Wild Heart (Viper's Heart Duet Book 2) (7 page)

While I hated Viper being away, thankfully it was an easy transition. I was already used to that lifestyle from being married to Mike. I handled it all in stride. The kids, the house, life in general. It all balanced out. Now I had the added task of helping Gam out, and while it wasn’t
that
big of a deal, it worried me a little. She lived about half an hour away from my house, so it wasn’t that easy to just zip over if she needed me. Most days we went over in the morning and hung there until bedtime. A couple nights we’d even slept over just in case she needed anything during the night.

I spent the morning at her house and then Regina came over to visit with her daughter and grandkids. Feeling guilty that I had to be there so much, Gam told me to head on home since she had people there. I probably should have argued more, but I was happy to have a day to do some other things. I gave her a kiss good-bye and told her to call the minute Regina left.

Just as I was loading the kids in the car, my phone beeped, letting me know a text had come in. I clicked Maura’s buckle shut and grabbed my phone from my back pocket. It was a text from Brody’s wife, Kacie.

K:
      
Hey! What are you guys doing today? I know you’re busy with Gam and stuff, but I was wondering if you wanted to come up here and swim while we still have a few nice days left?

I let out a heavy sigh and looked back and forth from Matthew to Maura. I had a million things to do at the house, but those two had been such troopers about going with me to Gam’s every day, they deserved a little fun. Plus, the thought of having another mom to chat with for a while sounded more exciting than a bubble bath and a glass of wine.

“Hey, you want to go to Kacie’s and swim with the kids?” I asked Matthew.

His arms shot straight up in the air. “Yay!”

I mumbled under my breath as I grabbed the bag behind the passenger’s seat. “Wait. Let me just see if I have—Bingo!” I pulled their wadded-up bathing suits from the bag and held them up. “Guess it pays to leave your junk in the car for a couple weeks, huh, Matthew?”

He grinned and nodded.

I sent Kacie a quick text.

You have no idea how bad I needed this today. On our way!

Kacie and Brody lived about an hour away, but the kids were ready for a nap anyway, so the timing was actually perfect. They slept in the car while I drove along, bopping my head to the soft music.

We pulled onto the long dirt road that led to Kacie’s house and drove slowly through the trees until her house came into view. Lucy, Piper, and Emma were running around the front yard and Kacie was sitting on the big porch swing with Grace in her arms. She stood and waved as we pulled up.

“I still can’t believe you live here,” I called as I unbuckled Maura from her car seat. Brody and Kacie had built their dream house just a hundred yards or so away from her mom’s place, The Cranberry Inn, and it was beautiful. An enormous, white country-style house with the most massive front porch I’d ever seen. In the back was a huge deck that looked out over their large yard that butted right up to the lake. It was a dream.

“Sometimes I can’t believe it either,” Kacie said as she came down the steps to meet me. “Hi, sweet girl.” She leaned over and planted a kiss on the side of Maura’s sweaty head before wrapping her arms around me, too. “How
are
you? Brody told me about all of the craziness with Gam.”

“I’m good.” I shrugged with a smile when she pulled back. “It does add a lot of work to my day, but nothing I can’t handle.”

“Come on in. I made lunch,” she said cheerfully, waving us to follow her.

“Matthew, I’m gonna go inside with Kacie. You stay by Lucy and Piper, got it?” I asked him in that way that moms do, where it’s more telling than asking.

“Yes, Momma,” he answered quickly before turning around and chasing Emma across the yard.

“Lucy and Piper?” Kacie called out.

“We got him, Mom,” Piper called back.

We climbed the wooden steps of her porch and went through the door. Kacie’s house was bright and open, yet warm and inviting. The strong smell of cinnamon invaded my nose and I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. “That smells
so
good. Are you baking?”

“No way,” Kacie shook her head with a laugh. “It’s a candle. I hardly cook at all when Brody’s out of town. I’m the worst.”

“I hardly cook when Viper’s
in
town.
I’m
the worst.”

We both laughed as I sat down at the kitchen table, letting Maura loose on the floor. She immediately waddled over and plopped down next to their black lab named Diesel, who was sleeping quietly. “She’s okay over there, right?”

“Oh yeah,” Kacie nodded. “He’s the most gentle creature you’ve ever met in your whole life. If living with these four crazy girls hasn’t made him snap yet, I’m pretty sure nothing will. Plus, he’s in his happy place.”

Without saying anything, I tilted my head to the side, not sure what she meant.

“He’s lying on top of the air conditioning vent,” she added.

I let out another quick laugh as she turned and headed up the stairs. “I’m gonna lay her down real quick. Be right back.”

The floor above my head creaked as she walked across the second floor to Grace’s bedroom.

“Momma. Goggie!” Maura said excitedly.

“I know.” I grinned at her. “Is that a doggie?”

Her little head bobbed up and down as she looked back at Diesel, who’d opened one eye and was watching her cautiously.

A couple seconds later, Kacie came back down the stairs with the baby monitor in her hand. “Okay,” she said with a big sigh. “What can I get you to drink? I have water, sweet tea, pink lemonade . . .”

“I would love a glass of pink lemonade, actually.”

“Coming right up.” She took a pretty aqua glass out of the cabinet and set it on the island. “Okay, so let’s get to it. How are you really?”

