“Hello,” I answer my phone without looking, pressing a cookie cutter into Piper’s sandwich for something different and exciting.
“Okay, what have you done with my little sister? You answered on the first ring,” Luke says on the other end of the line.
“Har, har, har. You think you’re so funny. Is there a point to this call, or are you calling to bust my chops?” That’s something new for me as well, keeping my phone closer to me, especially after Forest told me about Krissy. I wasn’t an idiot. Abuse can work both ways, not that he told me every single thing she did or was capable of doing. Men and women both can be abused. A restraining or protective order is just a sheet of paper until the cops can get to you, and I refuse for the Hughes family to become a statistic.
“A little bit of both. You have time to come to mom’s this weekend? Peyton and I have some news we want to share.”
“You don’t have to make me wait. I’m not an idiot, you know. Peyton’s pregnant again?” I’m bouncing back and forth on my feet, excited to have another niece or nephew.
“Yes. Take it to your grave. Peyton wants this to be a surprise.” Luke takes a deep breath. “She doesn’t realize everyone will probably know the second we walk through the door.” My sister-in-law literally glows during pregnancy. She’s pretty on a normal day, but give her a healthy dose of baby hormones, and holy shit.
“Your secret is safe with me. And tell me the details.” I finish packing up Piper’s lunch, grabbing three to-go refillable waters. No doubt both girls will have guzzled theirs down throughout the day.
“You know it. Bring that man of yours and the girls. Love you, sis.” Luke acting like a teddy bear makes me want to ooh and ahh.
“I will. Love you.” We hang up, then I’m out the door to spend the rest of my day with two of my favorite little humans.
TWENTY-SEVEN
Forest
I’m sitting at my desk going over a set of plans, trying to get this taken care of. Mondays always fucking suck, and today is no different. The minute I hit the office, I was hit with the occupants on the third floor breaking their lease because they couldn’t afford rent and were in the process of filing bankruptcy. Inconvenient for me, not horrible. Out of the five floors we have in the building, Hughes Engineering dominates the fourth and fifth floor. The first floor is a reception area as well as where we keep the employee lounge. The second and third, we rent out to other businesses. It was a smart move in the building I invested in; it’s also paid off from the rental capital alone. That was the beginning of being pulled in every different direction. A junior associate was having an issue that his lead couldn’t help him out with, so I did the honors. Once I saw what the problem was, it was nothing a few calculations and reconfiguring couldn’t take care of, and the associate was thankful, making it an added bonus. Then it was issues of my own, having been working on a few clients who requested my services by name. They’re also the neediest motherfuckers known to man and why I’ve had to travel more than I wanted. It helped to have Bailey, trusting her with the girls completely, not having to depend on my family, knowing that the woman I loved, loved my kids more than their own mother did.
My phone vibrating across my desk has me grumbling until I see Bailey’s name flash across the screen. “Hey, just what I need during this hellish day.” She never calls. The majority of the time, I’m shocked she even has the electronic device on her.
“Hey, Forest.” I can hear the distress in her tone like there’s an issue, only there shouldn’t be. The clock tells me it’s mid-afternoon. Piper and Cammy are out of school, and Bailey lets me know her plans, so I’m assuming they’re on their way home.
“What’s wrong, baby?” I stand up, pushing my chair back hard enough to hit the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. I move away from my desk, thinking the worst. Did the girls misbehave at school? Are they driving Bailey mad with their abundant energy, talking a mile a minute? Or is there something serious? One where Bailey’s family member is hurt and she’s calling needing me to be there for her. Except I’m a fucking good forty minutes away because traffic in this area is Godawful.
“Well, Piper and I went to the park like I told you we were to wait on Cammy since school is being let out earlier this week. Make it make sense when there’s no testing for her grade level. You spend all that money at a private school, and they make their own rules. Ridiculous.” Bailey is rambling, which means it must not be too bad of a situation. It still doesn’t settle my nerves, though.