When I foundwho I assumed to be their mother in the kitchen cooking breakfast, I almost lost my footing. I’d seen her in pictures, but she was prettier in person. The boys both had her smile, which was exactly what she showed me.
“Well,” she greeted. “Isn’t this the best surprise ever! You must be Isla.”
I was blown away that she knew my name.
“Take a seat,” she ordered, smiling widely. “Breakfast is just about ready.” She walked back over to the stove, preparing me a plate as if she’d been doing it since I started living there.
“Mrs. Knightly?—”
“Honey, you can call me Melody.”
Melody?
The irony wasn’t lost on me.
So she is the one who taught them how to play their instruments? Is her name confirmation for that?
After everything Julius shared with me last night, I tried not to let it get the best of me and go off on her. I honestly didn’t know what to do in this situation, never bearing in mind I’d find myself in it. At least not likethis.
There was so much I wanted to say.
So much I wanted to do.
Except I didn’t do any of those things.
She set a plate of eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, and toast on the dining table, patting the chair beside her for me to sit. This was like an episode ofBlack Mirrorwhere we stepped into an alternate timeline. I was officially in another dimension that included their mother and her breakfast. A meal that looked good, as if she’d been making breakfast every morning.
My stomach rumbled. With one foot in front of the other, I stepped into her space, taking the seat she was gesturing for me.
Slowly, I sat down until I uttered, “With all due respect, Melody, what are you doing here?”
She beamed, her eyes shining bright at me. “Protective of my boys, I see… I like that.” She smiled bigger. “To answer your question, though, I’m here for Kraven.”
My eyebrows pinched together. “How do you know? Who told you?”
She shrugged nonchalantly. “That doesn’t matter. All that matters is I’m here now.”
I spoke the truth. “It’s going to matter to them. I promise you that.”
She wavered, grabbing my hand. “You let me worry about them.”
“Are you?—”
“Kraven has always been my quiet boy. Do you know that?”
“He’s mentioned something about it.”
She proudly professed, “My lone wolf. Even when he was just a little guy, he was a boy of few words. But when he did speak, his words carried strong meaning behind them. You know what I mean?”
I nodded. He was still like that.
“He’s so damn smart, too. He could have done anything with his life, and I hate that he’s chosen… well, you know… I can’t blame him.” She bowed her head. It was obvious the shame was eating her alive. “I don’t have to tell you how much he loves to argue. The boy thinks he’s never wrong.” She laughed to herself. “It’sone of my biggest regrets, you know? Julius had to drop out of school for him, but I’m better now…” She glanced up at me with a sincere expression. “I can be here for both of them. First, we need to go get my boy from the detention center, and then everything will be great again.”
I didn’t know what shocked me more—the fact that she was actually there or that she knew about Julius, too.
What else does she know? Has she been keeping tabs on them? With whom? Roland?
My mind spun faster with every word that flew out of her mouth. She seemed to be all over the place, and I silently prayed she wasn’t high. Although she didn’t smell like booze, her eyes weren’t glossy or red, and her pupils weren’t dilated. There were no obvious signs of drugs.
