EPILOGUE
MARIGOLD
Ten Years Later
“Why do I feel like I’m the one in trouble?” I peek over at my husband in the driver's seat. Over the years, Avery has faded to the background of the life he once led. We’d even done a move and name change after we found out I was pregnant.
Plus, with my father up and disappearing, it was time to move along. He might have vanished to the rest of the world, but I’m sure my husband knows exactly where he is. I’m guessing he’s now a pile of ash or six feet under. I never asked. I trusted Avery to do what he thought was necessary to keep us safe.
“Because you’re the one that taught her to have such sticky fingers?” Avery points out.
“Hey, maybe she punched someone. That would be on you,” I huff, folding my arms over my chest as we make the drive to school.
“They called about Rose, not Lily.”
“Fair point,” I mutter under my breath. Rose, our oldest, is the one that has picked up my little habit of collecting things. Where Lily is a bit more rough and tumble like her father. “We’re lucky we’re not getting called about both.”
“Rose must have been busted alone.” I fight a laugh because he’s right. If Rose stole something in front of Lily, she’d go down fighting to prove you wrong even if she knows her sister did in fact steal something.
It’s never anything big that she takes. She only wants to see if she can do it. I mean, how else does a girl hone her skills? As for throwing a punch, Avery has taught the girls how to defend themselves. The one time we did get called to the school because Lily punched a little boy was because he was bullying Rose.
“This school might need a new library,” I suggest as we pass through the gate to get into the private elementary school. We’ve dropped off the radar, but we will always have some form of security when it comes to our family.
A bark of laughter comes from my husband, making my insides warm. I love that sound and the fact that I can get it from him more than others.
“Should we call Calista?” I suggest when Avery parks the car out in front of the school. She’ll have this school shut down. Okay, probably not a great idea.
“She’s on bed rest,” Avery says before he exits the car.
“What?” I half-shout when he opens my door for me, offering me his hand. “The doctor put her on bed rest and no one told me?” I was texting with her last night, and she didn’t say anything about having to stay in bed. I shouldn’t be surprised in the least. She’s tough as nails and is probably annoyed at having to be there.
“Dr. Elliott put her on bedrest.”
I burst into laughter. “Of course he did.”
Watching Elliott and Calista is one of my all-time favorite things to do. He’d finally worn the woman down. She told me she’d wanted him for years but feared the thought of losing him. Calista lost a lot in her life and was all alone. A bit like me, but she’d pushed on to become a badass lawyer. When Elliott showed her that things were changing, she’d finally given in. They’ve been trying forever to get pregnant, and finally it happened. She’s due in a few weeks with twins. I bet it was a fight to get her to agree to stay in that bed.
“Let’s go see who’s in trouble and how we’re going to get them out of it,” Avery says as we walk hand in hand into the school. We head straight to the headmaster's office to see what the damage is.
“Mr. and Mrs. Borrow. It’s a pleasure to see you again. I’m sorry it’s under these circumstances but still a pleasure,” Stella, the headmaster’s secretary, says as we enter the office. “I’ll let her know you’re here.”
A few seconds later, the doors to Headmaster Rollins’ office swing open. I see Rose sitting in a chair, her arms folded over her chest. Her legs swing back and forth, not touching the ground. She looks every inch of me.
“Come in.” Dr. Rollins motions to us, closing the door behind us as we take a seat in the two other chairs. “There was an incident today. Frank Jr.’s cell phone has come up missing, and we’re still unable to find it.”
“No clue what this has to do with me, Mommy.” Rose turns her big brown eyes toward me.
“She keeps pleading the fifth.” Dr. Rollins’ lips form a straight line, and I know she’s fighting a smile.
“He doesn’t need a cell phone,” Rose suddenly blurts out.
“Are we talking about Frank Jr. as in Mr. Lou’s grandson?” I cut in as a knock sounds on the door.
“Frank, you have to wait,” I hear Stella say, but the knob turns, and Frank Jr. lets himself in.
“I told you I wasn’t going to take her phone number. You know I wouldn’t do that,” Frank declares.
“You don’t need a phone,” Rose repeats. Well, then.