Chapter 10

Titus

"You're such an old man now," Frankie complained, throwing a strawberry slice at my head. "I swear to God, if you don't take at least a sip of that whiskey I'm throwing this bowl at your head."

"Yeah, force feed the man booze," Cian mused. "That seems like a good idea."

"I just hung with you guys last night," I reminded Frankie as I put my boots on. "Was I not entertaining enough?"

"Ignore her," Myla ordered, glancing at me over the island. "I think it's sweet that you go help with Ansel. I don't know how they're dealing with it. I've only held him a few times and the crying is intense."

"He's not always cryin'," I argued. "He's just not ever settled, either."

"Have they figured out what's wrong?" Lou asked sympathetically. "Something must be going on for him to be that fussy."

"He's been to the doctor a couple times. They said he's healthy and strong. They can't figure out what his deal is."

"He was premature, right?"

"Only like a week." I stood up and pulled my hoodie over my head. If I didn't hurry up, I wasn't going to make it to Otto's before the girls' bedtime. "They said he was fine."

"Premature babies have an increased risk of colic," Lou said with a grimace. I'd forgotten that she'd gotten her nursing degree. It didn't really come up in conversation since she wasn't using it. "Tell Esther that she should see if maybe he's got an allergy to something in her diet. Sometimes that can give them a tummy ache when they're breastfeeding."

"You're such a know it all," Myla teased. She looked over at me seriously, worry in her eyes. "But maybe you should mention it."

"I will. Thanks, Lou."

"I'm not a doctor—"

"Yet!" Myla and Frankie both yelled at the same time.

"Just," Lou paused. "Tell her I learned a little about it in some of my classes and it's worth looking into."

"I think they're ready to try anything at this point," I replied with a nod.

I slipped out the kitchen door just as Frankie realized that I hadn't in fact touched the glass of whiskey she'd poured.

Bas was in the garage when I stepped inside.

"Goin' over to Otto's place?" he asked knowingly, sitting on the bench along the far wall.

"Yeah. What the hell are you doin' out here."

"Long day, man," he said with a sigh, stretching out his legs and crossing them at the ankle. "Just wanted a little piece and quiet before I joined the circus inside."

"It's your house," I reminded him. "You're payin' rent—the girls aren't. Kick their asses out."

"Nah, man, I don't wanna ruin their fun."

"So instead you're hidin' out in the cold-ass garage." I scoffed as I headed for my bike. "Makes sense."

"You know, she's good for you," he said quietly as I grabbed my helmet.

"What?"

"Noel," he replied. "She's good for you."

"We're not together. Probably won't ever be, if I'm bein' realistic."

Bas waved his hand dismissively. "Interestin', but that doesn't seem to matter," he said. "You're calmer since she showed back up. You've been sleepin'. Haven't heard you crashin' around downstairs in the middle of the night for weeks now. Not drinkin' as much. Not flyin' off the handle at every little thing."

"If you thought things were so bad why didn't you say anythin' before?" I asked, a little taken aback.

"I think," he murmured slowly, like he was choosing his words carefully. "It all happened so gradually that none of noticed how bad it got. Hell, I didn't really see it until I noticed the difference. You're Titus. You've been gettin' fucked up and fuckin' people up for years. Just thought that was who you are."

I shrugged. "Maybe it is."

"Nah." He shook his head. "I don't think so."

I'd pulled on my helmet and started backing my bike up when he spoke again, raising his voice so I could hear him.

"I like this version better, T!"

As I rode over to Otto's I thought about what Bas had said, realizing that he was right. I hadn't consciously stopped drinking as hard, but we just hadn't been going out as much. I was spending quite a bit at Otto's helping out and on the nights I stayed home, I wanted to be home. It was a bit of a domino effect, because if we weren't going out, there wasn't anyone to fight with. I sure as hell wasn't going to fight with my roommates.

When I pulled onto Otto's driveway, I was surprised to see Noel and Diana sitting on one of the rocking chairs on the porch. They both looked fucking exhausted. Diana was curled up on what was left of Noel's lap, her head resting on Noel's chest, and Noel was rocking almost robotically, back and forth, back and forth.

Neither of them even looked at me as I parked and climbed off my bike.

"Hey," I called, jogging up the steps. I could hear Ansel's cries from inside the house. "Everything alright?"

"We're taking a little break," Noel replied, rubbing Diana's back. Her eyes were hollow when they met mine.

