Let Me: An O'Brien Family Novel (The O'Brien Family Book 2) (7 page)

I love her kids so I don’t hesitate to answer. “Of course,” I tell her.

“Yeah. Count us in,” Finn answers.

Evie and I turn his way at the same time. He scoops up Mattie and starts spinning him like an airplane. “She didn’t mean you,” I point out.

“No, I didn’t,” Evie agrees. But then something changes in her expression as she continues to watch Finn interact with her son. When her attention cuts back to me, I realize I missed something she seemed to pick up on. “But I think Finn might be able to help you.”

Based on her tone, she doesn’t just mean with her kids.

CHAPTER 7

Sol

“I don’t like this,” Teo says. He turns to Evie. “You said she was bringing a friend.”

Finn lifts his hand and grins. “I’m a friend.”

“Friends are girls,” he says without blinking, his attention now fixed on me. “Don’t you have any
girl
friends?”

“I do. But they’re all pretty busy hitting the bars and being irresponsible,” I answer him truthfully.

“Nice,” Teo says.

Evie rubs Teo’s arm, like he doesn’t appear ready to kill me for bringing Finn. “Baby, you promised you’d take me out. When was the last time we were out on a date, with other adults? And with the baby coming, it’s going to be even harder.”

“Fine,” Teo tells Evie, reaching for her hand. He pauses and glances over his shoulder. “Don’t let me catch you making out with my cousin on my couch.”

Finn holds out his hands. “I’m not making any promises. Your cousin’s hot.”

“Christ,” he mutters as my face burns.

We follow them inside so they could say goodbye to their kids, but it’s the way Teo clutches his babies and helps Evie with her coat that makes me gush.

“All the numbers―our cells, the restaurant, and the theatre are written on a pad beside the phone,” he tells us. “Our address is on top in case you need to call an ambulance―”

“Where’s the earthquake kit in case we need it?” Finn asks.

“In the man cave behind the bar, next to the zombie survival gear,” Evie answers.

“No, shit?” Finn says, sounding impressed.

“It’s a power outage kit,” Teo says, trying to hide his smirk when Evie starts laughing.

“I would have been more impressed if you were prepared for the apocalypse,” Finn says. He shrugs. “Just saying.”

I pick up Lynnie when she begins to whimper as she watches her mommy and daddy leave. Evelyn pauses, so does Teo. “It’s okay,” I assure them. “They’ll be fine.”

“Totally,” Finn adds. “I mean, what could happen?”

“This shit’s not coming off,” Finn says, tossing the washcloth he was using to scrub Lynnie’s cheeks on the table.

“Are you sure?” I ask, dumping the piles of cereal Mattie spilled on the floor into the garbage can. I cringe when Finn points to her face. Sure enough, the giant purple whiskers that start at her nose and end at each of her little ears are still there. I don’t mean to sound like an idiot―because believe me, I’m upset, but those are very impressive whiskers. “It’s like he used a ruler,” I say, shaking my head in awe.

“The kid’s got skill,” Finn says, sounding as impressed as I feel. “Too bad he used permanent marker. Told you it was a bad idea.”

“I was trying to give them a project,” I insist. “Didn’t your mother give you projects to keep you entertained?”

“No. She sat me in front of the T.V. to watch cartoons.”

“She sat you in front of the T.V.?” I question. “That’s it?” 

He points at me. “There were seven of us and I was the last. If we didn’t kill each other or break something, it was a good day. I turned out just fine
and
I never drew on some poor unsuspecting kid.”

“I’m not judging,” I tell him as I return to the utility closet to put away the broom and pan. “I just figured someone as energetic as you would need more stimulation.” I freeze when I realize things are quiet, too quiet. “Finn, where’s Mattie?”

“Weren’t you watching him?” he asks.

“No, I was cleaning up his mess―just like I was cleaning up his toys when you let him draw all over his sister.”

He frowns. “I was busy cleaning up all the papers
and
markers he threw on the floor. I didn’t know he was using the one marker that escaped his wrath on his sister. She was laughing, and he was, too. I thought ―”

The sound of something spilling from the pantry makes us collectively groan. I rush in and find Mattie climbing the wire shelves as he sorts through Evie’s version of a cereal aisle. “Mattie, no!”

I snatch him in my arms, but like Finn said, the kid has some mad skills. He snatches another box as I drag him out, spilling more cereal.

