Page 44 of The Ones We Fight For

“Fuck Carl!” Talia raised her frosting in the air to toast the downfall of her friend’s nemesis. “But please tell me you aren’t planning on being relentless about the whole Walker thing.”

“You honestly think I would give you away?” Amala stared back at her, comedy routine thrown out the window.

“No, I just—he’s not looking for anything right now, and I don’t want to, I don’t know… make his life more complicated?” Talia shrugged, unsure of herself.

“Honey, I think that ship has sailed.” Amala set a comforting hand on Talia’s arm. “In my very valid and extremely correct opinion, the man is obsessed with you. Even if you make his life a little more complicated, you also make it way better. What would he do without you?”

“And where would I be without him?” Talia shot back. “I have you, of course, but…”

“He gave you a family,” Amala finished for her.

“He keeps thanking me like I don’t adore all his nieces and nephews. I love them. The other week we played Monopoly till two a.m., but I could have told you who would win before we sat down to play,” Talia recalled.

“Walker?” Amala asked. Talia shook her head, chuckling.

“No, Walker is terrible at Monopoly. Colin won. Kid is wicked smart and is probably going to go on to be a Fortune 500 millionaire, be published in a medical journal, or discover ancient bones in the Himalayas. And from the second we sat down at the table, Carter was already calling bullshit on the whole thing, wondering what the point was if Colin was just going to win. Pearl was barely paying attention because she was frantically texting a friend about a boy and panicking about him complimenting a beret she wore in her hair at school. Piper was optimistic about the whole thing despite knowing Colin would win, and Cooper asked endless questions about how best to play the game.”

“That kid never stops with the questions, does he?” Amala giggled. “Jayla loves it. It gives her endless opportunities to share her opinion on everything. Girl loves to hear herself talk. The other day, Jayla went on a ten-minute rant to him about her silk pillowcase. I think he was too polite to tell her to shut up.”

“Half of the questions he asks, I honestly wanted to know the answers to. And Walker… he’s present for everything. Every dinner. Every game night. All of Carter’s basketball games. Piper said he went to all her soccer games before he was their guardian, too. He knew Colin was going to win at Monopoly but told Carter that winning wasn’t the point of playing, even though I could tell he was mildly frustrated when he didn’t even come close to winning. He made Pearl put her phone away and told both Piper and Pearl they were too young to be thinking about boys.” Amusement played out on Talia’s face with her final sentence.

“Isn’t Piper sixteen?”

“Almost seventeen. She has more than just thought about boys, but there’s no way in hell I’m going to tell Walker that unless we want to find those boys floating facedown by the docks. I am one hundred percent sure he would commit crimes to keep her nonexistent virginity intact.” Talia looked over both shoulders in case Walker sporadically made an appearance before continuing. “He thinks Piper is the picture of innocence, and I think it’s best for his mental health if he continues to think that.”

“Mmm,” Amala bobbed her head in agreement. “When Jayla gets to that age, I’m not telling Roscoe shit, or he’ll start putting anyone she has interest in behind bars.”

“Wise woman. I’m sure we’re going to have issues when Pearl gets there, too. She’s a hopeless romantic.”

“‘We?’” Eyebrows jumping up her forehead, Amala gave her a knowing smirk.

“I—yes, ‘we,’ okay?” Talia gave in. “I want to be a part of it. I want her to tell me when she wants to date people. I want Carter to tell me his latest reason for why he thinks his algebra class is a waste of time, and I want Colin to try to explain radioactive decay even though he could explain it a million times and I’d never remember the formula for that.”

“You love all of them.” Amala smiled and rubbed her protruding stomach thoughtfully. “It’s how I feel about Roscoe and Jayla and this little one that hasn’t even shown his face yet.”

“I love all of them,” Talia confirmed. The time she spent with the Hartrick family was her favorite part of every day. When she didn’t have an errand to run after work on behalf of Walker and the kids, she would always head straight to Juniper Street. Her own house felt empty and lifeless in comparison without all those people to fill it. Even with the melancholy that often filled the Hartrick house, there was still hope. Feeling emotions, and helping the kids navigate their own, even the hard ones, made her feel alive. She was useful again. All she had at her small bungalow was at best a space to host sleepovers for Piper, Pearl, and Jayla, and at worst a glorified closet, bathroom, and bed. “I didn’t realize how much I needed them. And Walker… I don’t think I’ve ever—we’re not even together, and I feel like he knows me better than anyone ever has.”

“Frankly, I’m offended,” Amala feigned offense and clutched at her heart. If Talia couldn’t be found at the Hartrick house, the next best bet would be the Winston house. Amala knew well enough that she was high up on the list of people Talia would commit egregious crimes for. If nothing else, at this point, Talia was sure Amala could blackmail her with the video evidence of her horrendous karaoke performance of “Let’s Get It On.” There were dance moves, and they weren’t exactly suitable for the public eye.

“You know I love you,” Talia cooed.

“Just not as much as Walker,” Amala singsonged back.

“I love you in a different way! I don’t feel like ripping your clothes off when I see you.”

“Whoa, whose clothes are we ripping off?” Roscoe came into the kitchen, and Talia’s face went candy apple red. “You and Walker finally make it official?”

“No, hun. They’re both still idiots.” Amala wrapped one arm around her husband’s waist as he took his place beside her, bending over to kiss the top of her head.

“He doesn’t like me like that,” Talia explained with a wave of the hand still holding the frosting bag. A glob of white promptly dropped from the tip onto the countertop, and Amala bent forward to swipe it away with her finger, plopping it into her mouth.

“Since when?” Roscoe looked more confused than anything. “You guys have a falling out he didn’t tell me about? He spent the entire time talking about you at our bowling night on Tuesday.”

“Our schedules are linked ‘cause of the kids. That doesn’t really mean anything,” Talia argued.

“Damn, girl. You oblivious.” Roscoe cackled.

“Told you. Idiots,” Amala declared.

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