Page 53 of Sex. Love. Marriage.

“I’m ready, Mama,” Hazel says, popping another piece of candy in her mouth, but refusing to move from in front of the door. “Let’s party.”

“Oh my God!” Kelly comes around the corner and notices Sevi in the corner. “Sevi, how’d you get stuck in there?”

He looks up at her, seemingly unconcerned with why he’s in there or getting out. He’s laughing. After setting Fin down, Kelly rushes over to get Sevi out of the vent, and then he crawls right back in the moment she turns her back.

Hazel and I laugh, Fin glares at everyone, actually just me, and then Kelly notices the pounding on the door. She looks from Hazel to me, then back to Hazel. “Where’s Oliver?”

Hazel shrugs, popping a jellybean in her mouth. “Haven’t seen him.”

“Mom! I’m down here!” Oliver shouts, beating his hands against the door. “Help me.”

Hazel grins as if there’s nothing wrong with this situation. “Mama, you look so pretty.”

Kelly smiles and picks up Hazel off the floor. “Thanks, honey, but please let him out of there.”

“No way,” she protests, stomping her foot, orange locks from herBravewig falling into her face. I have to admit the bright orange hair makes her look even more intimidating. Remember when I said never to trust this little one? I meant it. She will apparently lock you in the basement when she’s had enough. And then she says, “He hit me with his sword,” while showing us a welt on her leg.

Goddamn that little shit. I look from Hazel to Kelly. I’ve never spanked our kids. None of them. But now, I’m ready to beat Oliver’s ass over his behavior lately. He promised me he’d lay off her.

Stomping toward the door with my cape in the wind, I open the door to see Oliver crying. Without even looking at me, he glares at Hazel behind me. “You’re stupid!”

“Knock it off, Oliver. That’s enough.”

His angry eyes slide to mine. “She locked me in there on purpose. She knows I hate it down there.”

I glare right back at him. “Did you hit her?”

He shrugs. “She stole my sword again.”

“So what? Why can’t you just let her see it?”

“Because it’s mine,” he argues, as if he has any fight in this battle.

I take his sword from him and set it on the counter. “Yeah, well, this is my house and if you can’t share, you can sleep in the basement.”

He puffs out his chest; his brows pinched together. “That’s child abuse.”

“No, child abuse would be me hitting you with the sword like you did to your sister.”

Aside from the dramatic rise and fall of his shoulders with his heavy breathing, Oliver says nothing to me. He knows he has nothing to go on.

I point to Hazel. “Apologize to her and mean it.”

“I’m sorry,” he grumbles, making eye contact with Hazel.

“No you’re not,” she says, calling him out on his bullshit excuse of an apology, and then walking away from him. “But I forgive you!” she yells over her shoulder.

I pull him aside. “You touch her again, and your ass will be the color of your shirt.”

His shirt is red, by the way, and he finally understands what I mean. I think.

The kids take off into the living room, Kelly gets Sevi out of the vent again, and they run out the front door where I notice Kate and Jason are with their boys.

“Thank you for that.” Kelly steps toward me and smiles, her eyes on my cape and fake teeth in my hand. “Are you going to wear the teeth tonight?”

I wink. “Maybe.” Dropping my head forward, I pull her into my chest, my mouth to her neck. “Are you going to let me take a bite out of you?”

A low drawn-out whistle floats through the room. “Damn, Kel….”

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