“All right, freeze!” I quickly order them, and they all do my bidding, years of training put to the test as they hold their positions and then try not to giggle as I draw this out.
Like always, that simple move breaks all the tension. Jane is the first to move, her sweet giggle filling the car as she fails to hold her position.
Sebastian follows right after her, and as usual, Dom wins the competition.
“Good job, bud.” I give him some knuckles and he grins, hugging the football to his chest. Just like his father, the kid is addicted to football and is constantly treating the piece of leather like a teddy bear. Footballs are scattered throughout our house; there’s always one nearby to pick up and hold or play with.
I shake my head, smiling… but my expression soon morphs into a frown as the cars in the lane ahead of us block up the intersection because a few drivers selfishly tried to sneak through on the yellow light.
Great. We’re never getting out of this stupid traffic jam.
Closing my eyes, I picture Fledgling, the diner, my sweet parents who don’t run it anymore but still stop by every day so they can check in and say hi to people who have been going there for the last fifty years.
Such a cool community.
Tapping the wheel, I wistfully wish for small-town life but know it can’t be a reality right now.
That coaching job Wily’s been offered is a really good position. He hasn’t accepted it yet, but I know he wants to, and then we’ll be stuck in this city for who knows how long.
I should be grateful. The kids seem relatively happy at school, and I shouldn’t want to uproot their lives.
But what I wouldn’t give to shift my world back to someplace small. Maybe not as small as Fledgling, but a town with a population of less than… I don’t know… fifty thousand?
Yeah, that would be perfect.
CHAPTER 7
BLAKE
I hang up the phone, wondering how the hell Satch does it. Five kids. Five!
I can barely cope with two. Plus the dog… although he’s probably a better parent than I am sometimes. He’s like a built-in babysitter the way he follows the girls around and watches over them for me.
You know, some days I wonder if I’m even cut out to be a mother. But Grady really wanted kids, and I thought it’d be a fun adventure.
It’s definitely something.
Don’t get me wrong. I love my girls. I adore them.
I’m just not sure parenting is my jam.
Some days I enjoy it, some days I wish I could escape from it, but mostly I worry that I’m just not very good at it.
When it comes to children, everything seems to come so naturally to Satch. All of her kids are polite and kind and do as they’re told without any fuss. She’s organized, and her house is always tidy.
Mine, on the other hand… I do a slow spin and take in the chaos Kendall left in her wake. There are toyseverywhere. Oh man, Grady’s going to hate it. He always insists the girls clean upafter themselves before leaving a room, but I’m just not onto it enough.
Sure, I’d love a tidier home, but I refuse to be that nagging mother who is constantly making demands on my children. I want them to enjoy childhood and have fun. And if that means leaving a mess behind, well… so be it!
With a huff, I bend down and quickly gather up the worst of the mess, wondering where Kendall is. Thank every star in the sky, but my precious three-year-old is now old enough for preschool three days a week. I’m upping it to four the day after her birthday. At this stage, though, I’m home with her on Thursdays and Fridays. And they are the longest days of the week.
She gave up naps before she turned two. If I let my bright little button sleep during the day, she’ll be up until midnight. If I manage to keep her awake, Grady and I actually get an evening together. Our little terror was climbing out of her crib at seventeen months, and I’ve been chasing her ever since.
Where is she now?
“Kenny?” I call out. “Where are you, baby?”
Silence.
