“Oh great, now he’s really going to see my brand of crazy. You know what, it doesn’t matter. I’m going to pack. If Creed is going to be able to handle me, then I suppose he’ll see just who I really am.” I fold up the ladder, grab my two suitcases, and head towards my room.
When a woman finds the man she loves, surely her man knows she’s not willing to walk away. I’m in my bedroom, throwing shit in the now open suitcases, mumbling under my breath, ignoring the heavy stares that I can feel are coming from my parents. It doesn’t stop me from throwing my clothes inside the luggage even when I hear the front door open then slam shut.
“Laney poo, oh Laney poo,” I hear Rhett sing-song through the house. Apparently, this will be a family affair.
“Go away, Rhett, I’m busy!” My voice echoes off the walls in my bedroom, carrying throughout the house. Mom would get so upset with the way he slammed doors and how I would holler the house down when we were younger. She’d threaten to make us do more chores if we weren’t nice to one another. One time it got so bad, she made us sit knee to knee in a chair until we would stop glaring at one another. Granted, I was seven to his seventeen years of age. Momma wouldn’t have her children acting like fools though, and that was the price to pay along with hugging it out. Needless to say, we didn’t last long in that position. We’d start talking about Momma, each of us making fun of how she’s looked while threatening us. That got us in more trouble, but at the end, we were all laughing.
“Too damn bad, baby sister. I think you’re going to want to get your tail down here.” Brothers are so annoying. I zip my bags, not even knowing what’s inside them, but my give a damn is busted.
“Fine, I’m coming, but you can hold your horses. I’ll get there when I get there,” I lament.
“Oh, honey, make sure you remember to hold yourself in check. Ugly crying isn’t a pretty look.” Her arms loop around my shoulders. Most girls are daddy’s girls, and that can be the case, but for the most part, I’ve always been closer to Momma.
“And that’s why I don’t wear makeup. There’s no need to look like a raccoon when tears are streaming down your face.” My chin is on her shoulder. Dad winks at me. Thank goodness we had the forethought to put a chair lift in now that he’s using a wheelchair, because I can see the glint in his eyes that he’ll be heading downstairs to see what’s got Rhett in a tizzy.
“Love you, baby girl. Even though you’re old enough to go your own way, know that I’m always here, and so is your daddy.” She kisses my cheek.
“I love you too, and I know that.” I step away from her, grabbing the handles and making my way down to figure out where the hell the fire seems to be at. More than likely, it’s up Rhett’s ass.
Fifteen
Creed
“You’re going to have your hands full with her, but it’s about damn time you stopped fighting the pull you two have.” That’s how I’m greeted as I walk up the front steps to the Spencers’ place. I make a mental note now that Mr. Spencer is doing better to see about building a ramp for him, instead of waiting on someone to help him down those steps. That’s got to piss him off.
“Thanks, fucked up with her before. Not going to now. You know why she’s got her bees in a bonnet?” I ask as we shake hands.
“Nope, but from what I heard, the theatrics are top notch.” We walk inside. I’m ready to walk up the steps, but Rhett holds me back and yells for Laney to come down. We shoot the shit for a few minutes. My head turns when I hear the whirr of the machine that lifts Mr. Spencer from the upstairs to downstairs. He has some use of one hand now that they’ve been working with him tirelessly. His speech is back to normal, even if his jaw has a slight slack to it that he didn’t have before.
“Leave your sister alone. In fact, help an old man to the back porch. It’s about time I look and see what’s happening with the outside world.” I know for a fact that he may not have been one hundred percent, but he damn well knew everything that was going on.
“You got it, Pops.” The two of them leave. I hear the thumping of wheels hit the stairs, and my eyes lock in on the beauty before me.
“Sugar, are you leaving?” I ask before she makes it to the downstairs landing.