Although she might drive me crazy on occasion, she was special to me. And if she was now a target, I would destroy anyone who tried to hurt her.

30

Nova

I pulled the sheet pan of bacon out of the oven and placed it on top of the stove, my stomach growling as the scent filled my nose. If the bacon hadn’t been sizzling, I would have risked scalding my tongue and stuffed a piece into my mouth. But that didn’t stop me from staring at it longingly.

“Don’t do it,” Garret advised as he finished arranging the tray with the sliced fresh fruit and the flowers he’d brought with him. “The last time I saw you do that, you couldn’t taste anything for two days because you burned your mouth so bad.”

My brother had arrived at the crack of dawn. The plan was to make Mom breakfast in bed and surprise her with Garret’s visit for Mother’s Day. We’d discussed it for a few months, but he hadn’t been sure if he could make it because of how crazy work had been for him recently. But at the last minute, he’d said fuck it and came anyway.

“But I’m so hungry,” I complained.

“Here.” He picked up one of the strawberries from the container that he had washed but hadn’t yet sliced and stuffed it in my mouth. “Now, stop your whining.”

I chewed happily and started making eggs while he placed bread in the toaster. By the time it popped up, everything was ready, and Garret picked up the tray. “Grab the presents and lead the way.”

Upstairs, I knocked cautiously on our parents’ bedroom door then listened, making sure we weren’t about to walk in on something we would need therapy to recover from. All I heard was a loud snore from Dad, and I grinned.

Cracking the door open, I stuck my head in and saw that they were both still sound asleep. Mom was on her side facing the window, Dad spooned behind her, his arms wrapped so tight around her it was a wonder she could breathe. For as long as I could remember, that was how I had found them asleep every time I’d come into their room in the middle of the night. It was as if Dad had this unconscious fear that Mom would disappear in the middle of the night and couldn’t bear to let her go, even in his sleep.

I turned to Garret and lifted my finger to my lips. He grinned and nodded, the two of us quietly entering their room. But even as quiet as we were being, Dad still sensed us before we got halfway to the bed and jerked awake. “What’s going on?” Then his eyes focused on us and his face lit up, but he didn’t ruin the surprise.

Mom grumbled unhappily in her sleep and turned onto her back. “It’s Sunday and still early. Go back to sleep.”

“I guess I’ll eat all this crispy bacon all by myself, then,” Garret said.