Page 90 of Carson

“Of course.”

“So, let’s talk about your brother.”

“That was a trap,” I accuse, laughing. I stepped right into that. But honestly, tell me I don’t have the best mother ever.

So, for her, I revert back to being my whiny teenage self. She loves that shit.

“He’s being mean to me, Mom. And I didn’t do anything to him.”

She sits me down at the table just like she did when I was a kid.

“The answer isn’t to be mean back.”

I slouch in my chair, because I know she’s right. My outburst at the warehouse didn’t help anything. It only made things worse. For everyone. “I understand.”

She pats the side of my face. “I know you do.”

Dad joins us at breakfast a few minutes later with Khloe sitting on his shoulders, Tuffy following behind.

“I smell something good,” he says, sniffing the air as if the wafting scent is pulling him toward the table.

My mom smacks him in the stomach. “You don’t have to be so dramatic about it.”

“What?” he says, winking at me.

We all know. Well, all of us besides Luna. It’s highly unusual for a good smell to come out of mom’s kitchen. She tries. Lord, the woman tries.

“Thank you for making breakfast,” he says, looking at Luna and then me. “I was sleeping like a rock.”

“How do you know I didn’t do it?” my mom asks, pretending to be hurt, but my dad and I know better.

“Baby,” my dad says, and I roll my eyes.

“No. It’s fine. I know you don’t mean to hurt my feelings.” She pretends to inspect her nails.

I can already tell you what happens next. He takes her hand and offers her whatever she wants. Let’s hope it’s nothing inappropriate.

She claps her hands. “Kelsie and I want to take the kids to Disneyland.”

“No.”

“Dan,” my mom says, placing her hands on her hips.

I draw a circle around my ear before pointing it at my parents. Luna covers her mouth, trying to hide a giggle.

“You can come too,” my mom says.

“No thanks. The last time I was at Disneyland I wanted to put a bullet in my head. Can’t do it,” Dad says.

“Tank can go with us then.”

He crosses his arms over his chest, thinking about it. “When you’re outside of the room, he has to remain within five feet of you girls and the kids. You move as a group.”

“Twenty, and deal.” She holds her hand out to shake on it.

“Fifteen, and that’s being generous.”

Mom shakes on it, knowing that’s as good as she’s going to get.