Page 145 of Sardonic Burn

“Dad let me do it!”

You’d think Arlo’s hair is the biggest of my concerns today, but it’s not. It’s a close second though, and I don’t know what to do. A part of me wants to kick all of them out and keep my sanity, but the other half knows we’re already late, and Jane will kill us if we don’t get to the church on time.

Jane is getting married today.

“Alright.” I take a deep breath. “Did I or did I not tell you to keep your sister in check?”

Arlo starts glancing around, guilt on his face.

“Stop yelling at my grandson.” Ray comes to his rescue, and I throw him a nasty glare.

Henrick and Ray have matching shirts. Each costs more than a thousand dollars. They’re pure white—well, they were. Now, both of them have Sharpie marks on them. It’s supposed to be a cat but from this angle, it may very well be a monster of sorts.

The artist in question is the little devil, Aria. She’s holding her Sharpie in hand, grinning while Henrick carries her on his shoulders.

Both Arlo and Aria are troublemakers. However, sometimes—which clearly isn’t today—Arlo is the one keeping Aria in check. She has the I-don’t-give-a-shit attitude that she inherited from both of her parents, and I’m not proud of it. Arlo knows when and how to react, which is why he was supposed to be looking after her and making sure she didn’t go around causing trouble.

When I think this day couldn’t get any worse, Hudson strolls in. He has a proud look as he shows off the drawingsall over his shirt, too. He’s the only one who has colors, while Henrick and Ray have only black.

“The three of you,” I grit out. “Go and change. Now.”

“Absolutely not,” Ray states. “My granddaughter used her precious hands to draw on my shirt. This will be worth millions in a few years.”

“That’s right,” Henrick agrees with a nod. “This is just too precious not to wear. Everyone will be envious.”

The two of them share one brain cell, and it seems that it’s slowly dying. They’re treating Arlo and Aria like they’re saints, descendants of God, and can’t do anything wrong. They’re spoiling them beyond any reason and it’s starting to annoy me.

Arlo comes to me, hugging me. He just turned ten, and he’s still using his hugs as a way to distract me from a disaster his sister made. He’s overly protective of her so I know that one day, when Hudson and I are no longer here, Aria will be taken care of.

I hug my boy tighter but when he lets go of me, I see marks on my fingers.

“Oh, Jesus Christ. Not you, too.”

Arlo looks up at me and grins. “I can’t be the only odd one here.”

Ray releases Aria, and she grabs Arlo’s hand, running away from her punishment while giggling all the way. Despite all the stress, I can’t help but smile.

Hudson approaches me, kisses the top of my head, and hugs me. His fatherly pride is written all over his face as he stares at our kids who are definitely not dirtying themselves more in the mud.

“Why did you let him do that to his hair?”

He shrugs. “It’s just hair, Noelle.”

“Why today? You know how important it is for Jane.”

“White hair was Jane’s idea. I don’t think she’ll mind.”

I hiss. “I meant the stress. I almost got a heart attack!”

He rolls his eyes and pulls me in for a big hug. “You’re being dramatic. They’re kids. Let them have fun.”

A pang of guilt pinches my chest. Hudson is right. I shouldn’t put pressure on them to act like adults at this age. I don’t want to turn into Ray, but still… Why today, of all days? It could’ve been any other day, and I wouldn’t have been this stressed.

“We should go.” I glance over at our fathers, who are too busy bickering to notice the time. “We’ll be late.”

Henrick leaves, taking Arlo’s hand, while Ray picks up Aria and carries her in his arms. He’s still treating her like a baby, despite her being almost six. But the little devil enjoys every single part of it and always takes advantage of the soft spot her grandparents have for her.

“Now,” Hudson says with a little smirk. “Shall we go? The kids are staying with Henrick tonight, and I plan on taking full advantage of that.”

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