was wrong,” she said with a weak smile. “You’re a good boy—one who loves his mom and his family.”
Sandra scoffed. “Still say he’s only here for the stuff he thought he forgot.”
“I know you’re upset with us and you feel that we’re not respecting your space,” Kaiden’s mother continued, ignoring the muttered jabs from the rest of the family. “But I want you to know, we’re ready to make changes around here.”
“You hear that?” John chimed in. “We’re accommodating you, you ungrateful…”
He quieted down when Kaiden’s mother flicked her attention back to him, sending a silent message to shut up.
“We’re going to clear out the basement for you,” she explained. “We’re going to redo it real nice. You’ll need to chip in a bit, but it’s going to be amazing. John’s going to renovate it himself, so everything will be at cost. It’ll be your very own room. Minus the laundry area, but that’s no biggie. We can always just leave it at the stairs, and you can handle it and keep your space.”
“So, I would do everyone’s laundry?”
“Yeah, so you have privacy,” Sandra snapped. “Something you keep bitching about.”
“Enough of this,” John snapped, taking powerful strides toward Kaiden. “Get your ass in the kitchen so we can break down payments.”
“Step the fuck back,” Rus snarled, blocking John’s path.
“Oh, and what you going to do, little boy?” John looked down at Rus mockingly, and Kaiden knew in about two seconds, Rus would tackle his stepfather and beat the ever-living fuck out of him.
While every fiber of Kaiden’s being wanted to see that, he didn’t want Rus to lose his temper, he didn’t want to start more drama with his family, and he certainly didn’t want Rus getting assault charges.
“Well?” John stood taller, goading Rus.
Rus merely glared in response, his fists trembling at his sides.
“He’s the one who’s going to ask nicely.” Dylan rushed in, bumping up against John’s chest with his own and locking eyes with the old man. “Step the fuck back before I make you step back.”
