Page 52 of Hearts of Fairlake

"Oh, come on!" she protested crossly, brow stitching together fiercely. "I raised you and arguably helped raiseBennett. My house was filled with boys, and I loved it. I don't care that she's the only girl."

"But," I began, catching onto what might be the real reason, "I do remember you being upset when we told you about the state of Amber's house and what her parents were like."

"Of course I was," she said with a huff. "Breaks my heart to think about, and I'm glad she's out of there and has you two as parents."

"Look," I said, stepping closer and touching her arm. That she let me, told me she wasn'tthatupset with us. "Neither of us is trying to get on your ass, give you shit, and we're not saying you're a bad grandma or babysitter. What we're saying is, we've noticed this in the past, and we needed to say something, not to chew you out, but so you can be aware of it."

"She needs order and discipline in her life just as much as extra love," Bennett said. "We can't let her get away with stuff just because she started off in a bad place."

"You said yourself that no one knows how much damage they already did to her in that first year and a half," my mother protested softly. "I don't want to make it worse."

"Not letting her do what she wants all the time isn't going to make it worse," I told her.

"She needs normal," Bennett added, coming up behind my mom to wrap his arms around her and give her a squeeze. "And we know damn well you don't want the other two to think she's the favorite. And trust me, kids pick up on shit like that. They may not say it, but I wouldn't be surprised if Colin hasn't already started thinking it."

"Language," my mother chided, but there was no heat behind her words. "I don't see it, though, I'll be honest."

Which was admittedly one step closer to solving the problem. “Well, keep an eye out if you can. We were guilty ofspoiling her a bit in the early months. I was the worst, actually, Bennett had to check me."

"And like mother, like son, he kept insisting he wasn't," Bennett said with a laugh.

"You have to keep in mind that she's a kid just like the other two...albeit with one hell of a temper," I said with a snort.

My mother winced. “She does have a bit of a temper on her, doesn't she?"

"She does."

"Well, I still don't see it, but I know you two wouldn't make this up. I'll keep an eye out, just to be sure," she said with a frown, sounding troubled.

"It's not a big deal, Mom."

"You certainly made it seem like one."

"That's because I'm cranky from everything on my plate, and honestly, I was expecting a fight from you," I admitted with a shrug. "Sorry about that."

At that, my mother gave me a wry smile, reaching up to pat my cheek. "Well, I can't blame you. I was coming off kind of hot. But I'm glad you told me...even if you're wrong."

I laughed. “Well, I don't expect you to admit when you're wrong, so I'm not surprised."

"Well, I would admit to being wrong if it had ever happened," she said with a chuckle, turning around to kiss Bennett on the cheek. "And thank you for being so patient with me."

"How could I not be?" he asked with a wide grin.

"Well, you have enough on your plate, and then we show up, telling you we've lost your son," she said with a wince. "It would be enough to try anyone's patience."

"Colin's a good kid with a pretty decent head on his shoulders," Bennett told her with a shrug. "If he was going togo anywhere, it would be straight to one of his parents, and that's generally Adam if he has a choice."

"True," she said and then heaved a deep breath. "In any case, we still have more errands to run today. I should go get them before Colin wanders off again. With three kids to mind, your father is likely to lose his head along with the kids."

I snorted. “Try not to have any more fun today."

"Trust me, I'll try," she said, kissing me. "You two behave. I'll make sure there's leftovers for you when you get back, and let Bri and Keith know there’ll be plenty for them if they don't want to spend time cooking."

"And that there is why Bri mourned losing you as a mother-in-law," I said with a laugh.

"She's still got me," my mother said with a wink. "She's like a daughter."

"Fair enough," Bennett added. "But I think it's safe to say that you upgraded as far as in-laws are concerned."

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