Page 95 of Sweet Dominion

Jesus. I had no idea how much I’d missed them.

Like sure. . .I understood that I had wanted to see my sisters, but with them now next to me, I felt like a hole in my chest had been filled.

Tears welled up in my eyes. “Hey, guys!”

Chloe let me go first and whispered like it was a big secret, “Did you know you were on TV?”

“Yeah. I’ll explain more of that after the cookout.”

“Oh.” Jo looked around. “I thought Banks had messed it up about it being a cookout and you were really doing a carnival for us.”

“So. . .they’re uh. . .extravagant here in the East.”

Chloe parted her lips in shock. “There are mermaids! Oh my God. I love mermaids! I’m getting some pictures by them. Jo, come on over real quick so we can take a picture—”

“Girl, I’m not your photographer and you already took about fifty selfies on the helicopter.” Jo still hadn’t let me go. “And we’re just seeing Moni. Chill out.”

TT climbed off me. “Snuggles loves this place already.”

Jo finally let me go and gazed into my eyes. “Are you good?”

“I’m doing great.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Yes. Of course.”

“I saw that shit on TV today with the tea. Girl, you know you don’t know how to make no tea.”

I laughed.

“Anyway, the cool old dude, Leo, he said right on TV that Mom knew his wife and there was a picture and everything in the background.”

Oh shit. I forgot they would have seen that too.

I let out a long breath. “So. . .yes. That picture is real. Mom was here in the garden, but I never knew—”

“Moni, that doesn’t make any sense—”

“Jo, I’ll explain later—”

“I need you to explain now—”

“Mom was really here? No way.” Chloe looked around the garden. “How would she have gotten here?”

“Look. It is a long story. I will explain later.”

Jo’s eyes watered. “If Mom wasreallyhere, then I want to go to the spot where she was at. Right now. Fuck a cookout.”

For some reason, those words hit me hard.

Chloe went silent telling me that she agreed.

TT stared up at me.

I nodded. “Okay. I’ll take you three there, but first let me introduce—”

“And that’s where I’m going to be the whole cookout. Wherever Mom was at is the place I’m standing.” Jo appeared to be struggling with not crying as she crossed her arms over her chest. “But first I need proof that she was really here and an explanation—”

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