“What’s happening?”Kylie asks as Carmine pulls away from the school.“Where’s Mommy’s car?”
“Mommy needed a break, and I wanted to see where you went to school and daycare so I could arrange for you guys to have your own driver.”Carmine gives her a playful wink, and my sweet sister eats it up.Joey appears concerned, and Emma babbles away, oblivious.
“Hey, that’s mine!”Joey yells as we park in front of our apartment building, and I see the movers carrying out his dresser that’s loaded with stickers he’s collected over the years.“What are you doing with that?Put it back!”He jumps out of the car and tries to stop the people from loading it into the truck.
“Mommy, why are they taking our stuff?”Kylie asks tearfully.
“We’re moving,” I simply reply, and she perks up a little bit.
“How do you feel about your own princess room?”Carmine asks as he turns towards the back while Kylie unbuckles and stands between the seats.
“Will I have a princess bed?”He nods sharply.“Well, where will Emma sleep?She’s always slept in my room.”
He looks between the girls as I get out of the vehicle and open Emma’s door.“Do you still want to share a room?”Kylie gazes down at her sister as she waves at the movers and smiles before shrugging.“If you want to share, that can be arranged.Or we can make sure there are two beds in each of your rooms, and you can decide who sleeps where and when until you want your own space.”
Kylie’s jaw drops.“We can do that?”She looks at me for confirmation.
Taking a deep breath, I embrace everything Carmine offers us.“If Carmine says so, then you sure can.”
She squeals, startling Emma, and jumps into his arms.His peaceful face is the last thing that crumbles the walls around my heart.It’s obvious his affection for my siblings, and I find myself no longer wanting to fight over every little thing.
“Mom!”Joey shouts as I remove Emma from her seat and set her on her feet.“They’re taking all of our stuff.”At this point, he’s near tears.
Guiding him over to our building’s stoop, I sit with him and explain, “We’re moving, Joey.Your things are coming with us.”
“Where are we going?”His eyes begin to dry up.
“To Carmine’s house.Everyone gets their own room, and Carmine has said you can decorate or paint it however you want.”He didn’t say that exactly, but I get the feeling he won’t say no to them.
“You get a real bed?”he asks, and red tinges my cheeks as I nod.Joey throws his arms around my neck and whispers, “As long as you get a bed,” before darting over to where Carmine stands, holding Kylie’s hand as she observes the movers.Emma hops up next to me and lays her head in my lap, eyes closing.She needs a nap.
Watching the two men in my life carry on a brief conversation before Joey offers his hand causes my heart to explode with love.This is a huge step for Joey, and I’m so proud of him.He’s had so many upheavals in his short life, too many of them have been abrupt, and he’s always taken them in stride.Hopefully, this will be the final major change until the baby comes.
CHAPTER11
Carmine
The evening has been hectic as hell.Far more so than I ever remember with my own girls.However, they didn’t live with the instability that Noa’s kids obviously have.They always knew where home was and what was happening in the world around them.
We got home well after dinnertime, but thankfully, Becky had prepared sandwiches and fruit, which were waiting in the fridge for consumption.After the girls were bathed, Noa took them to bed and read them a story before passing out right there on the mattress the two are sharing for the night.
Joey had some homework, so he’s sitting at the counter island in the kitchen working on it while I make us a snack.He’ll have to go to bed soon, and I want to spend a few minutes with him before then.
“Need any help?”I slide a bottle of water towards him, but he shakes his head.“Need to talk about anything?”I’ve noticed all evening that something has plagued his mind.
“She’s not our mom,” he shares.
Shocked, I gently close the fridge door and wait for more.It’s not what I was expecting, but I keep quiet because it’s clear he’s got more to say.Grabbing a bag of chips from the cupboard, I pour some into a bowl and place it in front of Joey as he gathers his thoughts.
Reaching for a chip, he pops one into his mouth, chews, and swallows before looking up at me with a guarded expression.“Noa has always protected us.Put us first.She took the beatings meant for Mom.Stood up to Dad when he would come at me.”
Christ, this kid is too old for his young age.
“Sounds like she did what any sister or mother would do.”My admiration for her grows with every word he speaks.
“Yeah, I guess.”His head drops, and I hear him sniffling.“When Mom died having Emma, Noa was over every day.She would make bottles so we could help feed the baby, but Dad, he didn’t care.So Noa got a lawyer, started taking videos and pictures, she reported everything, and we saw Social Services a lot.By the time Emma was eight months old, Noa had custody of us.”
“You sound like you feel some guilt, Joey.”The heavy set of his shoulders is a dead giveaway.