"Been a rough one, huh?" I asked, sitting down in the chair next to hers.

Noel nodded. "We have to move."

I jerked back in surprise. "What?"

"Me and the girls. We need to move out. Soon. Before the baby gets here."

"Where is this comin' from?" I asked softly. I knew things had been really fucking stressful since Ansel came, but this seemed like it was coming completely out of the blue. "Did Otto or Esther tell you that?"

"No," Noel rasped. She was still rocking. "They'd never tell us we had to go."

"Then why do you think you gotta move?"

"It's too much," she said woodenly. "There's too many people in the house. Too much noise. Too much stress. I've never seen my sister so overwhelmed."

"But you're helpin' her," I reminded her. I wanted to touch her, lace my fingers with hers, lay my hand on her knee, something, but she seemed so brittle. "They love havin' you here."

"Maybe if it was just me," she said softly, kissing the top of Diana's head. The little girls eyes were closed, her pacifier hanging loosely between her lips. "The kids are starting to lose it. Everyone is starting to lose it. We need to move."

I sat there for a few moments, letting that sink in. I wanted to argue with her but I knew where she was coming from. Just the few hours at night that I spent at their house left me feeling wrung out by the time I got home. Three kids under six was exhausting enough, but when you added a crying newborn it created complete chaos. It wasn't as if just because Ansel was having a hard time the others were suddenly acting like perfect angels, the opposite was probably true. They still had their tantrums and misbehavior just like any other kids their age.

"I've been waiting to hear from the state," Noel said, her eyes on the yard. "A few of the programs I signed up for have gone through, but housing is kind of a nightmare. We're on the list, but—" She shrugged her shoulders. "It's a really long wait. Like, two years or something."

"Damn."

"I'm not sure what I'm going to do," she murmured. She looked over me and smiled wanly. It was painful to see. "I'm just venting. I'll figure it out."

"Move in with me," I replied, the words out of my mouth before I'd even thought them through.

Bas and Cian lived with me and Myla and her friends were there five nights out of seven. Nothing in my house was child-proofed. Honestly, it was so not child-proofed that if Ariel and Diana had shown up at my door I'd make them wait outside. It was insane that I'd asked her. My roommates were going to shit themselves.

"That's really nice of you, Titus," she said quietly, looking at me like I'd grown an extra head. "But you don't have to do that."

Ironically, it was her refusal that made me double-down even though I knew it was a crazy idea.

"My house is massive," I replied. "I've got a couple of roommates. You've met one of them—Bas? And I can introduce you to the other one, Cian. You'll like him."

"Titus—"

I kept going. "It's got five bedrooms. We're usin' three. That means you and the girls could have the other two and your own bathroom." I was going to have to tell the guys one of them had to switch rooms. "We're workin' most of the day, so you'd only see us in the evenings. We've got a row of raspberry bushes that the girls can pick in the summer and a play structure that's pretty fuckin' cool." I paused and took a breath.

"You're not—you don't—I can't pay you," she said uncomfortably. "I don't have any income, Titus. That's why I can't get our own apartment."

"Did I ask you to pay me rent?" I replied quietly.

"I can't just live with you and not pay rent," she replied stubbornly. "It's different with Esther, she's my sister. I'm not going to take advantage."

"You can be the live-in housekeeper," I countered, internally patting myself on the back. I had the money, between my salary and side jobs I was making plenty. "Room and board and a salary."

"That's ridiculous," she said flatly.

"You clean the common areas and make dinner," I continued, just as stubborn as she was. "And run errands."

"I don't have a car," she replied tightly.

"We'll get you one."

Noel huffed and got to her feet.

"I work at a garage," I said, following her. "I can get you somethin' cheap and reliable."

"I'm—" Her face turned red and she grimaced as she shifted Diana against her. "I'm not a charity case, Titus."

"My dad sold me my house," I replied quietly. "He already owned it and I'm buyin' it for super cheap. Payin' way less than I would've for half of what I've got. You think that's charity?"

"That's different," she replied, pausing. "It's your dad."

"Someone who cares about me is givin' me a leg up because they can," I explained softly. "Which is what I'm offerin' you."

Noel was silent for a long time, unconsciously swaying Diana from side to side. As she thought about my offer, I reached out and took the baby, settling her against me. Her little bald head was soft against my cheek as I held her, and it felt like there was a knot in my chest, making it hard to breath. I'd picked Diana up a hundred times since I'd met her, but I'd never held her while she was sleeping. There was something different about holding a baby while they were asleep, completely boneless, fully trusting that you'd keep them safe.

