Page 14 of Fight Or Flight

“You know how you’ve been wishing for another girl in the house?” he asks her.

Bella’s eyes widen and she nods.

“Well, what if I told you I could make that wish come true?”

“I thought you weren’t having any more cubs,” Anthony interrupts.

“I’m not pregnant,” Mom explains. “But that doesn’t mean our family can’t expand.”

“Expand? We’re busting at the seams as it is,” Rob volleys.

Dad presses a kiss to the top of Bella’s head before setting her between him and our mother and fixes Robert with a stern look.

“Then I’ll buy a bigger fucking house if you’re so uncomfortable.” His eyes slice to me and I immediately sit a little straighter. “Joss is dying. She lost consciousness because her body is slowly shutting down, the cancer is everywhere and there’s nothing left for the doctors to do.”

I knew the woman was really sick, but dying…come on, how is that even fair.

Dad continues to keep his eyes pinned to me and I know by the solemn expression on his face, I’m going to hate what he says next even more.

“They came here looking for Bones because there’s no one else to take Brooklyn in once she’s gone.”

Suddenly, it feels like there is a palette of bricks sitting on my chest. As if her mother dying wasn’t enough, there’s no one to take her in because the guy they were depending on is dead. He’s fucking dead because he took a bullet for me and my mom.

“Shit,” Robert mutters. “I’m sorry, Dad. I didn’t mean anything by it—”

Shaking his head, Dad sighs heavily.

“I know you didn’t,” he rasps, scratching the scruff lining his jaw. “Look, I don’t know how to say this so I’m just going to just say it. Joss only has a few weeks left and her health is going to decline rapidly. She will need a nurse around the clock and…well, after talking with Joss this morning, your mom and I have decided that she and Brooklyn are going to stay here with us. I’ll hire a nurse and we’ll do whatever needs to be done to make sure these last days are as comfortable as possible for her.”

“So, Brooklyn is going to live with us?” Bella asks, looking between our parents. I watch as Mom smooths a hand over my kid sister’s head and offers her a smile.

“Yes, and so is her mommy. Is that okay with you, sweetheart?”

Before Bella can answer, I find my voice.

“What happens…” I pause to swallow. “… afterward?”

Dad glances at mom before bringing his eyes back to me.

“Well, Brooklyn’s your age, she needs a guardian until she turns eighteen and Joss has agreed to give us that honor.” His words trail as he lifts his head.

“So, she’ll be like our sister?” Anthony questions, his brows furrowing with confusion. As soon as he asks the question, I feel Robert’s eyes on me.

“Well, that certainly puts a wrench in your plan doesn’t it, big bro?”

My cheeks heat as anger coils inside of me and I glare at him. Actually, it suits my plan just fine, but I don’t tell him that. The kid is itching for a beating. The girl literally has no one but her dying mother, and all he can think about is getting in her fucking pants.

“Why don’t you shut the fuck up?” I grind out.

“Eric said The F-Word!” Bella shouts.

“I told you all the cursing you people did around these kids would scar them,” Grandma chimes in. “Now they talk like a bunch of sailors.”

“Lady,” Grandpa warns. “Maybe now isn’t the time for that, yeah?”

I can feel my dad’s gaze burning a hole in the side of my head, but I don’t dare look at him. I know what he’s thinking, and it’s really not a conversation I want to be having with an audience. Instead, I focus on my mom. She’s like Switzerland, always neutral.

“Look, there’s a lot of love in this house,” she starts. “And right now, Brooklyn and Joss need some of that love. We can do that for them, can’t we?”

The room falls silent.

There is really no need for words.

It is the least we can do.

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