Page 45 of Balance

I smile and listen, sneaking glances over at Lillian who is watching me with darkening eyes and nibbling on her bottom lip.

Marie snorts and stands, holding out her empty arm for her other baby and steps over to me. “Hope you guys had a quiet trip home. Good to see you.” I nod and bend down to hug her and stare down at the babies.

“Holy shit, look at how big they’re getting!”

Marie chuckles and kisses their heads. “They’re going to sleep so well tonight.” She stands up on her tip toes and clears her throat and whispers in my ear. “She’s a keeper, Morgan. Don’t fuck it up,” she nods to the girls and heads down the hall, Lillian and the girls following to show them out and talk about their next ‘play date’.

I don’t see Mackenzie anywhere, so hopefully that went well today, that she opened up to Marie.

The girls run past me and head straight to the TV area and Avery and Nessa argue over what to put on. Lillian stops beside me, leaning her head on my arm and blows out a slow breath. “They haven’t napped yet. Want to sit with them for a few minutes before I break the bad news?”

I chuckle and wrap my arms around her, breathing in the scent of her citrus shampoo and kissing her forehead. “Of course.” I step away and sit down beside Avery, pulling Tilly up onto my lap. All of their hair is French braided. There’s grass stains and dirt on their clothes from the park, but they still look so much more put together than I could ever do for them.

I let them watch the show for about fifteen minutes before I announce it’s time for naps and only Avery groans. I chuckle and Lillian takes the younger two while I follow Avery to her room. “You can do your journaling or reading, but I think some quiet time will be good.”

She huffs and sits down on her bed, grabbing her journal from her nightstand. “Fine. When can I have a TV in here?”

I frown and shrug. “How about for Christmas? That’s coming up sooner than your birthday.”

She smiles and lays down on her bed, flipping through the pink pages. “Thanks, dad. Are grandma and grandpa coming for Christmas this year?”

“They actually might be coming for Thanksgiving instead, just waiting to hear back with confirmation. Just a few weeks away.”

“Cool. See you later.”

I blink at her and leave the room, closing the door softly behind me. I head across to Tilly and Nessa’s room, listening to Lillian sing to them. I imagine she’s rocking them both in the rocking chair, the same chair I rocked Avery in when she was a baby, then Nessa, and then Tilly. I can’t believe how damn fast time flies.

I lean up against the wall as I wait and close my eyes, just basking in the silence.

Lillian steps out and kisses my cheek as she passes me, heading to the living room. I follow after her like a lost puppy, watching her ass sway in her tight jeans. She’s wearing a tight white t-shirt and her feet are bare, and her toes are painted a dark purple that stands out against her pale skin.

She collapses down on the couch and sighs. “How were the away games?”

I sit beside her and pull her into my side, wrapping my right arm around her, holding onto her hip. I dig my fingers into her soft flesh and smirk as she begins to squirm.

“Same old. We lost the first game but did well for the second. How were the girls? I’m… sorry about being silent. I had a lot to think about and work through.”

She hums and relaxes into me. “The girls were fine. And it’s fine. Are you going to tell them about their mom?”

I tense and blow out a slow breath. “Not unless they ask. Avery… She’s old enough to know what’s going on. For the first three months after Brittany left she just raged. She said she doesn’t want mom to come back since Brittany doesn’t love them. All they needed was me… But then you came,” I kiss her head. “They’re so content and calmer, so different from when Brittany first left.”

“And you’re around a lot more. They know that they’re your world, Morgan. Don’t give me the credit when it’s been all you. You’re putting them first. You’re here as much as you can be. You pay attention to them, listen to them. You don’t just hand them off to me and head out to bars or bring a million women into the home.”

I nod. “Yeah… I guess. Speaking of handing them off to you, why don’t you take this weekend off? I have games on Thursday and Friday night and I think the guys will be coming over for the cookout Saturday afternoon. Go do something for yourself on Saturday morning and then all day Sunday. Maybe Mackenzie will be ready by then?”

She frowns and glances up at my face and nods. “Okay… Maybe. I can also look up some jobs for her when she’s ready,” she sighs and closes her eyes. “Mackenzie told me after we got back from the park that she’s ready to talk. I told her that I would be spending time with you tonight, but tomorrow I’m all hers during nap time or after the girls go to sleep.”

“What do you think happened?”

Lillian shakes her head and she rubs a hand down her face. “She was a dancer in one of the clubs on the strip… I… I have an idea, obviously someone beat the shit out of her, I just hope no one… touched her, you know?”

I grunt and pull her closer into me. “Same. But I’m glad she has a friend like you. Have you talked to her about Betty?”

“No. Hell no. I will once she tells me everything. I want her to heal, not throw my problems in her face. I did read through the documents, though. I called Andy a few days ago and he said that he can meet with me this week to go over what he thinks will be happening and what he can do to help. I have no idea when the funeral is, but he mentioned getting in touch with Betty’s lawyers and learning what’s in the Will just to be sure. So we have all of the facts. I want to sue the shit out of her kids. Not for me, but for her.

“For years she was all alone in that place. Everything was taken away from her. Me. Her phone. Her possessions. They sold her house and her cars right under her. Who knows if she even really had Alzheimer’s.”

I press my lips together and feel like burrowing her into me. I feel so fucking awful that she’s been through so damn much. “Hopefully Andy will have all of the information when you see him next week. Are you going to him?”

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