Page 100 of Cup of Lies

LuLu’s parents come out to greet their daughter. They’ve spoken to her on the phone every day while we were in Canada. While we were waiting for Theo to get discharged, they made good use of their time.

They’re relocating to Oklahoma.

Apparently, it’s where LuLu feels safest and they want what’s best for her. They’ll go back to California in a few days to pack up and put their house on the market. LuLu is going to stay with us for the time being.

I can smell barbecue, which makes my stomach grumble. We’ve been living off fast-food for a while now and I’m eager for Bermuda’s superb cooking.

I’m in a daze as we unload the vehicles and put our luggage away. Being trapped in the car for so long, I’m happy to beoutside and park my ass in a lawn chair near the firepit. Romy, with Nova latched on her tit, sits beside me. We can hear Katilyn’s screams of joy from the pool area. Nees is like a kid himself and never tires of throwing her ass in the pool.

I reach over and take Romy’s free hand. “Glad to be back.”

“Feels like home.”

It does to me since I grew up out here. I’ve been worried if she would think so.

“Yeah?”

She laughs. “I have real friends now. Plus, LuLu is going to live here.”

“You want to make this our place too?”

“Absolutely.”

“Guess we better start looking for a house.”

She pulls her hand out of mine to fish her phone out of her pocket. “Two steps ahead of you. Those nighttime feedings can get boring. I’ve been house hunting.”

I look at the listing she’s pulled up. It’s a nice property on Lake Keystone. The home itself isn’t ostentatious, but it’s a nice size for a growing family. It also has a pool.

“There’s a pool house, but we can convert it to a mother-in-law suite. It’s perfect for Eva.” She grins at me. “What do you think?”

It’s not cheap, but we’re not exactly poor.

Between the two of us, we can afford to finally get what we want.

“You gonna marry me first?”

She laughs. “Been waiting and waiting and waiting.”

I lean over and steal a kiss from her. “The wait is over, love.”

Nova finishes nursing and we trade. Romy takes the phone and I take the baby. While I burp her, Romy flips through the pictures, showing me impressive features of the house.

“Best part is, we’re right down the road from Copper,” she explains. “It would be awesome to be close to Stormy.”

The excitement in her voice is catching.

I’m ready to build a new life for us, one we both have a part in constructing. No more lies, no more trickery, no more mindfucks.

Nova passes out on my shoulder. I motion for Romy to come sit in my lap. She happily obliges, nuzzling against the side of my neck.

“You ever think this could all be a hallucination? Like maybe we’re still in that lab, our minds being poked and prodded?”

“This is real, Caius. We’re real.”

I close my eyes and then pop them back open. I’m still here, the warm September air tickling the hair on my arms. Romy’s sweet scent mixed with our baby’s smell floods my nostrils. There’s nothing artificial or phony about this moment.

“You going to go back to college now that life is settling?” I ask, mind wondering at what our future looks like.

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