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“There’s plenty to choose from,” I said loudly. “Bacon and eggs, cheesy eggs, and oh…this one should have some of that honey ham your mama likes so much.”
Virginia stood up from the couch. “Honey ham?”
“Yep, the same cured stuff that my father used to make all the time.”
My heart sank. Everything was set up for us to leave—except for that. I wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
So, I shoved it down.
I cleared my throat while rifling through the bag. “Yep, the good stuff. I keep a bunch of it in the freezer for special occasions. This one had to thaw out all night in the sink just so I could slice it.”
The closer Virginia drew, the less agitation sat in her expression. Eventually, she took a seat next to me at the table, tugging her robe tightly across her chest and making a point to scoot an inch or two away from me. Whatever made her feel better was fine by me. I was just worried about her getting some food in her system.
“Go on,” I teased while sliding the plate over to her. “You know you want a bite.”
She growled under her breath and lifted the burrito. “This doesn’t solve last night.”
Through a mouthful of food, Anthony asked, “What happened last night?”
While Virginia blushed, I waved off the question. “Your mama was just worried about you two getting along with Archie and the others.”
“Archie is my best friend,” Anthony announced proudly. “He said he’s never going to let those kids be mean to us again. And he’s already putting together something for Alpha Troy to read.”’
I arched my right eyebrow. “Is that so?”
“Yeah, he said it’s not fair we get treated differently just because of our mama,” Adhara explained. “I couldn’t agree more. This kind of violence never solves a thing.”
I nodded in agreement and then looked at Virginia who looked so damn proud to have those twins as her kids. Even when she looked at me, she kept up that expression, affection pouring out from her like water from a broken dam. Yep, the anger had shriveled up with a few bites of a good burrito.
Worked like a charm every time.
After breakfast, the twins yanked me into the living room. They insisted that I do a round of games with them using the new controller I’d gotten them. I hesitated to use it, feeling a bit scared that I was going to break it again. But once I got into the first-person shooter that Anthony raved about, I felt myself open up.
We were hooting and hollering up a storm in the living room. It was like the night that Virginia had me watch them while she was at work. To feel that happiness and rush again made it feel like this family wasn’t just becoming mine, it had been mine all along. And looking at Virginia in that moment confirmed it.
The smile she wore—gods, that was a smile for Hollywood. She seemed like she was beaming in the spotlight, sparkling in the sunlight spilling in through the windows, glittering like she’d been given an Oscar. That was the smile I wanted to see on her lips for the rest of our lives.
And just like that, I felt like I was heading in the right direction.
***
Weekends didn’t involve much labor on Bravecrest land, so I didn’t worry about how long I was at Virginia’s house until my phone buzzed with a text. It was getting late in the afternoon. Mom was asking where I had been all day. Once again, I told her a partial truth, saying I’d gone out for a morning walk with some food and gotten lost in the solitude of the woods.
See, that was the key to lying. Sliding a true statement in there every so often helped with the guilt. Having a backup plan was a good idea too. But Gertie was gone for the weekend on a trip, and I didn’t want to bother her. That woman had covered my ass more times than I could count. My IOU list was piling up. At this rate, I ought to just get her a bike or something.
On my way home, I took the long route, making sure to retrace my steps so the same people would see me again. With such an airtight alibi, I wouldn’t have to worry about lying a little bit more. We were half a week away from ditching this place. While I had mixed feelings about leaving my parents behind, I knew their stance on Virginia. Keeping that in mind helped sway some of the guilt.
But all that came to a crashing halt when I walked into my living room and found it full of people. Mom, Dad, Gertie, Troy, and Blake sat in a circle around the coffee table. Quite a few mugs sat on the table with various liquids, mostly coffee and tea.
I squinted at my father. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this was an intervention.”
Blake sighed while standing up. I didn’t like the way he looked at me. He gestured wide. “In a way, it’s just like that, Slater.”
“I don’t understand.”
Every nerve in my body was vibrating. My fight-or-flight was telling me to sprint in the opposition direction. Something didn’t feel right here.
Gertie twiddled her thumbs, keeping her crimson eyes focused on her pasty hands. Sweat dotted her hairline and her temples. She looked like she had been threatened with the death penalty.