"I'd be the housekeeper," Noel said finally, rubbing her lower back as she gazed up at me.

"It would really be helpin' me out. The place is a sty."

"You're really selling it," she replied wryly.

"I think it's a good idea." I nodded. "There's space for you there. I think you'll like it."

"Are you sure your roommates won't care?" she hedged.

If they had a problem they were free to move the fuck out. "They'll be completely fine with it."

Noel took a deep breath. "Okay," she replied.

"Yeah?"

"I don't want there to be any hard feelings if it doesn't work out," she said nervously. "Maybe it won't. Living with toddlers is—it's a lot."

"It'll be fine."

"Hey, I was wonderin' why you didn't come back inside," Otto said to Noel, poking his head out the front door. He looked at me. "When did you get here?"

"Few minutes ago," I replied, following Noel as she moved toward the door.

"Aw, she passed out," he said, opening the door wider so we could go inside. "Poor thing. Can't imagine what it's like bein' two years old and not understandin' why that annoyin' baby is making such a racket."

"You finally get him to sleep?" I asked quietly as we moved through the house.

"Esther's nursin' him upstairs. Hopefully they both fall asleep."

"Girls," Noel called softly, catching their attention. "Come on, it's time for bed."

It said quite a bit that both Ariel and Flora rose from their seats at the kitchen table without a complaint.

I handed Diana back to Noel and watched as she led the girls upstairs, all of them silent.

"You want a beer?" Otto asked tiredly, heading toward the fridge.

"Sure."

"We were so stoked to give Flora a sibling," he said as he handed me a bottle. "And we love Ansel. So much. But, fuck. This is brutal."

"I can't imagine," I murmured.

"You just feel so bad for him. Like, what the fuck is goin' on that you're cryin' all the fuckin' time, you know? And then eventually, it's like, Jesus, just fuckin' sleep, kid. And then you feel guilty as fuck because he's obviously havin' a hard time and nothin' we do seems to be helpin' in the least." He shook his head and sighed. "And around and around we go. At least I get a break at work. Esther's with him all the time."

"Lou said that premature babies are more prone to colic," I mentioned, fully prepared for him to bite my head off.

They'd had so many different suggestions and comments over the past few weeks that I knew it was wearing on them.

"He wasn't that early," Otto replied, surprised.

"I don't know, she just said it's a thing."

"Huh."

"She also said that Esther might think about checkin' to see if he's got some kinda allergy—"

"To breastmilk?" he replied doubtfully.

"Maybe to somethin' Esther's eatin'?"

"Yeah," he considered. "Yeah, maybe."

"That's all I got," I joked, making him smile tiredly. "She just asked me to pass it on."

"Lou's a good kid," he replied. "Tell her we'll look into that."

"Will do."

We stood quietly drinking our beers for a few minutes as we listened to the little footsteps roaming around upstairs.

"I asked Noel to move in with me," I said finally.

Otto choked. "You did what?"

"Not with me." I clarified quickly. "Just into my place."

"Why the fuck would you do that?"

"Come on, man," I said softly. "You can't tell me that havin' her and the girls here is helpin',"

"We told her when she was fifteen years old that she'd always have a place here," he argued, not acknowledging what I'd actually said. "Does she think we want her to move? What did you say to her?"

I raised my hands in surrender and shook my head.

"She told me that she was thinkin' of movin' out," I replied, grimacing as I threw Noel under the bus. I had a feeling she was going to be pissed that I'd said anything to Otto before she could. "I just told her that I had the room and she could live there if she wanted to."

Otto huffed. "She'll never go for it."

"I told her she'd be the housekeeper—"

"You fuckin' dick."

"Because she can't pay rent right now," I continued placatingly, my hands still raised in front of my chest. "She didn't want charity."

"You think that hirin' your old girlfriend, who just came from a seriously fucked up situation to be your fuckin' servant is the right move to make in this scenario?" he snapped in disbelief.

I jerked back in surprise. Is that honestly what he thought of me? That I was taking advantage of Noel? That I'd ever take advantage of her?

"I was thinkin'," I replied tightly. "That I was givin' her a way to get her and the girls out of the single tiny ass bedroom they're livin' in without makin' her feel like a charity case."

