Page 167 of Her Wicked Plan

“Hey, Carter.” Myles ruffles the messy hair on the boy's head before sitting next to me.

“You’ve been coming over?”

“Yeah. I just thought... you’re busy, and I know you hate that you can’t be here as much as you want. I figured I would make sure everything’s going okay.” He runs his hands along his thighs. “Are you mad?”

Am I?

Hearing that Myles has stepped up and is the one checking on my family—the one who has been here for them—makes me sad, not angry. I’m sad that I can’t be here when I want to, that I can’t spend the limited time left that I have with my mother.

“No, I’m not mad,” I reassure him. “I’m grateful you’ve been here.”

He dips his head before glancing in the kitchen at Chloe, now resting against the counter. She has a wineglass in her hand and is staring blankly at the wall.

“Your sister hasn’t been doing good.”

Why was everything news to me? Why hadn’t she reached out for a shoulder to cry on?

“Between your mom and Carter's sperm donor, she’s been crying nonstop.”

“Has she been drinking more, too?”

“Only when she’s super stressed.” He sighs, looking at the TV. “What happened before I came in?”

“She told Carter about mom. He took it surprisingly well for being a child.”

“He’s a smart kid,” Myles observes Carter with this light in his eyes. They are so full of love for my nephew, and I don’t miss the small smile tugging on his lips. “And Jennifer?”

It’s weird hearing someone mention my mom’s name. “She’s sleeping.”

His eyes fall to his lap, but then a soft cry that sounds from the kitchen catches his attention. Chloe’s hand was over her mouth, muffling the sounds leaving her because she didn’t want Carter to hear.

Neither one of us says anything, but Myles stands and goes to her. He grabs the glass out of her hand and sets it on the counter behind her. Then he is hugging her. She cries quietly into his chest while he runs his hand over her hair.

Myles whispers something to Chloe, something that I don’t hear or make out by reading his lips. Whatever he says, her shoulders are calming, and her head nods in agreement. He lets go of her, and Chloe reaches for her wineglass and the bottle before heading upstairs.

Exhaling a long breath, Myles reenters the living room but goes to Carter. “Hey bud, your mom is going to take a bath. You want to go get some food?”

Carter tosses the dinosaurs on the carpet and jumps up and down in excitement. “Can we go somewhere I can play?”

“Sure.” Myles grins at him. “Go grab your jacket and put on your shoes. If you need help tying them, I’ll be there in a second.”

“Okay!” Carter beams at Myles before taking off down the hall.

“You want to come with us?” Myles offers.

Swallowing, I shake my head. “It’s all right. I just got here. I don’t want to leave.”

“Text me if you want anything.”

He takes off down the hall, and I hear him mumbling to Carter while he helps him tie his shoes. The front door opens and closes quietly. Now, I’m alone.

Despite the movie playing in the room and the screams on the screen while a woman gets chased by a dinosaur... it’s too quiet. The busyness of our lives has come to a roaring silence in a matter of weeks. The chaos that once was our home has died down since the unfortunate news.

Then I realize the home will always feel like this once mom passes. It might not be quiet with Carter running around, but there would be a stillness with her not here—a missing part of our family, forever gone.

Clearing my throat, I get up from the couch. I can’t sit here and wallow in the sadness. At least not by myself— it will drive me crazy.

It made me remember that it’s exactly what Chloe was doing upstairs. Sitting in the warmth of a bath, feeling the cold from this depression leave her body thanks to the warm water.