“Okay,” he agrees softly, “but when I turn fourteen, I can decide where I want to live.”
“Why don’t we see how you feel then?” I tell him and he gets up. “Did you guys eat?”
He shakes his head. “You hungry?” He tries not to smile. “Forget that question, when aren’t you hungry?”
“Kylie,” I call her name and she shouts back.
“Yes.” She walks into the room. “What can I do for you?” She looks at me then looks at Vincent.
“The kids haven’t eaten, so you want to go change and we can go and get something to eat?”
“Um.” She looks at me then back at Vincent. “I could stay here.”
“Go get changed,” I say between clenched teeth, and she glares at me, making Vincent laugh.
“She’s mad,” he whispers to me. “I don’t think she liked that.”
“I did not,” she confirms. “Remember that when you get a girlfriend.”
“You’re Dad’s girlfriend?” he asks, and Kylie literally puts her hands in her face, and she groans.
“I didn’t mean it,” Kylie starts to say, and I laugh.
“She’s my girlfriend,” I admit to him.
“Cool,” Vincent says.
“Go and tell your brother and sister we’re going out to eat,” I urge and he nods before walking out of the room.
“I’m so stupid,” Kylie says. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” I ask her, laughing. “Baby, I was going to tell them we are together at lunch.”
“We really need to talk about things before you just go and do stuff.”
“Daddy.” Nora runs into the room. “Kylie is your girlfriend?” she asks with her eyes big and then she smiles at Kylie.
Westley comes into the room next. “Kylie is my girlfriend,” I inform them. “We like each other a lot.”
“Do you stay here when we aren’t here?” Westley asks her. She looks over at me and I smile at her.
“I do,” she replies, “but I don’t go in your room.”
“I’m glad, I didn’t want him to be by himself.”
“I was fine, buddy,” I assure him, “but I’m better now.” Then I look at Kylie. “Can you go get dressed so we can go eat? I’m starving.”
“Yeah, me too,” Vincent adds.
“I need a snack,” Westley says.
“I’m going,” Kylie concedes, and she walks to me, and I wrap my arm around her, stopping her from going up the stairs. “Knox,” she says my name.
“Hurry back.” I look into her eyes and bend my head to kiss her. “The kids are hungry.”
“All I have to do is get dressed. It would go faster if you let me go.” She puts her hand on my cheek, and I give her one more kiss until I let her go, and she runs up the stairs to the bedroom.
Less than two minutes later, she’s running back down the steps wearing a pair of jeans and my sweater. “That’s Daddy’s.” Nora points to my sweater.
