Page 53 of Simply You & Me

"You're in my room, Dino. Everyone had a big sleepover here last night! Layla even snuggled with you after you fell asleep." Tate pokes my nose. Oh yeah! I remember now. Mom was working late.

I watch the hallway for a second, waiting for Mom to walk in with a big smile. Every day, the first thing she does when she sees me is smile so wide. Kind of like Aunty Ry when Layla's around. Where's my smile?

"Where's my mom?"

Tate shifts on the bed. He looks at his lap. "Your mom?—"

Rylee pushes him a little and lifts me out of bed. "Come on, sweetie! Let's get you some breakfast, then we’ll see your mommy, I promise!" I giggle, wrapping my arms around her neck. She's so strong. She sticks her tongue out and stops moving. "First, go brush your teeth, stinky."

I lock my mouth shut and wiggle my way down to the floor. Nobody likes smelly breath. Sometimes, Mom's reactions are funny, though. My smile curls around the toothbrush Rylee gives me in Tate's bathroom. It's connected like Mom's is. There's a door in his bedroom that leads to the bathroom. I wish I had one of these.

Spitting, I spin around and show Rylee my teeth. "TEEFS!" I shout.

"Teefs?" Rylee laughs, grabbing my hand and walking downstairs with me.

Looking around for Mom, I respond happily, "Yeah, you know, like teeth! It's my most favorite word. Mom usually yells it back. It's silly."

Rylee looks sad again when she looks down at me, but a blueberry hits me in the head, making her narrow her eyes into the kitchen. "No throwing food, Bug. Who taught you that?"

Skipping to Layla, I hop into the chair beside her. "Daddy Marc and Daddy Jude throw things at each other."

Across from me, Jude chokes, and his cheeks get so red I can't help but laugh at him. Layla giggles, too, smiling big at her dad. My throat feels like I can't quite swallow.

I want a dad. Layla's so lucky she has four. I thought maybe I would have four, but I don't know anymore. Mom is sad, and they don't hang out with us anymore.

Layla bounces in her seat, so I do the same when a plate of pancakes is set in front of me. "Thank you!" I don't want to be sad. Mom needs me to be happy for her.

"You're welcome, bestie," Wyatt says above me. My tummy leaps with joy when he kisses the top of my head. Maybe they still like me and Mom?

"Where are we going?" Buildings and cars flash by my window, making me a little dizzy. I realized a bit ago that we weren't going home, but nobody said anything. Layla and Ollie went with Uncle Leo and Jude. I wonder what they’re doing today while Aunty Ry is with me.

Wyatt stops us at a stoplight and looks at Tate next to him. They do that a lot. Just look at each other without saying anything. Like they can read each other's minds.

"Rory," Rylee whispers. Her hand grabs mine, and when I look up at her, she's staring down at our fingers. The car starts forward again. "Addie got hurt last night, so JJ, Marc, Zach, and Julian brought her to the doctor."

I feel my brows bunch. Hurt? Doctor? "Is she going to be okay? How did she get hurt? What do you mean?" My hold on her hand tightens, almost like if I squeeze hard enough, the answers will come pouring out of her.

Aunty Ry finally looks at me as the car starts moving. "Your mom is going to be okay, and she's so excited to see you, sweetie."

"But what happened?" I'm glad Mom's going to be okay, but she's hurt. "Mommy never gets hurt. She's always good and happy. Mom is always smiling. Will she be smiling when I get there? Who will make Mom dinner if she can't? Will she be able to help me with my homework? Who will clean for us? Will we have food at home? Can I hug her still?"

My hand slips from Rylee's, but then she's tucking my hair behind my ear. "Rory, take a deep breath. We're here, and you’ll get to see her in just a few minutes. I promise you and your mom are going to be taken care of, no matter what. First, we need to calm down a bit, okay?"

She's right. Wyatt isn't driving the big car anymore. Instead, he's turned around and looking at me. Tate's watching me too, but he looks the most worried. Is it for me or Mom? My chest rises. At the same time, the corner of Tate's lips lift. I breathe out and take another big inhale, giddy when Tate's smile grows.

"Good job, Dino. Should we go see your momma now?" I nod, then he's out of the car, opening my door, unbuckling me, and whipping me around onto his back. I squeal a high-pitched noise and snuggle my arms around his neck. The chain Layla got for him sparkles in the sun, keeping my focus as we walk through the big sliding doors.

It's so bright and busy when we walk in, so I tuck my head into Tate's back and try to ignore all the noise and people. "It smells funny in here." My muffled complaint makes Tate's back shake with a laugh.

The elevator ride makes my tummy swirl weird. When the door dings open, I hear familiar voices. I perk up and look around. Tate's arms, holding my legs, clench a bit tighter, but it doesn't bother me.

"She doesn't want to see you, Zach. I don't know what to tell you. Rory will be here soon. Let her have some time to process." That's JJ, Layla's biggest dad. His hair is so dark I can see some white in it from here.

I smile, wondering if we’re going to sneak up on them since they haven't seen us yet. Zach and Julian stand close to each other with their backs to us, so maybe we can for sure scare them!

"Fuck, Jackson!" I jump a little on Tate's back at Z's loud voice. Tate stops moving. "I know it's our fault. I feel absolutely terrible! If we hadn't kept this from everyone, Addie and our baby wouldn't be lying in that hospital bed. It's our fault they're hurt, and I have no idea how to fix it if she won't let me see her!"

W-what? Mom's hurt because of them? "You hurt my mommy?" The question pops from my mouth so fast I startle myself with my own voice. I don't know what's happening. "Whose baby are you talking about?"

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