Page 49 of Between the Stars

“Same thing I was doin’ the last time you asked, little girl.” I lift the glass of whiskey in my hand as I catch the last of the Cowboys game. Sev stands in the way of the television with a book in her hand. “Why do you guys still have your tree up?”

She stares at me and then shrugs. I don’t know why I’m asking this crazy clock. It’s not like she pays attention to anything that doesn’t involve casting a spell on someone. In fact, Kacy, Barron’s now girlfriend, got her a spell book for Christmas. From what I can tell, it’s a bunch of nonsense inside it with three-year-old scribbles, but she can make sense of it.

Are you still caught up on California being his girlfriend? Right. I guess I didn’t explain that one. Well, his ex-wife showed up while I was with Abbi, shit hit the fan and he’s now officially on his way to getting divorced. Is California hitting the side of Bishop Repair without the knowledge Barron owning it fate?

I don’t know if I believe in fate anymore. Because I would have bet fucking money Abbi coming back into town would have been my chance. Where is she now? Fuck if I know. I got a new phone the other day with a new number so I wouldn’t be tempted to call her. I meant it when I said I was done. I’m not doing this shit with her anymore.

Do you believe me?

I’m ignoring you if you said no.

“What are you writing in that book?”

She holds the pen up and then blinks again. “Spells.”

“About what?”

“Yous.”

I point to my chest, a chuckle working through me about the same time Sev drops the book and jumps at me. I catch her and attempt to hold her hands down but she grabs a handful of my hair. She’s like a tiny ninja. “Me?”

“Yes. I needs yous hair.”

“No you don’t.” I laugh and hold her against my chest.

She stops moving and then wiggles her way out of my arms to sit up, straddling me. Her bright blue eyes search mine. “Why’s I nots go with Sissy and Daddy?”

I smile and realize when I told her to stay out of the lotion earlier, she didn’t listen. It’s in her hair and up her nose. “I can’t imagine why anybody wouldn’t want to spend every day with you.”

“Why don’t theys fix dat house?” she asks, changing the subject on me. She’s good at that.

I run my hands over her face, holding her adorable cheeks in my palms and swipe a blob of lotion off her nose with my thumb. “What house?”

The television flickers behind her and I realize I missed a touchdown being scored. “The one dat has the holes in it?”

“What are you talking about?” She’s lost me. Do you know?

“The song.” She sighs, as if having to explain herself isn’t in the cards for tonight. “That goes ‘There’s some holes in the house, there’s some holes in the house.’” She brings her hand up in the air dramatically. “Fix’d the damn house already.”

“Oh.” I laugh realizing she’s talking about a Cardi B song. “Where’d you hear that?”

She shrugs, still staring at me.

I lean back against the couch, sighing, my thoughts on Abbi again. It’s like they’ve never left. “What am I going to do?”

“’Bout what? Ain’t ya got some sense?”

These kids are too much like Barron. “Am I going to let her marry him and come back here when she needs me?”

Sev quirks an eyebrow at me, and this look reminds me of Tara, her mother who left her with Barron when she was only three weeks old. “Who’s yous talks ’bout?”

I could never imagine leaving my kid, especially this kid who has so much damn character in her. “Nobody.”

“Oh, wait.” Her eyes light up and she climbs off me, runs into the kitchen and rips a piece of paper off the fridge. Running back over to me, she shoves a white piece of paper into my face. “I draw’d dis for you.”

I look down at the drawing. All I see is a bunch of black, red, and purple. I turn it sideways and squint, trying to make sense of it. “What is it?”

“Yous boobies.” And then she smiles. “I gotta go.”

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