Page 15 of If You Were Mine (After We Fall 3)
One more reason for me to go it alone in life.
The front door opened and my sister-in-law appeared with crying toddler Peyton on her hip. Josie looked awful—skin sallow, dark circles under her eyes, thin dark hair escaping the ponytail on the top of her head.
Claire’s thick, honey-colored waves popped into my head. I wondered if they were as soft as they’d looked yesterday. Jesus, will you stop thinking about her? You’ve already jerked off to her twice and it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since you met. What’s with you?
“Hi,” Josie said wearily. “Come on in.”
I scooped up the bags at my feet and went inside. The house was basically a box, with a front room and kitchen on one side, two bedrooms and a bathroom on the other. I noticed they didn’t have a Christmas tree as I headed for the kitchen.
“What’s wrong with Peyton?” I asked, setting the bags on the cluttered table. Broken crayons and tattered coloring books littered its surface, and I made a mental note to get them some new ones.
“It’s her ears.” Josie sounded as tired as she looked. “The doctor said the antibiotics should kick in soon, but in the meantime I’m out of Tylenol.”
“I’ll go get you some.” I pulled milk and apples and cheese from one bag. “Just let me get the stuff that needs to be refrigerated put away.”
“You do too much already,” Josie said, peeking in the bags. “I can’t believe all this food. Let me pay you back.”
“Not a chance.”
Ava and Hailey scooted into the room and threw themselves at my legs, wrapping their little arms around me. I shut the fridge, leaned down, and scooped them up, setting one on each arm. “Hey! How’s Snow White and Cinderella?” I asked, planting a kiss on their foreheads. “Are we going to have another tea party?”
“Yes!” Ava shouted. “But I want to be Sleeping Beauty this time.”
“Deal.” I looked at Hailey, noticing she wore a fuzzy pink sweater sort of like Claire had worn yesterday. “You gonna make me eat the poison apple again?”
She giggled. “Yes!”
I heaved an exaggerated sigh as I set them down. “Fine. I’m gonna run an errand for your mom real quick, but when I get back, we’ll play. OK?” They nodded and hopped back up onto chairs at the kitchen table to resume coloring.
“Have you heard from him?” Josie asked me over the sound of Peyton’s weeping. The hope in her voice made my throat get tight. No matter what he did, she loved him and wouldn’t hear of splitting up. She had family in Ohio, an aunt and some cousins, and I sometimes suggested she take the kids and go there so she’d have more support, but she refused to leave. I didn’t get it.
“No.” I focused on putting groceries away, biting back the angry words I wanted to say. Josie didn’t need to hear me cuss out my brother. It wouldn’t feel good and wouldn’t help. “I take it you haven’t either?”
“Not in a couple weeks. Just that envelope last Tuesday, but it wasn’t much. I hope he’s OK.”
I shut the fridge and straightened up, turning to her. “He should be here, Josie. Taking care of his family. Making sure you’re OK.”
“He’ll come back,” she said, and I could tell she believed it. “He always does.”
“Have you given any more thought to Ohio?”
“No.” Her mouth was a stubborn line.
“But—”
“No. When you love someone, you don’t leave.”
&nbs
p; “He did.”
Her eyes defied me. “He’s never been taught that lesson.”
“Aren’t you angry with him?”
“Of course I am.” She kissed the top of Peyton’s head. “But he’s suffering, Theo. I know he is. And he’s too ashamed to come home.”
“He should be ashamed.” I was angry and wanted to shout, but I said it quietly so the two older girls wouldn’t hear. “This is not the kind of father he wanted to be.”
