Page 64 of Tides That Bind

Riley’s voice is heavy with sleep, and I don’t think he’s ever sent me a voice message, so I’m unsure why he’s starting now. He doesn’t wear contacts, so I it must be he’s still in bed, his eyes clouded with sleep. I push record and send one back.

I don’t want to ruin his day.

I quickly press record again.

Why are you voice messaging me?

“Who's messaging you?” Lucas's voice is just as groggy as Riley’s.

I lower my phone. “Did you sleep well?”

Lucas rubs a hand across his still tired face. His hair is a mess of cowlicks and bedhead, giving me the answer to my own question. He mumbles something incoherent before yawning. “Where’s Tides?”

“Silas took him.” It’s not a lie until I add, “To the vet. He picked him up early. We overslept. How about a Pop Tart and a banana?”

Stretching, Lucas pads from the doorway. “Only if it’s the frosted kind. You bought unfrosted last time.”

I wait until I hear Lucas's footsteps drift down the hall before I grab my phone again, playing Riley’s response.

Just easier. Too tired to type this early.

“As you like,” I mumble to myself before I slick my hair intoa bun and scramble to get dressed before running down the stairs.

“I mean, even bad guys make mistakes sometimes.”

I hold onto the banister and my breath.

“Big mistake,” Lucas relents. “Tony Stark gave up the home field advantage when he took the fighttoThanos.”

My entire body relaxes with relief and I loosen my hold but stay in my place.

Riley laughs. “Rookie mistake, huh?”

“Yeah,” Lucas agrees, even though I don’t think he knows what that means. “Rookie mistake.”

I take a few quick steps down the stairs, finding the two of them eating in the living room. The TV plays with no sound.

“What happened to eating at the table and no TV until the end of the day?”

“Riley said today is a yes day.”

I raise an eyebrow and he shrugs. “Can’t say no to a yes day,Mom. Contrary to belief, this isn’t a dictatorship.”

Lucas nods. “The Avengersvoteon everything.”

“We didn’t vote on anything,” I remind both of them.

Riley raises a steaming mug to his lips with a smirk and I head straight for the coffeemaker.

“Lucas, you’ve got three minutes to finish that!”

He groans in objection.

“You can pause it and watch it later,” I tell him. “For the eight hundredth time.”

Opening a cabinet, I grab a mug and jump when I turn, finding Riley behind me. He balances a plate on top of his coffee before placing it on the counter. “Who buys unfrosted Pop-Tarts?”

“What thirty something year old eats Pop-Tarts for breakfast?”

---