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For only being two, Rebel was heavy. Miranda was used to lifting bodies and moving them from one place to another, but carrying around a twenty-pound kid on her hip was something else. It took her five trips going back and forth and the entire container of French fries from the kid’s meal to get everything inside.
She sat Rebel at the kitchen table with the rest of the food in front of her while she put away the groceries. She didn’t even have clothes for Rebel for the morning. Miranda closed her eyes, leaning against the kitchen counter, nearly in tears. What had gone so wrong with her sister? Well, she knew the answer to that question but still hated it.
No one had raised Tierney. Just like no one was raising Rebel. Why did the kid think it was okay to run around a grocery store like a lunatic? Because no one had taught her that it wasn’t okay. But that wasn’t Miranda’s job either. She was an auntie and that was it. She didn’t want to be anything more than that.
Rebel screamed. Miranda jerked her head up, finding the milk spilled all over the tabletop and then dripping onto the floor. She clenched her teeth hard. It wasn’t Rebel’s fault. None of this was. She just had to keep reminding herself of that. Rebel was the victim here.
Grabbing paper towels, Miranda walked over to clean up the mess. She said nothing to Rebel as she did it, letting her cry and throw the fit. It wasn’t until she rinsed her hands off in the sink that Rebel came over and wrapped her arms around her leg in a hug that Miranda stooped down and pulled her up into her arms again.
“What are we going to do? Hmm?”
Rebel leaned back, eyeing Miranda as if she held all the answers to the questions Miranda didn’t dare ask. She couldn’t ask them.
“Are you tired? I know I am.”
Rebel gave her a blank stare. Miranda hadn’t even heard her utter a single word so far. She should be saying something by age two, right? Reaching up, Miranda brushed her finger over Rebel’s chunky cheek.
“Well, at least she’s been feeding you even if she hasn’t been teaching you.” She sighed again. What was she supposed to do with a toddler? She had two funerals tomorrow, and three people out sick, which meant she had to work both of them and didn’t have backup to call in. Her parents were out of the question. They were the ones who had made this mess in the first place. Miranda had seen the effects of generational trauma and abuse for years. This might not have been physical or mental abuse, but it certainly was emotional neglect.
“I guess we better find some clothes for you somewhere.”
With weary feet, Miranda helped Rebel to finish her Happy Meal and then packed her back up into the car. They had to face the store again, only this time a different one. Hopefully it wouldn’t be as bad as the last one. Because once again, everything in her family fell onto her shoulders, and she was the one who had to pick up the pieces. If only she could break the cycle of bad parenting. Maybe with Rebel she could—at least for the next three days.
three
“Aili, Aili, Aili!” Harley sang as though nothing else in the world would ever make her as happy as that moment.
Tori grinned as she stepped into the director’s office at the daycare. She hadn’t seen Aili in weeks, and she honestly missed her ex-girlfriend. Well, friend. They had broken up right after Tori’s twentieth birthday, but it had been worth it. She’d started dating Siena a month later and landed herself the beautiful girl who was now sitting in Aili’s lap, giving her favorite auntie a huge hug.
“Mommy! Aili’s back!” Harley bounced with excitement and hugged Aili again.
“Hey,” Tori stated, a sweet smile to her lips. “Glad to be back?”
“You know it. I missed this place.” Aili flushed, her cheeks rosy.
Tori didn’t miss that sly look and blush. “Did you meet someone on your trip?”
Aili shook her head. “More who I took with me. We’ll talk later.” She whispered the last part and covered Harley’s ears.
Now Tori was intrigued, but she knew they couldn’t talk about certain things while in the center. She gave Aili a pointed look. “I expect a call tonight.”
“Promises!” Aili giggled and turned her thousand-watt smile on Tori. “What have you been up to?”
The brunette in the grocery store flashed through her mind, the kid with the mop of curls clinging to her leg after falling and tears building in her eyes. Tori shook the thought. She needed to brush off the negativity she still carried around with her from that woman. She couldn’t remember the last time something had stayed with her this long. Then again, that woman had been drop dead gorgeous.
“Things have been good. Business is booming lately. Something must be in the water because I’ve had more coaching clients contact me in the last two weeks than in the last two months. Everyone wants an emergency session with their favorite life coach.” Truthfully, it did give her a boost of confidence every time she got that call, but she didn’t have enough hours in the day to serve everyone.
Tiny thumping feet thundered through the hall. Frowning, Tori twisted around toward the door, her shoulders tense. She stepped toward the doorway and scooped up a small body with a familiar mop of tangled hair covering half her head and half her face.
“Rebel?” Confusion filled her.
At least this time Rebel hadn’t run face-first into her. Tori popped Rebel on her hip as though she had done this every day of the young child’s life. She tickled her stomach, eliciting a loud burst of laughter as Rebel tried to grab Tori’s hand to make her stop. When Tori pulled away, Rebel bopped her on the nose with her chubby hand. Tori burst out in a laugh, uncontrolled and natural.
“You remember me!” She honestly hadn’t expected that. They’d barely spent two minutes together in the grocery store aisle while she’d tried to find… Tori stopped short. Rebel’s mother. The Miranda Priestly act-alike, though she certainly didn’t look like her. At least in complexion. She’d certainly held the same air and tension and command in her shoulders. Strong. Sexy. Willful. Perfection wrapped up tightly in one smooth body with perfect curves. Tori gulped.
“Mommy.” Harley pulled on Tori’s pants near her other hip. Tori looked down and smiled at her daughter, though she was still struggling with the fact that that woman had to be nearby. “How do you know Rebel?”
“We met at the store the other day.” Tori didn’t need to look up to know that Aili’s attention was glued to them. Tori held Rebel tightly, knowing she was a flight risk.
