Friends with Benefits - Nicole Blanchard Page 0,11

need to get going.” Ember got to her feet and pulled me to mine, shoving me to the door.

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay? I can call Coach Taylor tomorrow and tell him I’m sick or something. Probably the flu from one of the brats.”

Ember laughed. “I’ll make sure to tell them you said that.”

My heart eased at seeing the smile, however brief, flirt across her lips. “I’ll stop by after practice tomorrow to check on you guys.”

“You don’t have to do that. We’re fine. My parents have gone on benders before. It was a lot of things at once, and, apparently, I need to take a nap before I break down and cry on anybody else.”

I reached up and tugged on a loose lock of her hair, causing her to smack my hand away. “You can cry on me anytime,” I said.

I thought about her when I went to sleep in my room that shared a wall with hers. Which wasn’t new. I thought about her all the time.

It wasn’t really a secret, either.

Which somehow made it even worse.

Chapter Five

Ember

“When is Mommy coming home?” Molly asked.

How was it that children could be so innocent and so intuitive at the same time?

I decided the best course of action was honesty. The girls knew what our parents were like, and I felt that they didn’t need another adult in their lives who lied to them. Of course, I didn’t know if telling them the truth was the proper course of action, but I was doing my best.

“I don’t know, sugar bean. She…had some plans, and they must have taken longer than she anticipated. But don’t worry, we’ll do something fun today to pass the time.”

Explaining it to them when she didn’t come back tomorrow or the day after or the day after that would be a little more difficult.

Tillie shared a look with her sister. “What about Daddy? He didn’t come home last night either.”

They were too smart for their own good. I knew it, and yet sometimes I took how much they absorbed for granted. Kneeling down, I cupped both of their cheeks.

“Babies, this is one time I won’t have all of the answers for you. Sometimes grownups make mistakes. Sometimes they disappoint you and do the wrong thing. Mommy and Daddy aren’t making very good choices right now, but I don’t want you to worry. No matter what happens, I’ll always be here for you. You know that, right?”

Their eyes watered, and I pulled them close, my heart aching for them.

“Do they not love us anymore?” Molly asked, her voice wobbly. Tillie sniffled in my ear on the other side.

My heart broke into tiny little pieces. No child should ever have a reason to ask such a question. I held them tighter. “Of course they still love you. Who wouldn’t?”

“Then why would they leave us?” Tillie asked. “Were we being bad?”

I would have gladly ripped my parents to shreds as I listened to the twins’ questions and allayed their fears. It had never bothered me how inattentive and downright negligent our parents were when I was growing up. I hadn’t known any different.

“This isn’t about you,” I said firmly. “You haven’t done anything wrong. I don’t want to hear you say that again. You two are perfect. I don’t ever want to hear you thinking it’s your fault again.”

Next time I saw either of my parents, they were going to get an earful. I’d never truly stood up to them before. They somehow always managed to convince me things would change, and nearly a dozen years later, they were the same as they had been when I was the twins’ age. It wasn’t fair to any of us.

Molly pulled back and clutched her sister’s hand. “We’re sorry the lady had to call you in from work. We tried to be brave, but it was so dark, and we kept hearing creepy noises, and we got scared.”

“You don’t have to apologize for calling me, sweetheart. You did the absolute right thing. It’s not safe for you two to be home alone. You don’t worry about work; that’s my job. Now, let’s get you two dressed for the day, get some breakfast, and maybe we’ll go down to the park?”

Their eyes brightened. “Will you push us on the swings?” Molly asked.

“Of course, sweetheart. Now, do you two want pancakes or scrambled eggs?”

The time at the park helped us all unwind and take some space from the stress. I’d texted