Otto stared at me, expressionless.

"I was also thinkin' that the whole point of gettin' her away from that fuckin' church and that fuckin' family was so that she could make her own goddamn life choices." I ground my teeth as I set the bottle on the counter. "Thanks for the beer. Tell Noel that I'll be over tomorrow to talk about shit."

Otto called my name as I walked back through the house, but I didn't stop. I was too close to punching him just to wipe that goddamn look off his face. That motherfucker. What, was he worried that if Noel moved out they wouldn't have their own live-in help anymore?

I knew the thought wasn't fair to them. They'd taken Noel in, no questions asked, but I was livid.

I was still fuming as I walked in my house a few minutes later, the ride not cooling me down at all.

"You're back early," Myla called from the living room, arching her back over the couch to look at me. "Where's the fire?"

"Kids went to bed," I replied, too keyed up to sit, but not ready to lock myself in my room yet. I considered putting on some gym clothes and going a couple rounds with the bag, but I wasn't sure if that would even help.

Everyone was crowded around the living room watching some action movie that they'd paused when I came inside.

"You're pissed," Myla said, frowning. "What's up?"

"Otto's bein' a dick."

"Otto's always being a dick," she replied, rolling her eyes. "That's nothing new. What happened?"

"I asked Noel to move in here—"

"Say what now?" Cian asked, leaning forward.

"I think you're going to need to uh, explain a little more than that," Myla said slowly.

"She's livin' in one of Otto's tiny ass bedrooms with both the girls," I replied, scrubbing my hands over my face. I knew how nuts I sounded. "And Esther and Otto have got their hands really fuckin' full right now. When I got to the house, Noel was sittin' outside with the baby—"

"Ansel?" Myla asked.

"Diana," I clarified. "She was asleep, but she'd obviously been cryin' 'cause she was doin' that little hiccuping thing, you know."

"Aw," Lou murmured.

"Don't know what happened, but Noel told me she needed to move. That there's too many people in that tiny fuckin house—I coulda told you that—and she needed to find a place but she's fuckin' stuck. She's got no income, no way of gettin' income because she's got two small kids and another on the way and what the fuck is she supposed to do with them while she gets a job—"

"Has she signed up for—"

I cut Frankie off before she could even finish her sentence. "She's signed up for every-fuckin'-thing. There's a two year wait on low income housin'."

"Figures," Lou muttered. "Most social programs need a serious overhaul."

"Let's get back to the part where you asked her to move in here," Cian said flatly.

"We've got the space," I snapped.

"You're talkin' about havin' a woman and two small kids and pretty soon a baby move in here," he shot back. "You didn't think to ask—"

"It's my fuckin' house," I barked.

"Okay, let's roll it back a little," Myla said, raising her voice as she glared at Cian and then me. "You offered to let Noel move in here with the girls. Alright. What did she say?"

"She doesn't want to take advantage," I replied. Cian made a noise, but for once in his life kept his fucking mouth shut. "So, I told her she could be the housekeeper. Work for room and board, that kind of thing."

Myla smiled.

"What?" I practically shouted.

"It's just very…like you to make that kind of offer not even realizing the social implications or you know, your roommates that already live here."

"What the fuck are you talkin' about?"

"You want your ex-girlfriend to move in with you as your maid," she explained slowly.

"Why the fuck—" I was ready to blow. Did my siblings really think I was such a piece of shit?

"Titus," Myla yelled, cutting me off. She lowered her voice. "Come on. This is me. I know you have the best intentions. You want to help her out, so you figured out a way to make her feel like she was contributing. I get it."

"Thank you," I grumbled, the wind going out of my sails.

"But you still didn't run it by Bas or Cian first."

"I figured I would when I got home," I replied.

"What if we said we weren't comfortable with it?" Cian asked.

Myla grinned at me.

I stared at Cian.

"He bought this house for her," Bas said quietly. "What do you think happens if you're not comfortable with her and the girls livin' here?"

Cian let out a huff of disbelief.

"I'm cool with it," Bas said, nodding to me. "Anythin' you need, just let me know."

"Thanks, Bas."

Cian got up and left the room.

"I told you I should've popped some popcorn," Frankie muttered, stretching her arms above her head. "I'm guessing this means that the bunk beds are no longer ours."

"I don't think they're old enough for bunk beds."

"Dibs," she said quickly. "Those babies are comin' home with me."

