For The Love of Easton (For the Love Of #2) - A.M. Hargrove Page 0,20

and sent to the builder. We’ve already purchased the land.”

“But I love this house.” And it was an amazing one.

“We do too. However, with the baby coming—”

“Oh, no. This is my fault, isn’t it?”

Mom’s arm came around my shoulders. “Not at all. We talked about this before, but now is the perfect time to do it.”

“But Dad, you’re so close to work and all.”

He shrugged. “I can work my own hours so traffic won’t be an issue. I’ll leave after rush hour and come home before it hits. And you know how much I travel and work from home, anyway.”

It was true. He only spent a week, two at the most every month in the office.

“Honey, we’ve looked at this from every possible angle. The little ones are at the right time to switch schools. Anna Monroe is eager to move too.”

“But Banana and Geepa. What will they do?”

My parents laughed. “They are putting their house on the market and moving too. They want to downsize.”

That was understandable. Now that my parents had a huge home, there wasn’t a reason for them to have one too. It was time for them to enjoy retirement and life.

“I’m cool with that, even though their house is the bomb.”

“Yeah, I’ll miss it too, but they’ve also bought property near us so they won’t be far at all.”

“How far?” I was curious.

“A couple of blocks away.”

“Can I see the house plans?”

“Sure.” Dad went to get them.

“English, you’re going to love it.”

And I did. They were adding a small wing for the baby and me. I was shocked. “What? Why?”

“Before you say anything, let us explain,” Dad said. “Banana and Geepa will someday need a place—and I’m talking in the very distant future—to stay. You know, when they’re old. This will be perfect for them. It’ll also be perfect for guests after you move away from us. It’ll be a very functional suite. And think of the other kids too. What if any of them move away and come back for a visit?”

“I hadn’t thought of that. Now that I see it, it’s really cool. So when does this all happen?”

“They’ve already started. We’re hoping within six months, but you know how construction goes.”

“Dad, knowing you, you’ll be on their butts every day.”

“You’re wrong. Your mother’s the one who’ll do that.”

My mom looked so sweet, but inside of her ran a ribbon of steel. Dad had once told me she hadn’t always been like that. When they’d first met, she’d been very timid, due to the loss of her parents and some extremely rough times she’d lived through. But later, she’d emerged as someone not to be taken lightly. And I could attest to that.

Stacey yelled from the living room, “English, where’s my cosmo?”

I’d gotten lost in my daydreaming. Had she downed the last one already? I ran down the stairs and there she sat with a silly grin on her face, waving an empty glass in the air.

“Um, when was the last time you ate?” I asked.

She clamped her mouth shut and tapped a finger on her cheek. “Er, I dunno. Last night?”

Christ, I’d given her two extra-strong cosmos on an empty stomach. No wonder she was blitzed. “All righty then, it’s time for me to make us something to eat.”

“Not hungry.”

“Maybe not, but you’ll thank me tomorrow.” This called for a meal full of carbs, so I put a pot of spaghetti on, pulled a carton of meat sauce out of the freezer, and dumped it into a saucepan. They were both ready around the same time and I forced her to sit at the kitchen island.

“But I don’t wanna eat. It’ll kill my buzz.”

“No, it won’t. It’ll make you feel better so you can drink more.”

That perked her up. “Really? Okay, I’m in.”

She wobbled her way to the island and took a seat. I fixed her a bowl of pasta and tucked a napkin into her shirt collar.

“What’d you do that for?”

“You’ll see.”

When she finished, there was as much sauce covering the napkin and her face as there was in her belly. I took several pics of her, without her knowledge, of course. She was going to kill me, but I wouldn’t show anyone. It was too comical to pass up.

As I was cleaning her up, which was no small task because she kept trying to help me, Easton called out, “Aunt Stacey Bear. What are you doing here?”

Stacey moved to get off the chair and ended up tumbling to the floor.