Page 170 of Next to Everything We Wanted

I rolled my eyes.

“So, what about Aunt Ruby?” Adam asked. “Are you going to try to work things out with her?”

I scoffed. “You want me to make up with the woman who left me and then hijacked my relationship with my boyfriend?”

“Maybe not make up, but you can talk things out to make things less crappy between you.”

I shook my head. “That’s not happening.”

“Did you ever read the letter she sent you in April?” Emma asked.

“I read it and talked to her on the phone.”To get more information about her job.

A twinge of guilt panged in me as Mom’s pained expression popped in my mind. Had it been wrong of me to get mad at her when all she’d wanted was to mend our relationship?

It couldn’t have been wrong. She’d left me and Dad in the dust all because she wanted to pursue fame again. She could handle a few hard pills to swallow. No matter how good she was at sweet-talking, we’d never be a whole family again.

“I know Aunt Ruby messed up by leaving,” Adam said, “but she can’t change what she did in the past. The best she can do is try to change the future.”

Emma nodded. “Aunt Ruby wanted to try to make things right. Even though it doesn’t make up for everything, she still wants you. You don’t want to hear it, but it’s a chance that other people don’t have.”

The twins exchanged a heavy look.

I blinked, confused about where this was going. “Where is this coming from?”

“We’re just saying . . .” Emma’s voice trailed off as she played with Bailey’s tail, which caused Bailey to glare at her. “Not every mom wants to talk to their kids.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Did something happen with Aunt May?”

Adam scoffed. “Like we know anything that happens with her.”

Okay, I wasn’t expectingthat.

“She never spends time with us,” Emma whined. “When she’s not working, she only wants to be around Dad. She promises to do stuff with us, but she never follows through. It’s like she’s not even there.”

“At least Dad tries to hang out with us,” Adam said. “Like taking us to the movies or out to eat. But even he’s busy all the time. He and Mom used to be around more when we were little.”

A sharp pain wedged its way between my ribs. “I . . . I never knew you guys felt that way,” I said, a frown spreading across my face. I knew she and Uncle Reed worked a lot, but I thought they still had family time—that they were the happy family Dad wished we had. “Have you ever told your parents how you feel?”

The twins both shared a look before shaking their heads. At the moment, they looked like reflections of each other, with their big brown eyes and pouting lips.

“I think you should talk to them,” I said softly. “Maybe they don’t know that they’re hurting you.” I remembered how excited Aunt May had been to become a mom, preparing the house with everything she could find. Having twins was a dream come true for her and Uncle Reed.

They’d never want them to feel this way.

That was the difference between them and Mom. Aunt May’s and Uncle Reed’s shifts drained them, but they still worked hard for their family. Mom left us for selfish reasons, not caring about how Dad and I would fall apart. Aunt May and Uncle Reed didn’t know they were hurting their kids. Mom knew she was.

“We’ll try to talk to them,” Emma said after a few beats of silence.

Adam nodded. “And maybe you can try to talk to your mom.”

I sighed. “I’ll think about it.”

Dad emerged from the master bedroom. “Is it safe to come out now? You’ve been talking up a storm.”

“We’re done,” I said, trying to maintain my composure. “Sorry about that.”

“Not a problem.” He sat back in his chair. “We have all night.”