"You don't have any room for them," Lou argued.

They bickered back and forth with Bas looking on in amusement.

Myla turned to me. "I think it was really sweet that you made the offer," she said quietly. "I'm sorry Otto was such a dick about it."

"He said I was askin' her to be my fuckin' servant."

"He's an idiot," she replied with a scoff. "He's probably just stressed out and exhausted and worried about how Esther's going to react to Noel moving out."

"She'll probably be relieved."

"She just got her sister back after a long time," Myla reminded me. "It's probably not that simple."

"We're just down the road."

"I know."

"I think that they'll be good here," I continued, trying to convince her even though I knew she already agreed with me. "I have plenty of room. She can still go over to Esther's all the time if she wants to, but now she'll have her own space, too."

"I know, brother."

"I was just tryin' to fuckin' help."

"Titus," she said in exasperation. "I know."

"Esther's probably gonna talk her out of it anyway, so Cian is havin' a bitch fit for no reason."

"He'll come around," she replied easily. "Give him a minute."

"Hey, T?" Bas called, interrupting us. "You want me to switch to Cian's side of the hall or the other way around?"

Something about the question settled me. Bas wasn't taken aback by what I'd done, he wasn't even surprised. Instead, he was thinking out the logistics and came to the realization that Noel was going to need two bedrooms on the same side of the hall so she and the girls could share a bathroom.

"I think my side would be better for them," he continued. "Since my bathroom's got the tub and Cian's side only has a shower."

"Yeah, that sounds good," I replied. "Thanks for bein' so cool about it."

Bas just shrugged. "I had a single mom," he said nonchalantly. "Wish someone woulda offered her a little help when she needed it."

After a few minutes, I headed up to my room. I wasn't really in the mood to watch whatever movie they had on. A little while later, I noticed that they hadn't been into it either, because I couldn't hear the tv anymore but I could hear Bas and the girls being loud as fuck as they moved furniture around. They were already moving Bas to the other bedroom.

I needed to remember to ask Noel if she wanted to keep the bunk beds or not. Or maybe I wouldn't ask. The thought of Diana climbing up the ladder and falling off the top bunk made me break out in a cold sweat. There was no way Ariel could sleep up top without her little sister wanting to do the same thing and I had a feeling that scenario would be disastrous.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, I let it sink in that I'd asked Noel to move into my house. The last hour had been a mess of trying to convince her, then Otto, then Myla and the boys that it was the right thing and I hadn't had much time to fully process what I'd done.

I'd asked the woman I was in love with to move into my house with her two kids. To platonically move into my house with her two kids. When I'd made the offer I hadn't been thinking about the fact that I'd see her every day, that I'd have full access to her and she'd have full access to me, that we'd be living together like a family without actually being one. Once I was alone, though, the implications of that hit me hard.

If Noel didn't change her mind, she'd be living with me. We'd be sharing the same space. Having dinner together every night. I'd get to see the kids before they fell asleep at night. Hear them running down the hallway. Watching them play in the yard.

It was everything I'd hoped for while she was gone, but also somehow exactly the opposite. They weren't my kids. She wasn't my woman. We may be sharing the house, but we'd still be separate. I'd still be on the outside of their little trio.

My stomach churned as I lay back on my bed, my boots still on the floor.

I wasn't sure what I'd gotten myself into, but I'd never in a million years rescind the offer.

Somehow, I passed out halfway hanging off the bed, and when I woke up the next morning my back was killing me and my mouth tasted like something had died inside it.

The house was quiet as I got ready and left for Otto's. I probably should've waited until a little later in the morning before showing up, but I was wound too tight to sit around and I was sure they were already up for the day.

When I got to Otto's, the curtains in the front window were open and I could see Esther and Noel sitting in the living room with the girls.

Ariel saw me first and waved excitedly as I walked up the porch steps.

"Come on in," Noel said, opening the door almost as soon as I'd knocked. "You're up early."

"Forgot to shut my blinds," I lied. "So, I got up with the sun."

"Hey Titus," Esther called, smiling at me over the back of the couch. "I hear you've got big plans."

I glanced over at Ariel and Flora who were playing with some kind of figurines on the floor.

"They don't know yet," Noel said quietly.

"You're movin' in?" I asked, my voice just as low.

She didn't answer me, instead turning toward the girls. "Hey, why don't you go out back and get the eggs. Uncle Otto is already out there with Diana."

