Page 67 of Shattered Promise

Mason’s presence is a hot, silent line across my skin. I can feel his stare, heavy and unblinking, even as he pretends to be absorbed in Theo’s attempts to eat peas with his fingers. I don’t look at him. I can’t. My whole body is a taut wire, wound tighter with every new volley from my mother.

Dad launches into a story about the neighbors and fireworks, and the conversation shifts once more.

I press my thumb into the seam beneath the table, willing myself to stay present. Heat crawls up my neck, the timer inside my brain counting down. I’ve got maybe thirty minutes before I absolutely have to leave, otherwise I’m going to get trapped here during the thunderstorm.

Five minutes pass, and I stand up, pushing my chair back. “I'm going to grab the dessert now.”

Mom stares at me, lips parted and brows furrowed. “Honey, we're still eating. What's the rush?”

I bite back the sigh and brace for the judgment. “There's a thunderstorm coming.”

Dad whistles “Supposed to be a rough one tonight too.”

“We do need the rain though. My beds are looking dry in the backyard,” Mom says, humming a little.

“I don't like driving in the rain either, Abby,” Francesca offers, her face open and kindness curving the side of her mouth.

“It's not that—I'm not driving. I don't have a car here,” I mutter, my skin feeling tight.

Francesca nods, pink bleeding into the tops of her cheeks. "Oh right, I forgot about that."

Mom tsks. “Your old room is yours if you want it, honey. Then you don't have to worry about getting wet going to your hotel—orwherever—tonight.”

“I'm good, but thanks. I just want to be home—back—before it storms. That's all. So can we do dessert now? If not, someone can save me a piece too.”

“Wait. You’re not still afraid of thunderstorms, are you?” Cora asks, brows high and eyes widening.

Ugh, I fucking hate that look. Like she’s surprised and it’s not a good kind of surprise. It brings me right back to my childhood, when I would still try to get my sister to like me as much as she loved our cousin, Evangeline.

“Yeah, I am,” I say, giving Cora the briefest of glances. “And I don’t feel like sticking around for a power outage here.”

My parents’ house loses power so often, my dad’s been lobbying the electric company for some kind of credit. Little windy? No power. Classic thunderstorm? No power. Someone hit an electrical hub on the other side of town? No power.

I see Theo reaching out toward me with the little grunts I’ve come to recognize as him asking to be picked up, and I use him as a lifeline. I feel a little bad about it, but I’ll apologize to him—and to Mason—later if I have to. I just need to get out of this conversation, get away from this table.

I scoop Theo from the high chair and prop him on my hip, wiping his sticky hands on a wipe Mason wordlessly hands me. “C’mon, buddy, you can help me grab Cora’s dessert.”

Theo grins and drops his head to my collarbone as we walk toward the kitchen. I like to think of it as his version of a hug.

I smooth my hand over his back and murmur, “Thanks, buddy. You give the best hugs.”

“What’s going on?” Cora asks from behind me.

I jump at the sound of her voice, spinning around to look at her. “Jesus, you scared me.”

She tilts her head slightly as she looks at me, like she’s trying to piece together a puzzle. “What are you doing?”

I blink at her. “What do you mean?”

She flicks her finger around, like she’s circling me and Theo. “I mean with allthis.”

A flush falls over me and I shift my weight a little bit. I drop my gaze as I round the island and open the fridge, looking for something dessert-shaped. "You know I've always been good with babies and kids.”

“Right. But why are you suddenly so good withthisbaby?” she says, her voice right behind me. She reaches over my shoulder and grabs a covered pie plate. “Strawberry apple crumble pie.”

“Sounds delicious,” I mumble, stepping back and closing the fridge.

“Don’t dodge my question! And look, you’re doing itright now,” she accuses, pointing a finger at me. “You’re swaying with Mason’s son like you’ve had a lot of practice.”