Page 12 of Totally Off Limits

Faith turned from her identical sisters to join the conversation. “I cried so hard when we left.”

Their mother set down her water goblet. “You have your own bedrooms, Faith. You would have always been cramped in that small room had we not moved.”

“Yes, I know. Still…”

“And Grandma Hayden wouldn’t have been able to move in with us, either. Here, we have room for everyone.”

Sierra swallowed the broccoli she’d been chewing. Not ten minutes in and they’d already hit an uncomfortable spot. At least for now she wasn’t the target. It was bound to happen at some point, though.

But the conversation dwindled into the scrapes and clinks of silverware getting cozy with china.

Finally, Rebecca broke the silence. “Sierra, were you planning to attend Layne’s graduation?”

She would have rather had her fingernails torn off with pliers—but that was another obligation she already knew she’d have to meet. Not only had Layne attendedhers(even when she herself hadn’t wanted to walk), but his graduation, like yesterday’s wedding, was something their mother had deemed afamily function—meaning Sierra would never dream of saying no. “Yeah. Is it next Saturday?”

“No, the Saturday after.”

“I have weekends off, so it shouldn’t be a problem.” Which her mother knew, but she’d needed a reason to make sure Sierra wouldn’t miss attending the golden boy’s ceremony. Looking past Mia, she said to Layne, “Good job. It’s a relief to be done, huh?”

No one at the table knew she was working on a master’s degree—and she wasn’t about to tell them now, even though she could relate to her brother’s workload.

Layne merely nodded. “Thanks.”

“Have you heard back from any of the universities you’ve applied to?” Paul asked.

“Not yet.” At Layne’s answer, their father’s brow furrowed, and Sierra imagined he’d be having a chat with Layne later. The dream boy would be graduating with a master’s and/ or a doctorate degree in physics or something like that, and the plan was for him to become either a research scientist or college professor down the line. Those milestones would probably end with other graduation ceremonies—but, if Sierra was living hundreds of miles away by then as planned, she’d have to send a card and best wishes.

Too bad.

With her luck, Layne’s next school would be near wherever she and her daughter landed eventually.

Layne said to Mia, “Look at you eat. Do you like your broccoli?” The child nodded as he took her tiny fork to stab a little piece. “Baby trees!”

“Baby trees,” the child repeated.

Grandma Hayden echoed, “Baby trees!” Her hearing wasn’t all that great, but Sierra wondered if part of that was because she didn’twantto hear all the strife underneath the words the family spoke.

Still, one thing Sierra took pleasure in was the fact that her entire family adored Mia. It had been a while since anyone had asked who her father was, and that was a secret Sierra would take with her to the grave because that information had the power to change how they felt about her daughter.

Would it, though?

Maybe not her siblings, but her mother…and, much as Sierra chafed against her parents’ expectations, she really did want to make them proud. If they could just for once be happy with what she’d accomplished, the woman and mother she’d become, she could feel like everything, all of it, had been worth it.

Maybe when she surprised them with the master’s degree. Surely that would be the trick.

Faith perked up again. “Could you believe the wedding yesterday? Wasn’t Katie’s dress to die for?” Both Grace and Hope nodded in complete agreement. Not unusual. While the triplets had their own distinguishing personalities, they agreed on almost everything.

Rebecca also nodded, a slight smile on her face, as if the triplets were spouting wisdom that she’d taught them over the ages. “The craftsmanship of that gown was nothing short of remarkable. Her mother told me all the applique was hand-stitched. No simple feat.”

“I want a veil like that when I get married.”

“Does the bride always have to wear white?” Hope asked. “I think it’d be cool to get married in, like, a black dress or something.”

“No daughter of mine will be caught wearing anything but white at their wedding,” Rebecca snapped, eager to get that silly notion out of her daughter’s head immediately before it took root there. “Sierra might be the only exception,” she added, glancing over at her eldest daughter. “After all, Mia wasn’t born via immaculate conception.”

Layne actually spoke before Sierra could—not that she necessarily wanted to. “Isn’t that an antiquated notion? When we went to Mrs. Martin’s second—”

“We arenotlike everyone else, Layne.” As if to punctuate his wife’s words, Paul quietly nodded while sipping some water as Rebecca continued. “Would you murder someone if no one would ever find out?Some peoplewould. But you—we—are above that nonsense.”

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