Page 99 of Rent Free

I looked out the window, trying to get myself under control, and saw my sister leaning against her car smoking a cigarette.

Upon catching my eyes, she wiggled her fingers at me in a ‘fuck you’ gesture.

Of course she’d orchestrated this. Of. Course.

I flipped her off, then moved farther into the hallway close to the bathrooms when Emory’s shrill, angry yells got louder.

I took Forest into the bathroom and sat him on the counter.

His eyes were filled with tears as he said, “Mommy mad.”

I seriously could happily punch her right in the face.

“Uncle Daddy can take care of your so-called mother,” I grumbled. “In the meantime, let’s wash our hands. Do you want to try to go to the bathroom?”

That was another development last week.

After watching not one, but four of the uncles pee outside of their houses in the last week, he’d declared that he was done with diapers.

Crazy enough, he took to it naturally, and we’d only had one accident at night since he’d declared himself diaper-free.

“No.” He shook his head adamantly.

We washed our hands, and while I was drying my own my phone rang.

I immediately answered since it was my brother.

“Hey, sis,” Tarrant greeted. “Dad’s Dad today.”

I closed my eyes as my good day returned.

Nobody could ruin this day for me.

No one.

My dad is mad that I have an attitude, but I’m literally just him in girl form.

—Pepper to Atlas

PEPPER

“I know.”

Atlas’s angry growl had me wincing.

“It’s not why I’m calling, though,” I sighed.

There was surprise in his voice when he said, “What’s wrong?”

“I have a question.”

Atlas shifted away from the group of men I could hear talking, and said, “What’s up? Everything okay?”

“Forest is fine. I’m fine,” I assured him. “Auden is dealing with Emory. I assume he’s going to take care of Sage, too, since she’s in the parking lot watching the show through the plate glass window.” I hefted Forest up onto my hip. “I was wondering if it would be okay if I headed back home to Kilgore today. I’ll keep Forest with me overnight. My brothers called and told me that Dad was my dad today, and he wanted to see me.”

There was zero hesitation in his voice when he said, “Absolutely.”

I blew out a breath. “I don’t need anything for him but clothes and he assures me today that he will go pee in the potty.”

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