“I’m good,” I answered.

She stopped pouring and glanced at me skeptically, raising one eyebrow.

“I promise I am,” I reassured through a chuckle. “I mean, I’m not sure what day it is, but I’m good.”

“You have a lot going on right now, Michelle.”

“I know, but I love Gam so I don’t mind.”

She set the glass down in front of me. “I know that, but just because you love someone doesn’t mean taking care of them isn’t exhausting.”

“I’m definitely exhausted, I’ll give you that. But it’s nothing I can’t handle yet.” I didn’t really want to talk about Gam and my exhaustion any more. It just made me more tired. “So what’s going on over here with you guys? We didn’t get to talk long the other day.”

“Not much.” She shrugged her shoulders as she sat down across from me with her own glass of pink lemonade. “Just settling back into our routine of having Brody gone half the time. That’s always an adjustment.”

“I’ll drink to that.” I raised my glass before taking a big gulp of the tart juice.

“And every year I feel bad. As summer ends, he gets so excited to start a new season, but for me it’s bittersweet because that means he’s going to be gone . . . a lot.”

“Same here.” I nodded.

“And lately he’s been hinting to maybe wanting another baby, and honestly . . .” Her voice trailed off as she shook her head, staring outside.

“Are you really thinking about it?”

“I don’t know. Part of me would love to try and see if I can give him a son, but then I think maybe we’re just meant to have four girls.” She looked back at me and stuck her bottom lip out dramatically. “My uterus is tired.”

I tossed my head back and let out a loud laugh. “I can only imagine.”

“What about you guys?”

My laugh stopped like someone turned it off with a light switch. “What about us?”

“I don’t know. Marriage, mini-Vipers . . . any of that on the horizon?”

I swallowed hard, wanting so desperately to be honest with Kacie about how I
really
felt about all of that, but decided it wasn’t the right time. “I have no idea. He’s not exactly the marrying type, ya know?”

“He wasn’t until he met you.”

“I’m still not sure, but who knows. I guess stranger things have happened, right?”

“Stranger things
have
happened. Like me catching Brody loading the dishwasher last week. If that can happen without me even asking, I’m pretty sure nothing is impossible.”

I let out a quick laugh. “Hey, I meant to ask you. Have you talked to Darla lately?”

“I have, actually. Her and Neil are settled into their apartment and she says it’s perfect. She starts her new job next week.”

“Good,” I said with a nod. “I miss her.”

“Me, too.” Kacie’s mouth turned down.

We spent the rest of the afternoon talking about everything and nothing while the kids splashed in the lake and built sandcastles on the shore. Those couple of hours with her felt like my soul had plugged itself in for a recharge of epic proportions. I didn’t even know I needed that afternoon, but it was completely refreshing.

As the sun was starting to set, I was sad to start packing up the kids to leave.

“You know”—Kacie craned her neck to see the clock—“their game starts in about half an hour. Wanna give the kids a bath, throw them in some pajamas, and they can play while we watch the game? Maybe order pizza and sleep here?”

My need to go home and catch up on laundry was quickly trumped by my need to have a sleepover at Kacie’s house with all the kids.

“That sounds awesome, just let me check in with Gam. If she needs me, I’m gonna have to go.” I fished my phone out of my bag. “I’ll be right back.”

I stepped into the other room and dialed Gam’s number.

The phone rang . . . and rang . . . and rang. My heart started pounding faster as horrific scenarios zipped around my brain.

Finally she answered. “Hello?” she said through a laugh.

“What are you doing?” The words rushed out of my mouth in a scolding tone.

“Are you okay? Why do you sound like that?”

I took a shaky breath. “I was just scared because you took so long to answer.”

“Michelle, I just had hip surgery. I’m not quite marathon ready just yet,” she answered sarcastically.

“I know
that.
Anyway, what are you guys doing? Do you need anything?”

“Nope. We had lunch and Regina’s daughter brought some of her old home movies over, so we watched those and have pretty much been laughing all afternoon. I think we’re gonna have dinner and as soon as they leave, I’m hitting the sack. I’m beat.”

“Are you sure you don’t need anything tonight?”

“I’m fine. What are you up to?”

“I actually drove out to Kacie’s. The kids have been swimming in the lake, building sandcastles, and eating more junk food than I thought humanly possible.”

“I bet they’re having a blast. You’re a good mom, Michelle.”

Her words were the cherry on top of my afternoon sundae. Having no family of my own was as tough for me as it was for Viper, which was why I clung so tightly to Gam. Every mom thinks at some point in their children’s life that they’re screwing them up royally and doing every single thing wrong, but having someone there to give you a hug and tell you that you’re doing a good job makes all that self doubt just disappear.

“Thanks, Gam. That means a lot . . . especially today.”

“Anytime you need to hear it, honey, you just call me.”

We talked for another minute and I told her I’d call first thing in the morning.

I walked back into the kitchen and Kacie had her cell phone pinched between her ear and her shoulder, with Grace and Maura in each arm, balancing on her hips.

“Okay, thanks,” she said into the phone before strategically dropping it into her open hand. Her eyes met with mine. “Sorry, I was snooping and could tell you’re staying and I’m starving so I ordered dinner.”

“With two children in your hands? You really
are
Supermom.”