As Leith rummages through the fridge, Mia spouts off, “Are we eating cake for breakfast, Mommy? I think me want it more than Fruit Loops.”
“My gorgeous little niece should have the cake,” I reply. “We should all indulge on occasion unless we’re married.”
Chevelle points a finger. “Listen. If you want the damn cake, eat the cake, Anna Mae! But if the cake makes you fat—”
She’s half-joking with the Anna Mae reference, but Mia cuts in, “Mommy, Justice is fat.”
“Mia!” her parents say in unison. With a bottle of green machine smoothie in one hand, Leith yanks the girl over his opposite shoulder and heads out of the kitchen.
My hands lift in surrender. “That baby’s keeping it real.”
“On that note, time for a new subject, Justice.”
“I’ve lost it, haven’t I?” I groan.
“Not really. That’s a man’s main object. Leith made me lose my mind—bat-shit crazy.” Chevelle moans. “I have the antidote for that. It all depends on you.”
“What?” I finally take a bite of the plain, flaky cereal. “An online dating subscription?”
“Not that.” She shoves a hand through her long hair, gaze lowered before her eyes land on mine. “I’ve never visited my parents’ graves.”
Damn, she’d been nine years old then. I grimace. “Oh, my.”
“We’re leaving for Chicago. You should come. I can’t have Mia, ahem, there the first time. You’d be doing me a favor if you tagged along. Then we’re going to take Mia to Disney in Japan. You could swing by your parents in Boston. A nice trip, all on Leith’s frequent flyer miles. How does that sound? It would get you away from . . . cake.”
My head tilts in consideration of Chevelle’s generosity. I’ve never felt comfortable splurging on a plane ticket while sending money to Marcus, especially after my parents’ 401k was depleted. Over the years, we’d drive to each other, perhaps during a holiday. Throat tight, I ask, “Really?”
“Yup. As I said, you’re helping me watch Mia. I’ll probably drop by and see them on the last day. Someday, she’ll get the chance to meet her grandparents. I just don’t need Mia watching me break down or asking a million questions the first time, you know?”
“I understand.”
“That settles it then.” Chevelle smiles softly. “We can go to Chicago. Then you’ll spend some time with your fam, fasting certain sweets.”
I tilt my head up in down in agreement. “When are you leaving?”
“Tomorrow morning. I already found flights.”
“That’s last minute. How much—”
“Hey, I didn’t come at you with a till in hand.” Chevelle smirks. “Frequent flier miles, remember? You’ll be doing us a favor, keeping an eye on the tiny human. Then next week, I’m hitting the ground running, looking for pub locations. Your input would go a long way there too. But if you’d like to stay here, you have the keys. You’d have the house to yourself and all the trouble to get into.”
All the trouble in the world.I sigh, finally agreeing that I’d love to visit my parents. My entanglement with Brody MacKenzie is too new to forecast. One way or another, I’ll decipher if he’s a collision I should’ve avoided in the first place. I hope the answer doesn’t come too late.