Page 15 of Finding Us
“Hey, Jaz,” Brooke says, greeting me by the front door, CJ at her side. He’s grown so much too and is starting big school in a few weeks. I can’t believe how much he looks like Logan. Those mesmerising green eyes of his are going to get him in a lot of trouble with the ladies when he’s older. “It’s so good to see you.”
“Same,” I reply, giving her a one-arm hug and stroking my hand over CJ’s hair with the other. “Hi, CJ.”
“Hi, Aunty Jaz,” he says in a cute, soft voice, before bowing his head. He’s a lot more reserved than his big sister.
“I can’t believe how big the kids have gotten.”
“Time goes fast. You were only twelve when we first met … look at you now, you are all grown up. I can’t believe you’re almost twenty-one.”
“Yeah, it seems like a lifetime ago.”
When I glance down at my feet, Brooke reaches out to rub my back. I no longer flinch when she touches me, which in itself is huge. My life is so different and I’ve come a long way since then, but there’s still a huge part of me that’s held captive to my past.
“Come in.” Brooke steps to the side so I can enter.
“Mummy made cupcakes,” Angel says, smiling up at me again.
“They’ve been busting for you to arrive so they can have one,” Brooke adds.
When I enter their home, my eyes gravitate to the grand staircase that sits in the centre of the foyer. The house is three stories high, and the kids have their own wing on the second floor. Although I’ve been here before, my eyes are still everywhere as we walk towards the back of the house, where the expansive kitchen is situated. The view from here is no less spectacular. The penthouse they once lived in was situated in the heart of the city, with the iconic Harbour Bridge and the Opera House practically on their doorstep. You can still see them in the distance, but they now live across the bridge, on the northern side of the harbour.
The moment Brooke places the cupcake stand in the centre of the table, the kids both reach for one. “Angel,” CJ whines, “I wanted that one.”
“There’s a dozen cakes and they’re exactly the same,” Brooke says, and from the corner of my eye, I see Angel poke out her tongue at her little brother.
“Mummy, Angel poked her tongue out at me.” When I look over at CJ, I see his little bottom lip quivering and curled over into a pout. It tugs at my heart.
“Angel Maree Cavanagh,” Brooke chastises. “Don’t be mean to your brother.”
“You hurt my heart, sissy,” he says as his big green eyes fill with tears. It has me clutching my chest … if he gave me a look like that, I’m pretty sure I’d hand over a vital organ if he needed one.
“If you two are going to fight over the cupcakes then you can go without.”
Angel leans her body closer to mine and whispers, “Daddy says Mummy is a cupcake Nazi.” I have to roll my lips to hide my smile.
When Angel’s eyes move to her brother and she sees he’s about to cry, she sighs in defeat. That little sad face would have anyone caving. “Here, CJ, you can have this one then.”
CJ’s pout is immediately replaced with a smile.
“Go out on the back deck and eat them,” Brooke says. “And keep an eye on your brother, don’t let him go near the water.”
“Okay, Mummy.”
Brooke rolls her eyes as she places a mug of coffee down in front of me. “Have kids they say … they’ll enrich your life they say.” I laugh at her comment because I know she adores her kids; she’s a great mum. “Ignore me, it’s been a long month; I’ll be glad when school starts back.”
“Is CJ excited to be starting kindergarten?”
She lifts one shoulder. “He says he is, but I’m pretty sure there’ll be a lot of tears on his first day, and not just from me … he isn’t as strong willed as his sister. He has a soft heart like his daddy.”
“He is so sweet. His little face when Angel took the cupcake he wanted … and when he said,‘You hurt my heart, sissy’.”
“I know right,” Brooke says with a laugh. “God help the female population when he gets older … they’ll be like putty in his hands.”
“Right.”
She takes a seat at the table. “Anyway, what’s with this big move of yours?”
“Connor offered, so I accepted. Our parents are talking about travelling, so it made sense.”
