I smiled and took in everyone’s happy faces and felt blessed. This was the family I’d show the man in my life.
Was that man Killian Fitzpatrick? I guessed only time would tell. I was hopeful though. The chemistry between us was promising. I watched as Rory picked up a bite of chicken and tossed it to Amber who smartly sat next to the highchair to get all the scraps.
“Rory,” Genesis warned. “I saw that. No more for Amber.”
“Doggie hungry, Mama,” she claimed.
“Doggie has a food bowl and can eat any time she wants. That food is for your belly to nourish you so you can be big and tall.”
“And a queen,” Rory stated serious as a heart attack.
Blessing chuckled. “My girl,” she touted loud and proud.
Genesis took a full breath and let it out slowly. “And a Queen.”
“Damn straight,” Blessing added and plopped a bite of gooey enchilada into her mouth.
“Blessing, seriously?” Mama Kerri chastised her again. “The mouth on my girls.” She shook her head. “The world is going to think I’ve raised a bunch of hoodlums, not successful, intelligent women with wide and vast vocabularies.”
“Sorry, Mama.” Blessing grinned and then made big eyes at me until I laughed.
“I love my family!” I blurted loudly for the entire table, the gushy feeling in my stomach growing and spreading up my chest to the point where I could no longer contain it.
I heard the door slam in the other room and Jonah stood abruptly, hand to the gun at his hip. Sonia walked in wearing a navy power suit and a smile that slipped off her face as she took in everyone eating. “What, you couldn’t wait? I’m like ten minutes late.”
“SoSo, you’re forty-five minutes late and most of the time you’re more than that,” Simone clarified.
“What’d I miss?” she asked tossing her briefcase on the counter near the phone and grabbing the plate Mama had already made for her that was covered in tin foil. “Thanks, Mama,” she said pulling back the tin foil and tossing it into the recycling.
“Addison loves us,” Charlie supplied helpfully.
Sonia smiled and took in my face. Her eyes were the color of the clearest blue sky. “I love you too, sister.”
Now that was all I needed. My family. Good food. Laughter. And love.
Oh, and maybe a hunky photographer.
CHAPTER SEVEN
The covers slipping back and the chill air piercing my skin woke me from an exhausted sleep. I opened my eyes to Simone putting a knee to my childhood full-sized bed and sliding down beside me. I pushed back until my booty hit the wall so she’d have enough room.
She turned to her side and tucked both of her hands in prayer position under her cheek as I covered her up with the comforter.
“Couldn’t sleep?” I whispered even though Blessing sleeping in her own bed across the room wouldn’t wake. That woman slept the sleep of the dead. You had to scream her name or physically shake her, which is why she had the loudest, most annoying phone alarm in the universe.
Simone shook her head. “Bad dream.”
I inhaled slowly and wrapped my arm around her waist keeping our faces close together. “Tell me about it.”
She shook her head. “You don’t want to know.”
“Si, you haven’t needed to get in bed with me in an entire month. You’ve been triggered by that girl being murdered. It’s okay to talk about it, because I worry about you too.” I reached out and pushed her golden blonde locks off her cheek so I could see her entire face.
Simone licked her lips, and her voice shook when she spoke. “I was walking through the park at night. I tripped on something and fell. And I came face-to-face with your dead body. Your eyes were open and there were blue rings around your neck.”
“Sister, that is not going to happen to me.” I ran my fingers through her hair and kept doing it, wanting her to feel my presence as much as hear my words.
“It was so real, Addy. Like Tabby. One moment I was walking along and then, boom, you were dead. I can’t survive losing another sister. I think I’d actually go insane.” I could hear the pain and desperation blanketing her words.
“How are your therapy sessions going?” I asked, making sure my tone wasn’t judgmental. I hadn’t brought myself to seek therapy, instead I’d spent the last three months hiding at Mama Kerri’s and pretending everything was fine. Using my need to heal as the reason for my