Their marriage had been rough lately. Not because of money, or affairs, or the usual fights about kids. Lacey and Brian agreed on most things.
It was the marriage itself that weighed them down.
Brian wasn’t the worst husband out there. And he was a decent father. But he was never strong emotionally. His moods were a roller coaster, and he was quite self-centered. Even as a child, when things hadn’t gone his way, he threw huge tantrums and emotionally blackmailed people. Everything always had torevolve around him. He needed to be cherished, admired, and cradled like a toddler, or he would completely fall apart.
The girls didn’t seem to mind. At six foot four, with a natural build like Superman, he’d win bar fights and have all eyes on him no matter what room he entered. And with that Hollywood face and that charm, the girls lined up and fought over him. Cherished the ground he walked on. Including Lacey and Amanda.
But it was Lacey who ended up with him when she got pregnant with Dylan at sixteen. She swore it was an accident and that the condom broke. But she wouldn’t have been in this position in the first place if she hadn’t let Brian pressure her to move things so fast, always worried he might break things off if she didn’t make him happy.
Lacey still finished school and became a pharmacist. Brian, on the other hand, dropped out. Took an apprenticeship with an HVAC company.
I always wondered if this was the life he would have chosen if it weren’t for Dylan.
Lacey was so happy when she got pregnant. But Brian always looked like he regretted having Dylan and only married Lacey because of his deeply religious parents.
I sighed.
Like every parent, I worried too much.
I worried when Lacey called too often or not enough. When she put on too much weight or lost too much. When she came home from a party too early or stayed out late. When she was trying too hard or when she’d given up.
I shook my head.
She’d be fine.
Lacey would find a way. That kind heart of hers was as strong as a lion’s.
She would be fine.
She always was.
Chapter 5
Nicole
Ethan was home with me all day because of his cough. But Lila had to be picked up from her after-school science class at the town’s recreation center, so Ethan had to come with me.
After that, I got Dylan from the mall. He’d wanted to check out shoes with his friends.
Of course, the kids didn’t let me just get Dylan. Not when the mall had a candy store.
And, of course, they got their way. Three against one. I was a very young grandma, but a grandma after all; it was my job to spoil them. Each walked out with a bag of candy from the gummy bear bar.
Then we went back home, and I ordered pizza. Another pushover move, since I had planned to cook a veggie risotto. But they were so convincing, especially when they all fought for the same cause.
And, to top things off, they talked me into buying the newMinionsmovie even though I’d said no screen time today. Convincing Grandma of anything was their superpower.
But the house was a bit chaotic, so at least the movie gave me time to do laundry.
The kids sat on the couch, eating pizza for dinner and watching the movie.
I grabbed the laundry from upstairs and headed for the basement, peeking in on the kids on the way. Their eyes were glued to the screen. Even Dylan’s.
The basement was colder and darker than the rest of the house. I set the basket on the dryer and accidentally clippeda candle off the shelf. The thing shattered across the concrete floor.
“Damn it.”
I bent down and collected the glass pieces, careful not to cut myself. A large piece had somehow landed behind the dryer, glinting in the light. Then something else caught the light behind the dryer.
