Ryke and Connor make the short trek up the lawn. I’d join but the babies—and Lily looks fine. She wavers beside her sisters with beady eyes, like a deer caught in headlights. I can tell she’d like to run away from this argument.
I shake my hands out and then cup them to my mouth. “Lily!” I try to shout in a whisper.
She whips around and relaxes at the sight of me.
“You both just had babies,” the mother suddenly snarls. No. Lily freezes cold, and Rose’s eyes flash murderously. Of course these people know about our kids. It’s everywhere.
“Don’t you dare,” Rose starts.
“You shouldn’t be here, vandalizing our property,” the woman continues. “It’s irresponsible. If you cared at all about your newborns, you’d be at home with them.”
Rose steps forward, fire in her gaze. “Who are you to say that to us—”
Connor wraps his arms around Rose’s waist, pulling her a safe distance away from the woman.
“Richard!” Rose screams, tears pricking her eyes.
“It’s okay, Rose,” Connor says in a soothing voice.
I shake out my hand for the second time and lick my lips. “Lily Calloway!” I call.
She spins around again like I startled her. This time she slowly retreats from the fight, aiming for me.
“It’s not okay,” Rose snaps. “Her son has been harassing us but she wants to file a report about toilet paper.” She sets her glassy, heated gaze on the woman. “Toilet. Paper.”
The husband interjects, “If that’s what you want to tell the police...” He still has the phone to his ear, avoiding Connor, who stands a good five or six inches taller than him.
I want to yell something. My throat aches to intervene—but from past experience, I know I’d just make the whole thing worse. I stay glued to the curb. I recognize what keeps me here, more than anything. My eyes flicker into the dark backseat, where Maximoff sleeps, his lips parted as he breathes.
I whisper, “Thanks, little guy.” You’re saving me from myself tonight.
“It won’t happen again,” Connor says, using his fake damage-control voice. “We’re sorry for waking you. If you could not press charges, we’d be extremely grateful.”
Rose is fuming. But this is what has to happen. They’re not going to jail over this. It’s dumb. Ryke is whispering to Daisy a few feet away from the woman. And Daisy suddenly spins out of his arms and says to them, “I’ll clean it up tomorrow. Just let my sisters off the hook for this.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Rose tells Daisy. “They should clean it up for be—”
Connor covers Rose’s mouth with his hand and whispers in her ear.
“Are they here? Are they okay? Lo…” Lily practically catapults over me to peer inside the car. I grab her tightly by the hips.
“They’re fine, Lil.” I hold her face between my two hands. And her big, round green eyes meet mine.
Fear spikes her voice. “I worried about him this whole time. I didn’t forget—”
“You don’t have to convince me, love,” I breathe. “You’re a good mom.” She’s not f**king negligent. “That woman can go to hell. She doesn’t know you or me or your sisters.”
Lily lets out a deep breath.
“Okay?” I ask her.
She nods and peeks past my bicep. After a short moment, she says, “He’s so cute.”
I roll my eyes, but my shoulders drop. Glad she’s not scratching her arms, biting her nails or crossing her ankles. I’d like a drink though.
Great.
“What’s that?” Lily breathes.
I follow her gaze to a second-floor lit window. Two teenagers are peeking out of the blinds. They must see us because one drops his pants and sticks his bare ass against the glass.
I grit my teeth. Classic.
“Do you remember when you peed on the side of Todd Border’s house?” Lily says with the tilt of her head in remembrance. Her words strangely ease the tension in my muscles.
I wrap my arm around her. “He was a dick,” I say. “And I drank way too much rum that night. I had to piss somewhere.” We were fifteen.
It’s weird. Revisiting bad memories doesn’t have the same impact on me that it did a year ago. I can touch them without splintering.
As I gauge Lily’s mental state, I realize the same can be said for her. While Connor tries to calm down the parents, I pull Lily even closer to me. She rests her cheek on my chest. “Hey, little criminal,” I murmur.
“So much for my getaway car, huh?”
“Sorry about that.” I tug at the red sleeve of her Marvel PJs. “You should’ve worn black, you know.”
She smiles. “All my favorite superheroes were supposed to protect me tonight, but I suppose I forgot the best one.”
“If you say a DC character like Green Lantern, we’re no longer boyfriend-girlfriend,” I tease.
She lifts her chin up at me. “I forgot you.”
I try hard not to laugh. “That…is the most rom-com thing you’ve ever f**king said to me. Take it back.”
She gapes. “I will not.” She hugs me tighter. I love being this close to her.
I kiss her temple, and that’s about when the man’s voice escalates. “Fine, fine. If someone cleans this up, then we won’t press charges.” He begins to head back into the house, but his wife lingers.
“You’re all exactly what they say.” She motions to Ryke and Daisy. “The jackass and the daredevil.” She points an accusatory finger at Lily and me. “The alcoholic and the sex addict.” Lily stiffens against my body. And the woman just keeps going, facing Connor. “The smartass.” When she turns to Rose, I think she won’t say anything. She’s using the labels from Princesses of Philly, and the producers called Rose a virgin. It doesn’t apply anymore.
The whole world knows it doesn’t.
“And you,” the woman briefly pauses, “the p**n star.”
Lily’s jaw unhinges and mine tightens. That’s something I wouldn’t even say to Rose, under any circumstance.
Rose has enough. She lunges this time, and Connor lifts her up in his arms, restraining her easily. “We’re leaving,” he says loudly, shutting down the fight before it reignites.
“Fuck you,” Rose adds, practically spitting at her. Connor tries hard not to smile while he gives Rose a commanding look.
Daisy starts marching towards the woman.
“Now’s not the f**king time to be a hero, Calloway,” Ryke says, grabbing Daisy around the waist.
I stare down at Lily. “You’re not moving out of my arms, Lil.”
“See, I told you you’re better than Wolverine and Spider-Man and—” she scrutinizes all the characters on her PJs “—Captain America.”
I shake my head at her, but the corners of my lips have already curved upward.
Ryke lifts Daisy on his shoulders, like she weighs nothing. His upper-body strength is insane. Her legs dangle against his chest, and she stops fighting with him. In fact she inhales like she can breathe better up high. It’s times like this where I see how well my brother knows Daisy.
He looks over at me, and he scans my body, as though assessing how I’m doing.
I’m not shaking anymore. Thanks to Lily.