“Holy sh―”

My glare cuts Finn off. “You know what I mean,” he says. “The kid can make a mess. What’s your problem, little man?”

“Maybe he’s hungry. Here, switch,” I say, passing Mattie to Finn and lifting Lynnie out of his arms. “You feed him while I give her a bath. As soon as we get them in bed, we can work on cleaning this mess.”

“You think a bath is going to remove those whiskers? I was going to look in the garage for something that might work.”

“In the garage?” I ask, gasping.

“Yeah,” he says like I didn’t hear him the first time.

“Finn, you’re not putting anything from that garage on this baby.”

He grins. So does Mattie, and so does Lynnie. Yeah. Because I’m clearly the crazy one.

“You’re really testy,” Finn says. “Still sexy, but testy all the same.”

“Just feed Mattie,” I mutter, trying not to let him get to me. Who am I kidding? He already has. My time with Finn over the weekend was the only time I managed a real laugh, and a real smile. Was my sadness still there? Yes, it always lingers close to the surface. But that little bit of happiness . . . let’s say I can use more of it.

Dr. Franco, my mother’s psychiatrist is concerned by the increase in her episodes. I thought her recent relapse was due to not taking her meds, or her need for a different anti-psychotic. But he’s worried it’s something more serious. So instead of bringing her home yesterday, I led my father out of the hospital without her, trying to stay strong when he fell apart. “I miss who she was,” he told me in Spanish, tears reddening his eyes.

“I do, too, Papi,” I told him.

I hurry up the steps, clutching Lynnie close against me even as she tugs on my hair. “Pooh-po,” she says, or something like it, pointing to her cheeks. My guess is purple must be her favorite color. Nice to know Mattie took that into consideration before he went to town on her face. My instinct is to text Evie to see if she has any baby oil. But seeing how I don’t think anyone but Latinos from the 70’s use that anymore, I don’t bother. I don’t want her worried, and I want her to have a good time. If this is the kind of trouble her kids get into on a daily basis, she’s in serious trouble when the next baby comes.

I start to fill the tub. Lynnie is such a wiggle worm, I put her down thinking she’ll be fine for just a second. Ha, ha. Silly me. In the time I take to adjust the water, she strips out of her clothes in a way that would shame Magic Mike and rips off her diaper.

“Lynnie,” I begin, jumping when she proceeds to pee on the bath mat―two freaking inches away from the tile floor!

“Oh, crap,” I squeak, lifting her at arms lengths as I set her down in the tub. I don’t know what kind of bladder this kid has, but it tops mine and finishes emptying the moment her little butt hits the water. “Seriously?” I ask her.

And because her tiny self hasn’t made enough of a mess, she starts splashing like me and the bathroom are on fire.

I wipe the floor with her abandoned clothes, certain I received the shit end of the kid stick when I hear Finn yell, “Mattie, no―
no
!” followed with loads of giggling on Mattie’s part and a few swears from Finn.

I almost ask if he’s okay, but I’m too busy trying to soap Lynnie’s cheeks. I drop my hands down as she continues to splash me. I don’t know what the hell they put in markers, but whatever it is I can’t get it off her.

After a few more passes and a lot more water on the floor, I lift her sudsy body from the tub and simply gape at the cat whiskers Mattie drew across her cheeks. 

“You’re father’s going to kill me,” I tell her. “You’re mama, too.” I think about it. “But if your Aunt Lety was here instead of England, she’d mostly laugh and point.”

She squeals, giggling and kicking out her feet. “Well, I’m glad one of us thinks it’s funny,” I tell her, cuddling her close with the towel.

I put a diaper on her, hoping she’ll keep it on while I find her pajamas. The problem is every stupid pair I find is either pink or purple, both of which draw even more attention to her whiskers. I finally give up and shove her in one that matches her cheeks then carry her downstairs.

Only to scream when I see what Finn’s feeding Mattie.

He jumps, dropping the peanut butter crackers he and Mattie are sharing. “What?” he asks between chews. “You told me to feed him.”

I point rapidly, stumbling over my words. “He’s allergic. He’s allergic to peanuts!”

Finn’s head whips back at him. “Shit. Are you sure?”

“Yes!” I yell, placing Lynnie on the floor and reach for the landline.

Finn snags the bowl of crackers away from Mattie, and the box perched beside him. “Is he going to die?” he asks, his head jerking from me to him.

