Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 71843 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71843 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
“I love the fact that looking at you and Dad from the outside, no one knows you guys are all about gender equality and rights for anyone and everyone you can think of. It’s crazy. Hannah and I had nothing to clash with you guys about. It’s been really boring.”
I snorted.
“What? I have all these kids in my classes who are all, my parents hate gays, my parents hate immigrants, my parents don’t want me to be pansexual or whatever. But whenever we talk about stuff in class, or out of class, I always have to say the same thing…my father only cares about cougars. No women older than me.”
“That’s exactly right,” I agreed, scowling at him.
“Do you have any idea how boring that is?”
“Well, you’re adopted, how about that for teen angst?”
He gave me a bored look.
“Adopted isn’t cause to be edgy?” Quick shake of his head before he opened the cabinet and pulled out the red pepper flakes. “Please go easy on that this time. The last time you made coleslaw, only you and your father could eat it.”
He waggled his eyebrows at me.
“I like coleslaw. Can you please keep it edible?”
“I’ll think on it.”
An hour later, I got a text from my husband that said for me to get the guest room ready. Another hour after that, I heard the car in the driveway, and Kola and I went out to help them carry things in.
“Tell me,” I prodded Sam as I looked at Hannah, who seemed sedate, and Lucy, who had puffy red eyes.
“Take it all up,” he told the kids, “and, Hannah, you need to help Lucy unpack, and then we’re gonna have dinner, because I’m starving to death and it smells amazing in here. After dinner, we’re going to discuss the rules of the house.”
Lucy was nodding. “You just let me know what those are, sir, and I will follow them to the letter, I swear.”
“I know you will,” he told her, and she had a false start before she took a breath, walked over to him, and wrapped her arms around his waist. A second later, she leaned and he patted her back. “We’ll Skype with your dad in a couple of hours.”
She nodded, clearly overwrought, and followed Kola as they walked toward the stairs.
“You go in my room, you’re dead,” my oldest explained. “You touch my Xbox or my PlayStation without asking me, you’re dead. There is cereal in the cupboard that is clearly marked as mine, don’t think I won’t know if….” He went on as they climbed the stairs, but I lost his voice as he went up.
Apparently, now that Lucy was staying and was no longer considered a guest, he felt it was time to explain his own, very serious, rules.
“Well?” I asked Sam, turning to face him.
“Yeah, so her mother doesn’t want her there. She’s got a new husband, new sons that like her a lot, and they’re all cozy and good, and then there’s Lucy.”
“Is the stepfather abusive?”
“He’s not cuddly, and when he found out that the older one hit Hannah, he immediately slapped his kid on the back of the head and took away his car for a month. He also appreciated us not pressing charges.”
I nodded.
“Lucy’s never seen him hit his kids to make them bleed, so no, I don’t think he’s abusive, just not tolerant.”
“Okay.”
“And his oldest, Seth, nearly pissed himself when he saw me.”
“Oh good, that’s what Hannah wanted.”
He chuckled.
“And Lucy? What’s happening?”
“Well, as it turns out, Mr. Benedetti has full custody of Lucy, because he and Lucy’s mom agreed that when he got back from his final tour, she should live full-time with him. What’s gonna suck for Hannah is that they’ll be moving to Portland.”
“That will suck, but it’s good that Lucy will have her dad back.”
“Agreed. So Mrs. Pittman got temporary custody of Lucy while her ex was deployed, but I had Miro meet me at the house, and he had her sign over that temporary custody to us.”
“Miro’s just walking around with those forms?”
“Well, yeah. He’s got it all on his tablet of doom since this is what he does, takes care of kids for the marshals service.”
“Oh that’s right, I forgot.”
“So now Lucy’s ours, her father signed off, and Miro has that in the file already, and tonight I wanna Skype with him so he can see us all and we can talk to him briefly, just the three of us. It was good talking to him on the phone, and he was very appreciative, but still, I want him to be really comfortable, even though he already knows this is the best short-term solution.”
“You just called him on the base where he is in Afghanistan.”
“Yeah.”
“And you can do that?”
“I’m the chief deputy. I can do whatever I want.”