After ✔

29

"I missed you guys." I sighed. "And Claire, I was joking."

Claire looks at me, then looks down at her stomach. "I have been eating a lot." She confesses.

"Or you could be pregnant." Rosie states.

Claire blinks at Rosie. "I could?!" She exclaims, like she wouldn't even consider the option on her own.

"Guys," I say, trying to focus their attention on something else. This could turn into a bloodbath, or end in tears. "I forgot to give you your presents yesterday."

"Oh yay, presents." Rosie claps her hands. "Makes up for the fact that you missed Christmas."

"I hope."

I get up from the bed and go over to the travel bag that's laying in the corner. There are a bunch of patterned bags, and I pick the one labelled Claire, Liam and Rosie.

I hand Rosie hers, and give Claire the two belonging to her and her boyfriend. "Here," I say.

"I don't care if I sound rude, I'm opening it right now."

Claire changes position so she's sitting cross-legged, and starts opening her bag.

"VALENCIA IT'S SO PRETTY!" She shrieks when she sees it. She holds it into the light so the necklace and the bracelet gleam even more.

"You got one thing right, her love for sparkles will never end." Says Rosie.

Claire tackles me in a hug which I'm happy to receive. "I'm glad you like it."

Rosie slowly slides off the bed. "Unlike you, I'm opening this," she rattles the bag. "At home. It's time we left anyways."

Claire nods and puts the things back in the bag. "Wanna meet us for coffee later?"

"Sure." I say. I wasn't sure what to do today. I could take Dani to visit all the places in town we've been before, but I could also go visit my mom, who I hadn't spoken to for what, a year. 

And I was dreading the latter. 

"We'll see you then." Downstairs, Rosie and Claire both give me a hug before they leave.

I shut the main door. "Hey," Evie smiles at me, climbing down the stairs. "Catching up?"

"Lots." I reply. I follow her to the kitchen, get a sandwhich from the friedge and put in the microwave. God knows how people could eat these things cold.

When it's done, I take a seat by the counter and watch Evie peel the potatoes. 

"I hope my friend isn't any trouble." I say to her. "Her son, Mason, tends to cry a lot sometimes." Wail was the more appropriate word, but while it was loud, it was rare. Mason was usually a happy baby.

"Not at all, it's nice to have kids in the house again." She rests her elbows on the table and looks like she wants to say something. She purses her lips when I glance at her expectantly. "Valencia, I know it's none of my business but are you planning on meeting your mother some time this week?"

A frown tugs on my face. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing like that, dear. It's just... your brother and her haven't been on good terms lately, and I was thinking of how happy she would be to see you."

I wasn't surprised, not the least bit. She and Cayden have been fighting ever since she got together with that boyfriend of hers. In fact, the term money leech was more appropriate. And as for the fact that seeing me would make her happy, I hardly doubted it. The last time I had seen her, we narrowly avoided getting into a brawl.