I’d left the house before daybreak, before Cass had even gotten out of bed, and spent the morning out on the bike. It’d been a long week, and I needed an hour to myself. As soon as I rolled the throttle back, my mind went blank and I was completely focused on the twists and turns of the road. There was truly nothing like feeling the wind in my face and the sun at my back. It was all the therapy I needed. I could’ve spent the entire day just riding. After I’d gone by the clubhouse to check in with Guardrail, I headed out to Cape Flattery to do some exploring. The smell of the salt air helped clear my thoughts, soothed my soul, as I rode along the coastline, and I was just about to pick up the speed when I felt my phone vibrating at my chest. I pulled over onto the shoulder, and when I looked down at the screen, I saw it was Cass calling.
I killed the engine, and as soon as I answered, she said, “You have to do something about the girls.”
Laughing, I said, “What are they up to now?”
“The usual,” she huffed. “They’ve been going at it since they woke up.”
I looked down at my watch, and when I saw that it was only eight, I asked, “How long have they been up?”
She sighed as she said, “About twenty minutes.”
“I’ll be home in ten.”
“Cotton?” she whispered in that sweet, loving voice she got when she wanted something.
“Yeah, darlin’. Whatcha need?”
“Can you grab some milk on your way home?”
“Yeah, no problem. Need anything else?”
“Just you,” she teased.
“You got me. I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I told her.
I didn’t waste any time getting back to the house. I parked the bike and went inside, finding the house to be oddly quiet. When I walked into the kitchen, the refrigerator door was open and Cass was standing there, staring inside. She was still in her long, pink nightgown, and her hair was twisted on top of her head in a messy bun. She looked absolutely stunning as she ran her hands over her round belly. I dropped the bag of milk along with a few extras I’d bought on the kitchen counter, then walked over to her, gently kissing her on the back of the neck.
She leaned against me as she turned her head back toward me and said, “I forgot to tell you to grab some eggs, too.”
“I got some,” I smiled. “What’s going on with the girls?”
She tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear as she said, “I may have overreacted. I woke up a little grumpy this morning. Your son is making it almost impossible for me to sleep, so I was a little on edge this morning. I shouldn’t have called you to come home.”
“When it comes to my girls, always call.” I eased her away from the door of the refrigerator, then closed it as I said, “Now, go get in bed and get some rest. I’ll see about the girls then I’ll make breakfast. You sleep.”
“You sure?”
“Absolutely. Now, go get some rest. I’ll bring you a plate when it’s ready.”
She kissed me on the cheek and said, “Forewarning... Darby pulled all the heads off of Susana’s Barbie dolls and she’s hidden them somewhere in their room.”
I couldn’t hold back my smile. Just like when I was a kid, my girls were always into something. Hiding the heads was a new twist for Darby, but I wasn’t surprised she’d done it. For a six-year-old, she was pretty crafty with her revenge. But I knew she wouldn’t have touched Susana’s dolls unless there was a reason. I’d just have to figure out why she’d done it, so I assured Cass by saying, “I’ve got it under control.”
I knew the twins were a handful, and seeing that Cass was eight and half months pregnant, she was feeling a little overwhelmed. When I walked into the room, Darby’s curly hair was an untamed mess, while Susana’s had already been brushed and pulled back into a ponytail. They were twins, but totally opposite in almost every way. Each was amazing in her own way, and I couldn’t adore them more. When I walked into their room, Darby was sitting on her bed, playing with the cat, and when she looked up at me with those dark brown eyes, it was hard to imagine she could ever do anything as mischievous as taking her sister’s dolls and mutilating them. Susana was sitting on the floor, pouting. When she spotted me, she immediately started with the waterworks.
Big, fat crocodile tears pooled in her eyes and ran down her chubby, little cheeks as she said, “Darby hurt my dollies.”
I closed the door and crossed my arms, giving them both my best ‘I’m not messing around’ pose. Sometimes, that’s all it took to get them to spill the beans on everything that had happened, but not today. They both just looked at me, giving me their most innocent expressions. Too fucking cute. I walked over to Darby’s bed and sat down as I asked, “Why do you think she did that, Susana?”