AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Tasia had a simple solitaire I’d picked up from the first jeweler I’d passed once her father agreed it was in our best interests.
But my bed had been empty since Cadence left. Tasia hadn’t quite thrown herself at me, though she’d dropped enough hints that I knew she was growing suspicious of my evasions. I wouldn’t be able to put her off forever, but the thought of bedding her turned my stomach and left me limp.
I didn’t know what to do.
Sighing, I tossed myself onto the middle of my bed. I’d figure something out once I’d had some rest and my father confirmed the enemy was neutralized.
I had no other choice.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Cadence
Momma’s death was a shock.
Even standing beside her coffin, it was hard to believe she was gone. I waited with Michael, one arm wrapped around his shoulder as he sobbed, yet I couldn’t summon a single tear.
It was just the two of us standing under the cloudy sky, but I hadn’t been willing to skip the formality of a funeral. Momma had had friends years ago when she was still okay, but she’d lost touch with everyone as her disease progressed. It hurt to think that Michael and I were the only two who would care that she was gone.
Once the coffin was lowered into the ground, I stepped forward with the bouquet of sunflowers I held. They’d always been Momma’s favorite. She’d loved the rose bushes surrounding the house because Daddy had planted them for her, but she always said they were too frilly and needy.
A sunflower only needed the sun and a bit of water to bloom.
Momma had a picture of Daddy tucked inside with her, along with an ultrasound picture of her granddaughter. My throat grew thick at the thought that I’d never gotten a chance to tell her she was right about it being a girl.
My free hand rubbed my belly as I threw the flowers into the grave. Michael sobbed harder, and I turned to pull him into my chest.
He had barely spoken since I’d picked him up from school with tears in my eyes and told him what had happened. I hadn’t wanted to tell him through a message, and it had been better for him not to be home when the coroners came for Momma. Luckily, he had good enough grades that missing the past week of school wasn’t putting him too far behind, but he’d have to find a way to move on.
We both would.
I had taken the week off as well. I was already Michael’s legal guardian due to Momma’s disease, so we didn’t have to worry about the state stepping in and trying to take him away. He was close to being eighteen anyway, so I doubted we would have had problems, but there were still so many other things I’d had to take care of.
Once Michael wore himself out, I turned us toward the car. There was no reason to linger.
We returned home in silence, walking back into a house that felt empty with just the two of us. I still expected Momma to be sitting on the couch reading a book, or puttering around in the kitchen, washing dishes for the hundredth time, or baking something that ended up inedible half the time because she forgot ingredients or left it in the oven too long.
My chest clenched, lungs stuttering on the scent I’d always associated withhome. It was already fading.
Taking care of the financial and legal stuff had taken up all my energy, and I’d balked at dealing with the things in the house that needed to be done. Momma’s meds still sat on top of the fridge, her sweater laid over the back of the couch since she tended to get cold when sitting still for too long. I knew I was going to have to go through Momma’s room at some point too, but it was too much to face so soon.
I sank onto a dining room chair, burying my face in my hands as Michael moved around in the kitchen. A few minutes later he set a sandwich in front of me, sitting down with one of his own.
“You need to eat.”
I groaned but pulled it closer. I knew he was right, but my appetite was gone. I was halfway through chewing my first bite when Michael pinned me with a look that had me freezing even before he spoke.
“We should sell the house and move.”
I almost choked on the sandwich, finally forcing the bite in my mouth down and taking a drink before I could respond.
“What?”
Michael set his sandwich on the plate and looked around, letting out a sigh. His eyes were still red-rimmed, nose a bright cherry from all the crying he’d done, but he had sounded confident in his statement.
“This place…” he paused and let out a sigh. “This place is old. It needs a lot of work that neither of us know how to do. It’s in a dreary neighborhood. And I don’t like the thought of leaving you here alone. The neighbors are older than Momma,” his breath caught, but he forged on, “and we don’t know who or what will replace them when they’re gone.”
He came to a stop, his chest rising and falling as if he’d been running. My mouth opened, but it took a moment before I could get any words out.
