“I told you this was a valid concern,” he mutters as we listen to the slap of feet on hardwood floor as they head in our direction. With a yelp I start to scramble, shoving at Owen to try to get him to slide off the edge of the bed. “What are you doing?”
“Stella is coming,” I hiss the words. I shove harder against his shoulder, finally making headway. “You can’t be in my bed. Hide.”
“Where exactly would you like me to hide?”
“Anywhere but in my bed.”
The phone starts to vibrate again, the ever-persistent Gloria determined I am going to answer. Owen hits the floor between the bed and the wall with a solid thunk just as Stella throws open the door. The white bandage stretched out across her forehead is a stark reminder of our visit to the emergency room the night before. As is the bright pink cast she is currently hugging against her little body.
“Mama!” She darts across the room as I pull the blanket up across my body. “Can I have cancakes?”
“In a little bit, baby girl. How are you feeling today? Does your head hurt? Your arm?”
“Yes. My owie hurts.” Stella points to the stitches across her forehead. Her little lips purse as she tries to figure out a way to crawl up on to the bed with only one good arm. She jumps a couple of times, but doesn’t manage to get a good enough grip to pull herself up. “Mama.” She huffs, frustration evident in her tone. “I can’t get up.”
“That’s okay, baby. We should go downstairs to let Huck out.”
“And make cancakes.”
“Pancakes,” I correct, giving a quick glance to Owen who is still huddled on the floor. The pained look on his face lets me know that his fall out of bed wasn’t a pleasant one. “Give me just a moment, Stella, and I’ll meet you downstairs to let Huck out.”
She heads toward the door just as my phone starts vibrating again. It fell out of the bed with Owen and is currently dancing its way across the floor. My ever-inquisitive child immediately drops down upon hearing the noise, peering under the bed. My eyes slide closed as I hear her breath catch. She pops back up, eyes wide. “Mama.” Her sweet voice is full of wonder. “My Owen is under your bed.”
“Is he?” I try to sound utterly surprised and count myself lucky that she isn’t old enough to pick up on the fact that I am not surprised at all.
“He’s hiding. Hi, My Owen!” Stella bends at the waist and waves her good arm. “Hi! Can we have Olaf cancakes again?”
I heard about the famed Olaf pancakes from both Stella, who had loved them and been in awe of Owen’s cooking capabilities, and Bash who told me that even though they were shaped like dicks, they still tasted like regular, old pancakes. As the rest of his brothers were nearby when he made his comment, there were quite a few dick-tasting jokes immediately following his statement.
I lean back across the bed, locking eyes with Owen. “Yes, My Owen, can we have Olaf pancakes?”
“Mama!” Stella giggles. “He’s My Owen!”
“Right.” I reach over and tickle under his chin. “I don’t know what I was thinking. Why don’t you and Huck head downstairs and I’ll be right along behind with your Owen.”
“Okay!” She shuffles out of the bedroom, Huck close on her heels. I listen to the two of them race down the stairs before I flop on my back and start laughing. Owen climbs on the bed next to me, laughter shaking his own body as he settles in next to me.
“That didn’t go quite how you planned.”
“No.” I roll to face him. “At least she didn’t seem traumatized.”
“Just hungry,” he agrees.
“She mentioned her head hurting. I’m going to get her some fruit to eat and some of the pain medication they gave us.” I brush my hand over his chest one more time before rolling to my stomach and then reaching over to the ground to find my phone. I’m quite surprised it hasn’t started to ring again. Maybe Gloria gave up. I know that’s not the case. There should be at least one cup of coffee in my system before I call her back. Snagging my phone, I roll off the bed, stopping long enough to grab my cardigan. “We better go before they tear the place apart.”
It’s a glimpse at what our mornings will be like. Stella following Huck out into the backyard while Owen yells at her to be careful. I set up the Kurieg, inhaling the most beautiful scent in the world while it brews. Owen stands at the back door, watching Stella carefully to make sure she doesn’t injure herself further as she walks next to Huck around the backyard. I’ve finished my first cup and have the second one brewing before I can finally convince Owen to stop hovering over Stella long enough to start making pancakes.
I leave him in the kitchen, following the sound of laughter outside to sit on the back step with my coffee. I turn on the bubble machine and listen to Stella giggle as Huck chases the bubbles, eating the ones he can catch. She doesn’t chase after the bubbles with him, but sits on the bottom step and cheers him on. My phone is a heavy weight in the pocket of my cardigan, but I still can’t bring myself to ruin the perfection of this morning by calling Gloria back.
Huck tires out before Stella does. He wanders over, hefting his body up the stairs to sit next to me. I run my hand over his soft fur, and together we watch Stella play in the sandbox that Liam had built for her last weekend. He’d told her in the summer we could put a little pool next to it and it would be like having the beach right in her backyard.
Watching her happily dump sand on one of her dolls, I slide my hand into the pocket of my sweater and pull out my cell phone. Gloria has called six times, but she hasn’t left a single voicemail. She’s never left a single voicemail in her life. My theory is that Gloria feels it’s beneath her to talk to a machine. I set my empty coffee mug on the step next to me, take a fortifying breath, and call her back.
“Why didn’t you answer my calls, Tristan?” The phone doesn’t even get half a ring out before her voice snaps over the line.
“You called before the sun was up, Gloria. I was sleeping.”
Or hoping to have sex again. Whatever.
“Wasting the day.” Gloria sniffs delicately. “Regardless, I need you to have Stella ready for me to pick up within the next two hours.”
“I’m sorry?” I question, sure I didn’t hear her correctly. She wants me to have Stella ready for her to pick up in two hours? That means that she’s already in Georgia, and she didn’t have the decency to call and let me know she was coming. She just expects us to drop everything and let her have Stella for however long she wants her today.
“Since you couldn’t be bothered to bring Stella to me, I have made the trip to this tiny …town.” Disdain drips from her cultured voice. “I would like to spend the day with my granddaughter, Tristan. She’s my only link to my son. Is that too much to ask?”
“No, of course not.” I know I’m stuttering. She’s taken me completely by surprise. “It’s just, we had plans today, Gloria.’
“Break them.”
“It’s not that simple, Gloria. We have plans with the Gallahanger’s today.” Which is only partially true. We had plans with Owen and Huck Gallahanger, but I’m sure we’ll see at least one or two other Gallahanger’s throughout the day. After everything that happened yesterday, I just want to spend the day as a family.