Page 95 of Claim Me

“Cathy is my family. Siobhan, the kids, and you are my family. It’s a big city. I can avoid those other people.”

“Well, it’s a great city. The rest of the country thinks we're a wild gambling town, but there are good schools and quality activities.”

Bobby looks so relieved by my words. We both think the other one will be the first to back off and end this relationship.

The day before Bobby leaves town, we head up to the hills to see the spot where Lorrie ended her life. His pain is raw like an unhealed wound. All these years, he never came to terms with the damaged woman who gave us life. I sit with him on the same curb where I rested my ass after fucking up with Siobhan.

Bobby asks me questions with answers unknown to me. Lorrie was a mystery in many ways. I tell him things I remember, but most of my memories are marred by my young age.

“Lorrie was born to people who didn’t care,” I explain as I console my brother. “She spent her entire life looking for someone to love her. I think that’s why she left us. Lorrie knew we loved her like she deserved, but she was a threat to us. When she fell into dark moods, she believed the only solution was to die and take us with her. After we got help from Caveman, she probably figured it was safer for her to leave us with him. But she would miss us and come back. Eventually, I believe she took her life to save ours.”

Bobby finds comfort in my words. I suspect he thinks confronting his past will fix his pain. Maybe it’ll work for him. I prefer to let the pain linger. It’s the only way I know how to keep Lorrie alive.

After we finish up in the hills, we drive down to the farm where Cathy is spending time with Siobhan. My club family comes together for a casual party. I stand between my blood brother and the men who’ve had my back since we were boys. My kids dance with Elvis. Aunt Fred stops by to offer me a hug.

Siobhan joins our group, holding Lorcan in her arms. She looks at me and smiles softly. For a long time, she was blind to my feelings. Now she understands me to my core.

Right now, she sees how I’m at peace as my past and present come together.

SIOBHAN’S EPILOGUE

Lorcan’s first year is great, even if he’s a moody kid. His main moods seem to be “I need to be held immediately” and “I’m surrounded by hilarious people!”

Much like the twins, Lorcan looks like a mix of his parents. He inherited Indigo’s smile and golden-brown eyes. He has the same nose shape as the twins, Mom, Carys, and me. His hair is thick, brown, and usually in a state of disarray.

I love my snuggle bunny, and he’s crazy about his family. Once Lorcan can crawl, he follows around his siblings in the yard. Once he can walk, he won’t leave them alone. Boundaries will no doubt be a future issue.

Just after Lorcan takes his first steps, I turn up pregnant again. I’m four months along when we get a call about a renovated house for sale not far from Bear’s place. Knowing nothing stays on the market for long in Willow Brook, Indigo and I head over immediately.

The façade is rather cookie cutter with dark blue siding and gray brick. The light wood on the pediments over the windows matches the front porch posts and garage doors.

“The property is on an acre,” the realtor explains. “Most of that space is located in the backyard, which is fenced like you wanted.”

Indigo makes a beeline for the yard. The man’s obsessed with space since he downsized from the farm to my respectable yet snugger house.

He doesn’t even need to say a word. I can tell simply by his little grin how the yard size is what he wants. There are a few tall trees toward the back, but most of the space is completely flat. The dogs will love it while the kids will have space for a playset and maybe a pool when they’re bigger.

“Let’s hope the inside is as nice,” I tell him, a little worried about downgrading my lovely ranch for a boxy two-story.

“There’s a fully furnished basement with space for a game room,” says the realtor. “The current owner set up two bedrooms and a bathroom down there, too.”

That part excites me since Glen will soon be a teenager. Right now, the little guy looks right at home with his three sisters. He isn’t all that much bigger than them. However, he’ll change a lot in the next few years. Many of my foster brothers arrived around the age ofeleven. They went from rowdy kids to gross teenagers so damn quickly.

The entryway is standard. The stairs facing the front door are super bad feng shui. I’m not feeling it, but I don’t dare tell Indigo. He’s already so excited.

The kitchen makes me horny, though. So shiny and new with a big ass kitchen island with space for the kids to eat. I warm up to the house when I see the window over the sink and imagine watching Indigo out back with our babies and dogs.

The primary bedroom is downstairs, tucked away to the side. On the second floor is another bedroom suite with a sitting room connected by a bathroom.

“Wait, I have an idea,” I tell Indigo while the realtor wanders around downstairs. “What if we added a door to the sitting area of this suite? We could put all three girls in here. The twins on the bedroom side, and Nora in the sitting area. They can share the big bathroom. That way, they’re together yet separate.”

Indigo frowns, ready to point out how Nora doesn’t like being alone.

“Think about her as a teenager,” I explain. “She’ll want her space. Right now, the girls can open the doors and hang out. One day, they can shut the doors to create privacy.”

“I don’t know girl stuff.”

“No, baby, you don’t,” I say and walk down the hallway to the three small bedrooms. “We’ll stick Lorcan and this one,” I say and rub my belly, “in here when they’re bigger. This spare room can be a playroom.”

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