Page 3 of Until Nalia
“Hey?” he greets as we pass each other, and I mumble something I can’t even make out. I feel like an idiot for being tongue-tied and an even bigger idiot when he grins. Red-faced and embarrassed, I hurry down the rest of the stairs and exit the building.
As I’m getting back in my Bronco my phone in my pocket buzzes. I pull it out expecting it to be either Talon or Bax asking me about something for work, but instead, it’s my mom asking how drop off went. I message her back that it was good then send her one of the pictures I took of Zuri this morning, and she sends me back a smiling heart eyed emoji.
I was scared to death moving home to Tennessee, and I wasn’t sure that it was the right thing to do for me or for Zuri after her mom went to prison. I was worried about how she would take to my family since she had never had any kind of relationship with any of them. I was worried about how she would feel being so far from her mom and not being able to visit, even just to see her through glass. Even though she hated going, getting physically ill each time we went. I was worried about a million different things, some of which I’m still worried about. But since the moment we arrived, I’ve been reminded almost daily why it was the right move for us.
If we had stayed in Colorado, we would not have the support we do now, and I would be struggling with work and the responsibility of taking care of her on my own because there was no one that I could count on to help me out if I needed it. Sure, I had friends, but they all had lives, and I couldn’t ask them to drop what they were doing at a moment’s notice if I needed help. And my job was cushy, but not so cushy that my boss would be okay with me working from home if I needed to or coming in late so I could get Zuri to school every day.
Still, there are some days that I feel like a failure or like I’m taking advantage of the people who care about me. Then again, most of my life I’ve felt as if I haven’t earned the love or the second chance I got, and that I’m always letting someone down.
Two
LOGAN
Pouring myself a cup of coffee, I pull my cell from my ear and listen for the sounds of Billie and Cooper up and moving around, getting ready for school. Instead, I hear Cooper talking to someone on what sounds like his game system, and Billie’s alarm beeping.
“Fuck me.” Pressing end on the call to my shop voicemail, I toss my phone down on top of the island. With Dozer, our family’s bulldog, following behind me I walk through the living room then take the stairs two at a time to the second floor.
Bypassing the TV and guest room, I knock on Billie’s door and push it open, flipping on the light.
“Oh my god,” she cries, yanking the blanket over her head.
“Girl, you better get your ass up and out of bed.”
“I’m sick.”
“You’re not sick.”
“No, I’m like really sick, Dad,” she whines, and I draw in a breath, seeking patience.
“Alright, what’s wrong?”
“I don’t feel good.”
“Come downstairs, eat something, and we’ll talk again after that.”
“Dad.”
“Billie, it’s the second week of school, you miss days now, and when you’re really sick, you won’t be able to get an excused absence.”
“Fine.” She tosses back the blanket with the attitude she’s perfected over the last sixteen years of her life. “But if I puke all over the kitchen, I’m not cleaning it up.”
“When have you ever cleaned up after yourself when you’ve been sick?” She doesn’t answer because that has never happened. “I’ll see you downstairs. You want some toast?”
“I’ll make something,” she mutters, and I step away from her door but leave it open. Going down the hall to Cooper’s bedroom, I push the door in and press my lips together. With his VR headset covering his face, he doesn’t even notice me standing in his doorway.
“Coop,” I clip, and he jumps three feet off the ground and takes the headset off with his eyes wide. “Dude, you know the rules: no video games before school and none after unless your homework is done.”
“They did an update on…”
“I don’t care,” I cut him off. “Get dressed, brush your teeth, and come down to eat.”
“Okay,” he agrees with his shoulders slumped.
Leaving him to it, I head back to the stairs, and Dozer meets me at the bottom step with his tail wagging. He’s never been able to navigate the stairs, and the few times he’s tried, he’s ended up rolling down them. Then again, he’s built like a sausage, and regardless of our monitoring his treats and food, he can’t seem to shake the extra weight he’s gained.
“Come on, let’s get you fed.” I walk into the kitchen and fill his bowl with food then refill his water. As I’m taking a sip of coffee, Cooper comes into the kitchen in shorts, a tee, tall socks with his slides on his feet. I don’t mention his choice of outfit, I learned with his sister to keep my mouth shut and my opinions to myself.
“Is Billie coming?”
