Praying Razor wasn’t in the main room or the kitchen, Ava slowly climbed the stairs, keeping her eyes downcast, just in case.
As she came to the landing between floors, she heard what sounded like peels of laughter. She looked up, and two little girls, both blonde and blue-eyed, were standing at the top of the stairs, staring at her.
“Hi,” she said, taking her earbuds out.
“Who are you?” one of the girls asked.
Ava couldn’t speak. It was like she was looking at a living, three-dimensional photo of her and Aine when they were little.
“Are you twins?” she managed to eek out, but the two little girls were already racing back to whatever had them captivated before they saw a strange woman coming upstairs.
“Hi,” said a woman who looked so much like Tabon, she had to be his sister. “I’m Saylor, and those two towheads are my girls, Savannah and Sierra.”
“Hi,” said Ava, shaking the woman’s outstretched hand. “I’m Ava.”
She looked beyond the woman, and saw Tabon sitting on the floor, letting the two little girls, who couldn’t be more than five, climb all over him.
“Are they twins?” she asked again.
“No. Savannah is just tall for her age. They’re actually a year apart, like Razor and I are.”
“Oh. You call him Razor?”
The woman laughed. “Pity the person who dares call him Tabon.”
“Ava calls me Tabon,” he said, walking over and standing next to his sister. “Unless she’s mad at me.”
It wasn’t that she was mad at him; she hated him. Didn’t she? God, he’d infuriated her, and yet, here she was, wishing he’d take her in his arms again.
“Hey, girls, it’s time for us to go and leave Uncle Razor alone for a bit.”
“Please don’t leave on my account,” said Ava. “I was just about to take a shower.”
“I don’t want to go,” whined one of the girls, Ava wasn’t sure if she was Savannah or Sierra. “I wanna stay with Uncle Razor and Aunt Ava,” she said, coming up and putting her teeny hand in hers.
“I’m so sorry,” said Saylor, trying to get the little girl to let go. “Come on, Sierra. Remember that I promised to take you to see Ya-Ya after we saw Uncle Razor?”
“I don’t want to go see Ya-Ya,” said the other little girl. “I want to stay here.” She proceeded to join her sister, holding Ava’s other hand with both of hers.
“Who’s Ya-Ya?” Ava asked, kneeling down so she was on their level.
“She’s the girls’ grandmother. Our mom,” Saylor said, looking back at Tabon. “She wasn’t quite ready to be called Grandma.”
“My mother would never be ready to be called Grandma either. She doesn’t even let us call her Mom.”
Saylor laughed. “What’s her replacement name?”
“Peggy,” Ava deadpanned.
“Who wants to play frisbee on the beach?” asked Tabon.
Both little girls cheered, but neither let go of Ava’s hands.
“I’m sorry,” he mouthed.
Ava could barely look at him. Not because she was still mad, but because he’d changed into workout clothes just like the ones he’d worn when they went for their run in Cambria. The same clothes she’d stripped off his sweaty body before he did the same and brought her to orgasm after orgasm.
She closed her eyes, remembering his words from earlier.