Page 42 of Keepsake

She groaned. “Don’t tell him his plans are ridiculous, please.”

“Why? My parents never coddled me. Latino parents tell the truth in their children’s faces and stuff them with food in the same breath. He’s Cuban. He has to hear he’s being a dumbass. Who is going to tell you if not your family?”

“As charming as that approach is…” I could almost swear she curved her lips a little, “he’s a flight risk right now. He needs to trust us.”

“And the only way for him to trust you is if he respects your decisions. You can’t coddle him into respecting you.”

“I’m not coddling him,” she said, with a frown right on her face.

Something crashed inside the bedroom. I looked at Logan. “You need to make her stop.”

Logan chewed her lip. “This is probably just the way she’s processing her feelings.”

“Tell her to process them quietly.”

“Alvaro…” she groaned, throwing her face into her hands.

And something in me… broke.

Logan tried so damn hard. It was annoying to see. She wanted this so much, she wanted to master it in a day. We felt like strangers most of the time, but as she groaned my name into her palms, I couldn’t stop myself from… feeling.

Shit, I was in this with her, wasn’t I?

“Listen, it’s good that you’re not screaming at her and that you’re trying to understand her point of view. But this,” I pointed to the door, “it can’t happen. You need to tell her to cut it out.”

Frowning, she searched for a fault in my reasoning for a beat, but when Vienna wasn’t showing any signs of stopping, I had to push a little more. “You said we fucked up when she did this in the car. Now it’s time for the do over.”

“I’m good at making people see the logic behind things. I’m good with numbers and actual facts.” She looked at the door. “I don’t feel like an eight-year-old will be easy to rationalize with.”

“No. I don’t think so.” Suddenly, something came to me. “Where’s Lachlan?”

Logan winced. “Having a nap.”

I glanced down at my watch. “He’s not going to sleep tonight.”

“I know. I was just trying to…” She shook her head.

“How was today?”

“We survived.” She breathed out. “He ate, he followed me around and let me hold him, but…”

“No talking.” I guessed.

“It’s ok if he’s really upset and taking his time. But what if it’s more? What if…” She took a big breath. “He’s so little. Does he even understand Sofia isn’t coming back?”

My guess would be… no. I struggled with that, and I was forty-six years old. I couldn’t start guessing how a three-year-old felt. Actually, how any of them felt. It was a mind fuck to think my sister needed help and I couldn’t see it. But as her children? Did they miss her too much? Did they feel abandoned?

“One thing at the time,” I told her. “Just go in and bust her ass.”

Logan made a face. “No, thanks.”

“Go in and tell her who is the boss.”

“Hm…” She thought about it.

“Just go in, Logan. I’m getting a headache.”

With some kind of confidence, Logan got up to her feet, her hand closing on the knob. Surprisingly, she opened it at once. I didn’t know why I expected it to be locked. I knew for a fact Logan took the keys to avoid problems like this one.

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