He stands in the doorway, watching us with a faint smile.
"I’m coming!" I call back, turning around, only to feel Snow grab my hand.
He lifts his drawing again, pointing at something above the baby’s head. It looks strange, like a black smudge.
"What’s that? A bat?" I ask.
"Looks like a fallen angel," mutters River. "With his wings broken."
Snow glances at him and nods firmly.
Then darts back to the table, grabs another drawing, and runs it over to me. This one shows a flipped-over car with two figures lying next to it. The drawing is crude, made of wobbly lines, but one of the figures has red hair and the other blond. They look small, more like children than adults, with their little legs sticking up.
"What’s this, sweetheart?" I ask gently.
Snow doesn’t answer. He just tilts his head and stares at me.
"Why do you draw such awful things?" River snaps, snatching the picture from him. "Do you always have to be so weird and creepy?" he shouts, throwing the paper on the floor.
Snow lets out a high-pitched sound and shoves River.
"Oh no, here comes a fight!" Winter shouts, jumping off his chair to join in.
"Snow, you can’t hit your brother. And River, don’t take his drawings, that wasn’t nice," I begin, but Aiden lays a hand on my shoulder.
"Lake, we really have to go."
I let out a huff. "All right, kids, behave yourselves and don’t drive Uncle Vren crazy, okay?"
River’s eyes are shiny with tears. "Why do you always defend him? His drawings are stupid! He’s been drawing skeletons and dead people lately!"
"We’ll talk about it when I get back," I say, forcibly keeping my voice calm.
Vren steps closer and crouches beside Snow. "Hey, come on, buddy. Let’s draw something nice, maybe flowers or a sun, yeah?"
But Snow turns and clings tightly to my leg. I stroke his bristling blond hair. "I’ll be back in two hours, sweetheart."
He shakes his head hard.
"I have to go, or I won’t reach the car," I say with a small smile, but he keeps holding on tight.
"Hey, little guy," Aiden says, gently pulling Snow’s arms from my leg. The boy starts to struggle, his face twisting as if he is about to cry.
"What’s wrong, baby? I’ll be back soon. Then we’ll draw together, okay?"
"You said you’d practice with me!" River cries out, his voice trembling.
"We’ll do it all, practice and draw, when I get back," I promise.
Vren takes Snow from Aiden’s arms. My youngest is crying hard now.
"Go ahead," Vren says. "They’re predicting rain later. You don’t want to get caught in it."
"All right, we’re going," I murmur, casting one last look at my children before stepping outside.
Aiden keeps glancing at me as we walk toward the car.
"Listen," he says as we buckle up. "There’s something I want to ask. My second cousin Jordan, you remember him? He’s been switched to part-time at work and is looking for some extra hours. I thought maybe we could ask him to come by for a couple of hours a day, help you around the house, maybe watch the kids for a bit."
