KAT
I was exhausted by the time we got on the road to Little Memphis. Securing Wicked and Witchy took an hour. Once we caught Wicked, she howled in the carrier as a warning to Witchy. No matter what treats we offered, Witchy refused to come out of hiding.
Meanwhile, Wicked’s continued yowling upset Colson, who began hollering. Soon, Cavan whimpered at the sound of his brother’s loud crying.
Rowdy and I did our best to calm the boys while Maria coaxed Witchy far enough out from under a bed to grab hold of her.
Our little caravan left the townhomes two hours later than planned. Rowdy rode his motorcycle along with Pax, Sabrina, Xandy, and Moe. Vanessa drove her parents’ SUV.
In my minivan, Bebe sat in the front passenger seat while Maria drove. I was in the back row of seats with the cats on each side. I could see the boys in their rear-facing seats.
Wrapping a blanket around myself, I tried to settle down, but my anxiety was off the charts after my stress-filled morning.
Nearly three hours later, we arrived at the Five Points Lofts located in Little Memphis’s downtown.
I had never lived in such a loud, busy area before.
My anxiety grew worse as we pulled into the underground parking lot.
I tried to imagine driving around the crowded roads with the boys in the minivan.
Or even bringing them into the parking garage.
Rowdy and his family parked in the guest area while Bebe directed Maria to Rowdy’s assigned parking spots. Like me, the boys had gotten queasy during the ride. I used a rag to clean up the vomit on their little jumpers.
“No worries,” Rowdy said after opening the side door. “The condo is prepped with whatever the babies need.”
The Reed family began unpacking the cargo from my minivan. Rowdy took the boys’ modular car seats while Maria handled the cat carriers. I kept close to them while my anxiety skyrocketed.
As a kid, Maria never seemed to mind moving. She used to say the only person she missed was our mom. I hadn’t missed the new families, either, but I hated starting over with homes, schools, and friends.
Though no longer a kid, I feared so many changes. My life in Little Rock wasn’t exciting, but it was comfortable.
We rode the elevator to the fourth floor and walked down the handsomely decorated hall to Rowdy’s condo. I felt overwhelmed as we stepped inside the two-story family room with an exceptional view of the busy downtown.
The beautiful, well-stocked nursery eased my panic a little. While Bebe cleaned up the boys, I thanked Vanessa and Moe for their hard work.
“That’s what family does,” Vanessa said and studied me. “My brother is crazy about you. Don’t make him cry.”
A threat tainted her words. Maybe sensing what I did, Moe patted my shoulder.
“They scared me, too, when I first became part of the Reed family. Trust me that they’re full of shit.”
I smiled at Moe before hearing agitation in Bebe’s voice. Returning to the nursery, I found Rowdy’s mom and my sister fussing over the two undressed boys.
Maria immediately said, “Don’t panic.”
“Panic about what?” I asked, instantly panicked.
“We might have lost track of which one was which.”
Maria stroked my back and promised to sort it out. My sister was smart. I knew she was calm in a way my hormonal ass couldn’t be. I should listen to her.
Instead, I began to cry. In my mom’s diary, she wrote about mixing up Maria and me more than once.
I often wondered if I was Maria. In the end, the mix-ups didn’t matter, but they seemed to upset my mom in her entries.
I felt how lonely and depressed she was back then.
Those memories only made me cry harder now.
“Hey, why are you ladies sad?” Rowdy asked and wrapped me in his arms. “Did the puke cause these tears?”
Sounding guilty and nearly in tears, Bebe whimpered, “We mixed them up.”
I looked at the identical boys in clean diapers. There was no way to tell who was who.
“Oh, we can figure this out,” Rowdy insisted and kissed the top of my head before stroking Bebe’s back.
Rowdy tickled each boy’s foot. At first, they didn’t react. After he did it for a bit longer, one of the boys began the stuttering lawnmower cry.
“That’s Cavan,” I gasped, smiling like a loon. I slid his green cap on while Colson looked at Rowdy like he was deciding if hollering was worth the effort. Before the boys cried for real, we had them dressed and in our arms.
“Thank you,” I cooed at Rowdy, who shrugged like his idea was no big deal.
He gently took Colson from my arms and handed him to Bebe. Once his hands were free, they cupped my face.
“No more tears, okay?” Rowdy murmured and kissed me.
His lips demanded my submission. This kiss wasn’t tender or teasing. Rowdy claimed every inch of me with the heat of a single kiss.
When he released me, I stared dumbfounded. Rowdy could seem like a simple guy. Handsome and smart, for sure, but just a man. Moments like this one, though, made me believe he was made of magic. As long as I focused on him, my fears couldn’t touch me.