Page 192 of Every Silent Lie

“You’re coming to live with us, and I don’t want any arguments about it, okay? You’re nearly one hundred and one, and?—”

“Okay,” Mr. Percival says, simple as that. Dec recoils. So do I.

“Oh my gosh,” Albi sings. “Mr. Percival, you can sleep in my teepee! We can have milk and cookies together before bedtime, and you can help me build my Lego. Daddy and Camryn decorated my bedroom in Spitfires too! I’ll show you. And I have a bunk bed now. I sleep on top. You can sleep on the bottom one.”

“Jeez, kid, put a sock in it, will you? I’m supposed to have a headache.”

Dec snorts, and I laugh, frowning. “So, again, what’s the plan?” I ask. “I need to pop to the store and I have some deliveries to collect.”

“I need sticky tape!” Albi declares.

“I need some Scotch,” Dec adds.

“I need a nap,” Mr. Percival says.

“Okay, let’s take Mr. Percival home, I can quickly change, and then we can go to the store.”

“Shhh,” Albi hisses, his finger at his mouth.

“Sorry,” I whisper.

Then he grins. Albi’s grins are like sunshine—pure, bright and warming. I hold my hand out to him, and he takes it, squeezing hard. “Love you, fella,” I say, my heart swelling.

“Love you back, Camryn,” he says, so casually. Like he doesn’t understand the weight of those words. And he might not, but I do know that he does, in fact, love me.

“What about me?” Dec asks from up front, casting his eyes to the rear-view mirror to me.

“I love you too,” I say, smiling.

“But she loves me more,” Albi replies, again casual, looking out of the window while still clinging onto my hand.

He truly doesn’t understand the weight of those words.

“And that will always be okay,” Dec, murmurs, smiling at the road.

Once we’re home, Dec walks Mr. Percival up the steps as Albi and I run off in front. “Won’t be long,” I call, letting us in and throwing my keys on the console table and kicking my shoes off. “Do you need the bathroom before we go back out?” I ask Albi, noticing the telltale sign of him fidgeting as he goes into his playroom and puts a few more pieces on his latest Lego creation. “Albi,” I say.

“Yeah?”

“Do you need the bathroom?”

“No.”

I huff and go to him, dipping and pulling him to his feet. “Go pee,” I order gently. Always too busy to pee.

“Okay, okay,” he moans, running to the downstairs loo. And always in a mad rush.

On that thought, I dash upstairs and quickly get changed, rushing back down. I grab my boots, hearing Dec in the lounge with Mr. Percival.

April breezes through the door, Blaine in tow, carrying dozens of bags, and freezes when she spots me.

“You’re early,” I say, checking my phone as I pull a boot on. It’s only three o’clock. They’re supposed to be here at six.

“Oh, we both got done in the office sooner than we thought so decided we’d make our way over.”

“We’ve got to pop to the shops.”

“No problem.” Blaine pushes past me, heading to the kitchen. “We’ll unpack and get food on for tonight.”