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They all sat, silently staring at one another. Mila sniffed. Maddy’s eyes watered, and Seraph’s face turned a deep shade of red as she crossed her arms.
“Here, let’s check out the new filters.” I held the tablet in my hand but Seraph suddenly grabbed it from me, stood, and threw the device on the floor as hard as she could in a shocking display of rebellion.
“No!” Seraph yelled at the top of her lungs.
Liam burst through the front door, his eyes searching the scene before him. Seraph didn’t even blink or look at him. She didn’t see Nora’s gaping mouth or Colson’s worried expression.
She focused solely on me. “We had to talk to dad for months on that stupid thing. I won’t do it again.” Tears poured down her face as red blotches sprouted along her cheeks. “We aren’t losing you now, too. We asked you to be our mom. You can’t just tell us you love us and then leave. You have to be our mom now!”
She was shrieking, and I was silently sobbing.
Liam’s voice broke as he stepped forward, saying her name.
Seraph moved out of the way.
“Are you our mom or not?” Seraph cried, swiping at her face.
Mila was crying, hiccupping as she looked between me and Seraph.
I moved swiftly. I pulled Seraph into my arms and tried to breathe through my tears.
“Yes, I am. I’m your mom, and I’m not leaving.”
My eyes found Liam’s, they were red, watery, but relieved.
Maddy and Mila came over, joining our hug. My arms wrapped around them.
“Can we go home?” Mila asked, turning her head into my neck. I stood with Seraph in my arms, holding onto Maddy as Liam grabbed Mila. He said something to Cole and Nora, but I didn’t wait around to hear. I put the girls in my car, and when Liam buckled in Mila I locked eyes with him.
“I’m going home.”
He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he nodded.
* * *
The kids were finally asleep.
It took a lot of snuggling, pizza for dinner, and another viewing ofTangled,but they were finally out.
I walked out of Maddy’s room, clicking her door shut, and then turned toward the guest room. I planned to figure out what my life was going to look like now that Liam wanted to break up with me. But the girls had adopted me and I couldn’t leave them. It was some weird backward bullshit that I had no idea how to manage. Surely there were ways I could still be their mom but not live here. I could get a cute house with four bedrooms, and Liam and I would just split the kids…and the girls would have two moms that were on the outskirts of their lives.
Fuck. That wasn’t going to work.
I was crossing the threshold of the room when Liam stopped me.
“Haley—”
“Don’t, Liam.” I pulled my hand away, “I’ll figure this out. I know you don’t want me here.”
He pushed us inside and shut the door, and I crossed the room in a flash, my arms folded over my chest as I stood on the opposite side of the room.
“I was wrong. Please let me explain—”
I shook my head. “No. You need to go to bed.”
“I am—in here, with you.”
I was so angry at him. So hurt, and he didn’t get to stand there and make jokes.
