One More Time

“I do, actually,” I said. “Now if you'll excuse me.”

“Well, who is she? Where did you meet her?”

“You said one question, mom, and I answered your question,” I said. “Now, I'm tired and I'd like to go to bed.”

I pushed off the bar and walked around her, heading for the door, feeling bad for keeping secrets from my mom, I turned and gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile.

“Don't worry, Mom. I'm on top

of it,” I said. “Once we have a baby on the way, you'll be the first to know.”

Her eyes softened, and she smiled at me. Her face lit up at the mention of a baby. She'd make an amazing grandmother, and I knew she was as excited about a grandchild as my father was – if not more so. I could see it in her eyes.

“Thank you, son,” she said. “That's all I ask of you. Please, don't let Adam take the company from you.”

“I won't. There's no way in hell I'm going to let that happen, Mom,” I said. “You can trust me on that.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

CASEY

My family – minus my dad – was sitting at the kitchen table when I got home that night. Dad was passed out on the couch, as usual, giving us all a little peace. There was food on the table – Spanish rice, black beans, and some tortillas. Mom had gotten paid, so there was a decent dinner tonight. Which was good, because I was starving.

Mom's eyes were heavy with exhaustion and there were large, dark bags beneath them. She worked two jobs, not getting many hours at either sometimes. But today, she'd worked a double and it showed on her face. Even still, she stood to greet me when I stepped into the kitchen, hugging me tightly.

“Casey, we didn't expect you home so early,” she said.

I hadn't told her about losing my job.

“Yeah, I'm actually off tonight,” I said. “Crazy, huh?”

“Then join us, mija,” mom said, motioning at the table. “There's plenty of food for you too.”

I gripped the paper bag in my hands tightly, the file tucked safely under my arm. I knew there'd be questions about what was in the bag, questions I wasn't ready to answer right now.

“I'm not hungry,” I lied. “But I'll grab a plate later, okay?”

Mom nodded. “Then join us and talk. It's rare we get to talk to one other these days. We always seem to miss each other.”

Sierra looked over at the paper bag. “What's that?” she asked.

“Just – personal items.”

“Like tampons?” she asked.

“Yes, like tampons,” I said, shooting her a look.

Nick covered his ears and groaned. “La la la la, I don't need to hear this.”

“Those must be some pretty big tampons to be in a bag that large.”

She was looking at Nick, taunting him instead of me. She stuck out her tongue at our brother, and he responded by throwing a napkin at her. Sierra tossed her handful of beans at him, which caused mom to intervene.

As mom was tending to the other two, I slipped away into the bathroom. Locking the door behind me, I opened up the paper bag.

The first thing I pulled out were the ovulation kits. I opened the packaging and started reading the directions, my head spinning as I tried to take it all in. There were directions for tracking your menstrual cycle that only added to my confusion, and I tried to think back to my last period. I counted the days and was in the middle of figuring out when I'd be able to start testing when a knock came at the door.

“I have to go pee, sis.” It was Sierra.