“I don’t know.” I’m trying to punch Teo’s number, but my hands are shaking so bad I keep hitting the wrong number.

“You don’t know?” Finn hollers. “What do you mean you don’t know? Holy fuck,” he says rushing back to Mattie.

He scoops Mattie out of his booster chair and runs him to the sink. “Mattie, spit it out. Spit it out now―
ouch
. Shit, he bit me!”

I’m barely listening, swearing up a storm when Teo’s number goes to voicemail. “Teo. Call me. Call me now.”

Finn’s at the sink trying to rinse out Mattie’s mouth, but mostly smearing the peanut butter all over his face. “Call 9-1-1,” he says.

“
Omigod
―did he stop breathing?”

“No, he’s laughing―
fuck
―and biting. But this is serious. Ow―
shit
. Ow―Mattie, cut it out!”

I drop the phone in my hand when it rings. “God damn it!” I yell as I answer.

“Problem?” Teo’s deep voice rumbles on the other line.

I take a breath, despite that my heart is ready to explode and I’m officially hyperventilating. “Finn gave Mattie peanut butter,” I stammer, throwing open the medicine drawer and frantically searching for an epi pen.

“You told me to feed him,” Finn fires back.

“I didn’t know there would be peanut butter in the house!” I scream.

“Sol, calm down,” Teo says. “I can barely understand you. What happened?”

“What happened?” Evie repeats, from the background.

Her voice is panicked. She knows something’s wrong. I let out a breath, knowing I have to fix this and save her son. “Mattie ate peanut butter,” I repeat, my voice shaking like I’m gargling marbles.

“Yeah . . . he loves that shit,” Teo says. “Then what happened?”

I freeze. “He’s not allergic?”

“No.”

“I thought he was allergic,” I say, realizing I’m probably screaming.

“So did we. But the allergist we took him to said he was a false positive or something like that. Mattie eats it all the time.”

I slump against the counter, gripping it tight to keep from keeling over.

Finn gapes back at me, his face paling like Mattie’s about to die.

I hold up a hand, but that’s all I can do, torn between collapsing and jumping in the air.

“Sol?” Teo says when I don’t answer.

My mouth opens and closes several times as I try to form my words. Finn gapes at me, keeping Mattie tucked against him and his fingers out of his reach. “Teo says he’s not allergic to peanuts,” I manage.

For a moment, Finn simply stares. Mattie squirms, trying to get down. “Is he allergic to human flesh?” Finn asks. “Because he bit the shit out of me.”

“The fuck?” Teo asks.

“Mattie bit him when Finn tried to take the peanut butter crackers he ate out of his mouth.”

“Can you blame him?” Teo says. “I would, too, if someone rammed their fingers in my mouth.” The momentary pause makes me think he’s laughing at us. At the very least Teo is smiling his ass off. “You want us to come home?” he asks, this time there is no mistaking the chuckling.

Finn says yes at the same time I say no. Teo laughs,
again
, taking my side. “We’ll see you in another couple hours. Oh―I forgot to tell you―keep Mattie away from the magic markers. He likes to draw on his sister.”

He hangs up as Finn sets Mattie down. “Just so you know, I’m never having kids. This parenting thing is fucked up.”

“Fucked up,” Mattie repeats.

Finn points at him. “Watch your mouth,” he warns.

CHAPTER 8

Finn

I flop down on the couch, rubbing my eyes and wishing I could have a beer. Or a shot. Or a shot poured into an ice cold beer. But I won’t. It’s not just because Mason has advised me against drinking, it’s because I’m here with the kids. I’ll fuck myself up any day of the week, but not when there’s someone counting on me to keep them safe. After what happened to me, I can’t risk anything happening to anyone else.

Damn it. I rub my eyes harder when flickers of that day start poking their way in my head―those words said, that door slamming shut behind me. Why the hell can’t I stop reliving this shit? Is it because of what that idiot Yefim said? Is that all it takes to bring back everything I’ve worked hard to forget?

I start to rise when Sol drops down beside me, her back smacking hard against the long sectional. She’s not too close, but close enough to reduce my surging anxiety. “You finally get Lynnie down?” I ask her.

Her eyes are closed and her lips are opened slightly like she’s already asleep, but she manages to nod. “It took five full choruses of
Born this Way
plus popping in a Sesame Street video before she finally dozed off.”