"Okay!" they scrambled to their feet and were running toward the back door without complaint.

"Looks like he's behavin' himself," I said to Esther as I glanced down at the baby she was holding.

"Mornings are getting a little better," she said, rubbing Ansel's back. "You're stealing my sister?"

"Uh." I wasn't sure how to reply until she smiled. "Yeah, I offered. You know how big my place is and it's gonna be even more crowded in here when the baby comes."

"You don't have to convince me," she replied.

"I don't?"

"You have to convince her," she said, tipping her head toward Noel.

"You're movin' in?" I asked Noel as she moved into the living room.

"I have some conditions," she said slowly.

Esther nodded in encouragement.

"Hit me," I replied.

"First, I want to meet your other roommate. Otto said he was with you when you came to Washington."

"He was," I confirmed.

"I'd like to actually meet him. Before I move in."

"Done. What else?"

"I want locks on both bedroom doors," she said, glancing at Esther briefly. "I trust you, but I don't know those other men and I'm not trying to be mean or anything but—"

"You're bein' smart," I cut her off. "You can trust them, and eventually you probably will—but consider it done. I'll buy some new ones today."

"Otto and Esther are going to get me a car," she said firmly. "I'll pay them back as I can."

"Works for me."

"I'll need a weekly paycheck," she said, a little less firm. She chewed the inside of her cheek. "I don't need much, but the girls and I will need some things and I'll have to pay for insurance on the car. If we're not living here, I'll have more expenses."

"Good, we're in agreement, then."

"That's okay?" she breathed.

"Of course. Did you really think I wasn't gonna pay you?"

"We're already going to be living there," she replied, like she was trying to convince me not to pay her. "And you'll have to pay for groceries, at least for dinners, and—"

"I pay for all groceries," I argued. "All."

"That's not really fair."

"All groceries," I said firmly.

"Um." She looked at Esther again.

"Two days off a week," Esther reminded her.

"She can have as many days off as she wants," I replied, crossing my arms over my chest.

"And I can come over whenever I want," Esther added.

"You already come over whenever you want," I replied dryly. "Anything else?"

"Are you sure?" Noel asked quietly. "Really sure?"

"Yep."

"Okay, then we'll move in with you," she said, her eyes widening.

"Now that it's settled," Esther said. "Could you go get my husband? He's got an apology to make."

Noel left the room, and I raised my eyebrows at Esther.

"He felt like a jerk after you left," she explained.

"You don't think it's a bad idea?"

"Oh, I think it could go really badly," she replied wryly. "But I also think that Noel deserves a little independence. The situation isn't ideal, but she feels like she'll be contributing, working toward being self-sufficient—and I think that's a really good thing."

"Me too," I murmured.

"It probably helps that you're in love with her," Esther said, watching me closely.

"I'd never—"

"Please, Titus." She shook her head. "I know you. I know you'd never make her uncomfortable. Otto knows that, too, he was just surprised last night."

"He acted like a dick."

"Yeah, he said that."

Otto chose that moment to enter the room.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"For what?"

He glared at me. "For bitin' your head off last night."

"Don't push it," Esther ordered me, laughter in her voice.

"Fine," I replied.

"Noel give you her conditions?" he asked.

"Yep."

"Here's mine," he said darkly. "Any shit happens and I'll rip the head off you and those dipshits you call roommates."

"What the fuck do you think is gonna happen?" I asked in disbelief.

"Nothin'," he replied. "Just sayin'."

"Consider me warned," I replied derisively.

"We got eggs!" Flora whispered yelled, running into the room carrying two very dirty eggs.

"Awesome. Now go put those away and wash your hands!" Esther ordered.

"Before you go," Noel said, coming back into the room.

"I'm leavin'?"

"We'll be ready to move tomorrow," she said, shooting me a smile. She rushed back into the kitchen to help the girls.

"You better go home and get the house ready," Esther said, looking up at me. "Clock's ticking."

I had about a thousand things to do before the house was ready for Noel and the girls. I didn't even have any furniture for their rooms.

"Shit," I muttered as I hurried toward the door.

"Good luck," Otto drawled.

I wasn't an idiot. I knew there was no way I could get everything ready by the next day. Not without a little help.

Pulling out my phone, I stopped in the middle of Otto's driveway and made the call I never thought I'd have to make.

"Hey, Ma," I said when she'd answered. "I'm not sellin' the house. And, uh, I need your help."