Page 27 of Our Lips Are Sealed
He promised he would, and they parted ways, each going off to their own battles. By the time she made it to the kitchen, the boys were already off running around outside while Livy zipped Jamison into her dress.
“Aren’t you beautiful,” Laura Jean fussed over her youngest, fluffing the poofy skirt. “My pretty princess.”
Jamison hopped on her tiptoes, batting her eyes at her mother. “I boo-ti-ful.”
Evie climbed onto the kitchen island, crouching with her Darcy. “I thought you were going to be here this morning?”
“Get off the counter,” Laura Jean sighed, and Evie leaped down with her sleek, black cat in her arms. “We were putting together the last few things. Wait until you see your bedroom.”
“Ben said my room’s purple.”
“Not just purple. It’s a royal purple.”
Evie wrinkled her freckled nose. “I’m not a princess.”
Laura Jean placed Jamison on her hip. Her baby was almost too heavy to carry this way anymore. “No, I think you’re more of a queen.”
“All hail Queen Evie.” Livy gave her a mock curtsy. “Long may she reign.”
Evie stuck her chin in the air, giving the room a regal wave. “Bow before me, my subjects,” she intoned before bursting into a fit of giggles. “Hey, if I’m the queen, does that mean I can tell Samuel what to do?”
Laura Jean held back a smile. Her daughter expressed her love for Ben’s son in the most bizarre ways. “No, you may not.”
“You can tell me what to do,” Livy offered. “I’ll always obey.”
Laura Jean asked Livy how the shopping trip with Miranda and Josie went, and the girl’s face lit up. “It was awesome. I got to pick out stuff for my room and clothes for school. Then we went to Parkland Grounds and ordered from a Delia’s catalog!”
“Were they able to get you registered at the academy?”
She nodded, her blond curls bobbing. “And even though it’s summer, they let Sammy show me around the campus.”
“Why can’t I go there too?” Evie pouted.
“Because we’re closer to the school in Port Michelson,” Laura Jean explained. “Now come on, we need to work on packing.”
Evie dropped Darcy to drag her feet dramatically. “Are we really going to live at the beach?” she whined. “Like forever, ever?”
“Forever and ever.”
They went upstairs and worked on packing clothes. Laura Jean had Evie pull Toby out of his room to help. The boy did little, standing in the corner, watching them silently.
“Toby, have you thought about how you would like your room decorated?” Laura Jean asked, trying to engage him.
“No, ma’am,” he replied, his voice hoarse from lack of use. “Whatever you pick will be fine.”
It would get better, Laura Jean reminded herself. Next month, a therapist was set to come to the house three days a week. She’d also consulted with a dietician who specialized in children’s health.
Toby’s weight gain was getting out of control, limiting him considerably. He had always been a big kid, waiting for that inevitable growth spurt that would shoot him up to the height of every other male Fairweather. The original therapist had said that Toby liked to “eat his feelings.” When she brought it up to Laura Jean and Simone, neither of them thought much of the comment. Who didn’t want to grab a pint of ice cream when they were sad?
However, as the marker on the scale tipped higher and higher, and doing things like walking up the stairs, or simply playing, caused him to have shortness of breath and chest pains, everyone agreed it was time to do something.
“I think you should have a fireman room,” Evie said, tossing more clothes in her duffel bag. “You always like to help Devon make the fire pits when we camp on the lawn.”
Jamison clapped from her spot on the bed. Toby liked the idea too and whispered excitedly with Evie as they worked.
Not long after, Ben appeared in the doorway, his face grim. Laura Jean followed him out onto the landing so they could talk without the children hearing.
“I don’t think you want to know everything Charlie said, but we won’t have any problems taking the kids.”
