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My mother always got offended when I didn’t love the same things as she did. Everything was a fucking insult to her precious feelings. I was never good enough because I couldn’t be a carbon copy of her. I never want that kind of mom for my kids.
Soon, these five little ones will be mine. Right now, I’m a scary stranger. Beckett seems to like me well enough already, yet I bet he wouldn’t want me touching him.
It’ll take time for them to get used to me. Truth be told, I haven’t figured out how to engage with small humans. Ruin’s sister has two kids who think I’m a tree. They call me “Groot” for some reason. It’s an inside joke, I think. Their mama, Wynonna, bullies me into talking to them, but they make no sense, and I usually just walk away.
I can’t do that with Landry’s kids. The smallest ones might forget Neal Copper and only know me. Blair and Beau are trickier. She knows her dad was an asshole while her brother’s little brain is wired wrong. Beau might not even notice Neal’s gone. Landry did most of the parenting. It’s possible none of the kids will miss him.
As I watch Landry’s choices for each kid’s sandwich, I feel Ruin’s gaze on me. I finally give him what he wants and acknowledge him.
“Before I leave, we need to talk.”
“I already talked with Armor.”
“Well, now, I get the privilege.”
When I glare at him for too long, his woman gets skittish and reaches for her sister’s hand. The women see me the way most people do.
I peer at Landry over my shoulder and find her watching me. She looks amused again. Or she might just be happy. This house is better than her old one. She has help here. The kids like their toys. She has many reasons to be happy. However, I don’t know if that comfort can translate into real feelings toward me.
Since we can’t all fit in the dining room, Rosemary and Woodrow eat in the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Ruin sits at one end of the table with his women. I’m at the other end, where I can spread out without knocking into anyone. Beau and Blair sit to my left. On my right, Landry holds Beckett while Brooklyn sits next to her. I think about their kitchen in the dumpy house. There weren’t any of those baby chairs.
“Do they need special seats?” I ask Landry.
“Like a high chair?” she asks and tears off a piece of sandwich for Beckett. “We had one, but it got broken.”
Brooklyn points at Beau and laughs. Too focused on disassembling his sandwich, he doesn’t notice his sister’s reaction.
“The kids just eat at the living room table, which is low to the ground.”
“Sounds messy,” Ruin says to fuck with me. “Better get them those chairs.”
“When’s your baby due?” Yazmin asks, seeming as oblivious to the tension as Beau.
“May the fourteenth,” Landry replies.
“Is it a boy or a girl?” Ruin asks.
“A girl.”
“Her name is Brigitte,” Blair announces. “I helped pick it out. Beckett was my idea, too.”
Landry grins at her daughter before her gaze finds me. I sense she might be curious about my opinion regarding the kid’s name. Not wanting to chat with eyes on us, I look at my beer like I need to read the label.
“Why do they all have ‘B’ names?” Selene asks in a soft voice like she’s afraid to be heard.
“Their father was close with his grandma whose name was Bea. So, he decided to give all his kids ‘B’ names. But I got to pick them.”
“Even Brooklyn’s?” Ruin asks and looks at the girl.
Hearing her name, the kid frowns at Selene and Yazmin. “Sit lap,” Brooklyn says, pushing Beckett over.
Landry doesn’t fight the kid, even if Brooklyn keeps sliding off her knee. The girl changes her mind about the seating arrangement once she gets a sufficient number of cuddles. Through it all, Landry wears an edgy expression. She’s got her back up about Brooklyn’s maternal situation.
“No, I didn’t pick that one,” she finally says when Brooklyn returns to her chair and shows me a slice of cheese.
I nod at the kid since that seems to be all she’s looking for. The little ones don’t really want me to talk.
