Page 15 of Freak Show

“I know,” Perry sighed. “Hey, Ari. Do you want children?”

Ari looked up from her spot beside me. I had been trying my hardest not to pay attention to how close she was.

“I want lots of them,” she answered. “Four or five. Enough that I can fill a car of them.” She grimaced. “But not as many as my dad had.”

“Do you plan on putting them to work in your circus?” Perry asked.

There was an immediate shake of her head. “Absolutely not.”

I looked over at her insistence. “Why not?”

“Because I don’t even want to be in the circus. Why would I allow my kids to be?” she asked.

She had a point when she put it like that.

“Why don’t you like it?” I asked. “Are they forcing you to stay?”

Ari shrugged. “Not really, no. More like it’s an obligation. My dad asked us all to stick together, and I don’t want to be the one to break it up. Even Keene’s home now. So…”

“You’re scared of heights?” Briley asked. “My mom was, too. She couldn’t stand heights. Or so my dad tells me.”

Ari’s eyes met mine before she looked to Briley. “Yes, I’m scared of heights. That’s why I deal with the cats and the snake, because I don’t want to have anything to do with the height aspect of all the acts.”

“Cats?” Perry asked, sounding affronted. “Wait, did I miss cats?”

“Ari is the big cat tamer,” Briley answered for Ari. “She has two cats. Coco and Melon. She also has a ten-foot albino boa constrictor. His name is Razzle.”

I grinned.

“How big of cats?” Perry asked Ari.

Before Ari could answer, Briley was there with the answer.

“She has a white tiger and an orange tiger.” Briley paused. “Though, I don’t think that you categorize them as ‘orange.’ I think they’re just ‘tigers.’” She looked to Ari. “Right?”

“Right,” Ari answered.

“I missed a lot by not coming to the circus.” Perry sighed.

“You missed a lot, sure. But at least you weren’t there when shit hit the fan, and I didn’t have to worry about you and the baby.” Banner came back and took a seat next to his wife. “Give me my kid back.”

I ignored him, snuggling her even closer.

I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed Briley being a little tiny baby. I forgot how cute they were. And how sweet they smelled.

“Slone,” Banner grumbled.

“You passed her off of your own volition,” I pointed out. “And, just sayin’, but I’m leaving tomorrow. You get to stay with her.”

Banner sighed as if he was put out beyond belief by my refusal to give her up.

But a wicked smile came over my face as I stood up and passed her off anyway.

“Then again, I have access to a private jet, and I can get to her anytime I want to,” I pointed out. “When you’re gone for a month and a half straight, I’ll come visit her then.”

Banner’s scowl was ferocious.

“Didn’t think about that when you were knockin’ her up, did you?” Titus chuckled. “Us visitin’ her while you’re over there savin’ the world. She’ll love us more by the time you get back.”

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