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“I’m sorry,” Shayla says as she bounces Grayson, cooing to him in between shooting me sympathetic glances.
“No, I’m sorry. I should have known better than to expect—well, anyway. I’ll get us out of here as soon as possible,” I say as I tap on the Uber app.
Thankfully, our babies drift off to sleep in their car seats quickly, and we have a silent hour-and-a-half drive from the airport to my parents’ house. Shayla looks worse for wear, though she tries to hide it with small smiles every time she catches me watching her. I can’t keep my eyes off her, even as mine are getting harder to keep open as the highway tries to lull me to sleep like it did our babies.
When we pull up in front of my parents’ imposing, two-story, red-brick Colonial, I have the urge to tap the driver on the shoulder, tell him to turn around, and take us back to the airport. I’d rather brave another hellish flight back to Texas than go in that house.
But Lainey is already stirring in her seat, and Shayla is out of the van with Grayson in tow while the driver thoughtfully helps me unload our luggage from the trunk. It takes a while to get everything out, as well as remove the car seats, which I’m a pro at now, and then haul it all to the front door.
I move Lainey to my hip and knock on the door. There are multiple cars parked in the driveway and up and down the street, and judging by the racket coming through the closed door, we’re about to walk into a circus. I knock harder, hoping someone will hear it over all the noise.
“You can’t just go in?” Shayla asks in surprise, then readjusts her white zip-up against the chilly air.
“No, not since I moved out.”
She makes a face, and I know what she’s thinking. It’s not like that at her house, where anybody is welcome to come and go whenever they want. But my family isn’t like that. Once Lauren and I moved out, we were told we were out for good.
Lainey perks up and giggles as she helps me knock by banging on the door with her little fist until someone finally opens it. That someone being my sixteen-year-old brother, Teddy, who takes one look at the four of us and yells, “Beanpole is here!” He takes off without a glance back, leaving the door half-open, and the obnoxious noise ratchets up a few decibels.
The noise and Teddy’s yelling startles Grayson, who had miraculously remained asleep after Shayla unbuckled him from his car seat. She moves him to her shoulder and rubs his back as she sways side to side. Her light brows pinch together when she looks past me and the entryway-turned-mudroom to the narrow hallway where Teddy disappeared, then back at me.
“Beanpole?”
“Yeah. Childhood nickname. One I’d hoped to grow out of, but…” I trail off as I push through the door and hold it open for her.
As soon as she steps inside, the din ratchets up even higher as Mom comes to the front, her loafers slapping the tiled floors, closely followed by Teddy and my other two siblings. As a group, they come to an abrupt halt, and Mom’s arms flail up with annoyance.
“Finally! Where have you been?” Mom yells as if she’s the one who has the right to be upset with me instead of the other way around.
I resist the immature urge to roll my eyes. “At the airport, waiting for you to pick us up.”
She rolls her eyes and says, “Don’t you start with me again. I told you I couldn’t make it.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose and inhale deeply, still trying my best to keep my cool with her. When I think of why we’re here in the first place, my frustration ebbs, and I drop my hand. I may have lost my dad, but she just lost her husband of thirty-five years, and I feel like shit for being angry with her.
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” I lean in to hug her, and she briefly returns the embrace before jerking back.
“Who is this?” Mom narrows her eyes and points at Lainey, who is blowing raspberries at the group. Mom’s eyes dart behind me, and she hisses, “And who is that holding my grandson? Come here.” She sidesteps me and pulls Grayson off of Shayla’s shoulder. “Who are you?”
Shayla’s eyes darken, her arms half reaching out like she wants to take Grayson back. “Hi, Mrs. Bartlett. I’m—”
“Holy shit. Beanpole finally got a girl. Never thought I’d see the day,” my other younger brother, Kyle, says and laughs like it’s the funniest, most absurd thing in the world.
“See, I told you! And she’s smoking hot. Don’t know what she’s doing with him, though,” says Teddy, like we’re not standing right in front of them.
My sister, Alice, snorts. “Money, probably.”
Chapter 10
Shayla
The three of them, who I assume are James’s siblings, snicker at the girl’s snarky reply. I’m struck by just how much they all resemble each other and take after their mother with their dark hair, light blue eyes, and slim frames, yet they seem to single James out for his looks for some reason.
The only major difference between them is that they, along with their mother, dress like walking, talking Ralph Lauren ads. I don’t think I’ve ever seen James wear a pair of khakis or a polo shirt in all the time I’ve known him.
I, for one, think James the most handsome of the bunch—and most importantly, the kindest—so they can kick rocks for all I care.
James’s mom levels me with a disapproving glare from behind her silver-frame glasses as if she can read my mind and knows that I’m put off by their behavior. I’m just as put off by her as well. I hate the way she just snatched Grayson out of my arms, and I want so badly to take him from her and never let go, but I know it’s not my place since she is his grandma, and I’m just his babysitter.
