He winced, his ears turning red. “I might have mentioned it. But only after I saw the app on her phone. She said she’s been playing since she was a little girl.”

“That is adorable!” I exclaimed with a giggle. “You two are two nerds made in heaven.”

“You’re pushing your luck, shrimp,” he growled, taking a threatening step toward me. But even though I could see his embarrassment, he couldn’t hide the amusement shining out of his green eyes.

“Pikachu, I choose you!”

“You little brat!” He reached for me, but I was too quick and jumped out of his reach, snickering. His deep burst of laughter was something that hadn’t been present in this house even when he’d still lived here, and it was music to my ears. “You’ll pay for that.”

“You have to catch me first!” I called over my shoulder as I raced through the house.

But Garret had been keeping in better shape than when he lived at home, and he caught me before I could reach the living room. Wrapping his arms around me, he tackled me to the couch, being careful not to hurt me, and started to tickle me. Laughing so hard tears spilled from my eyes, I begged for mercy, and he finally relented, releasing me.

When he stood and offered me his hand, I spotted Mom standing on the stairs out of the corner of my eyes and turned to face her. “Best Mother’s Day ever.”

31

Ryan

“If you’re not feeling up to this, Nova will understand.”

Ciana glared up at me, crossing her arms over her chest and causing the huge hoodie she was sporting to slip off one shoulder. Since her return from her vacation, months before, she’d been acting so unlike herself, we were all concerned. Then a few weeks ago, she’d started dressing like she couldn’t get warm enough. With her being a nurse, we figured she was smart enough to know if she was sick, but other than her being somewhat off-color, no one had actually seen her being ill. There was no sniffly nose, no cough, no vomiting. If anything, her appetite had picked up more and more.

That didn’t mean anything, though. According to Zariah, Ciana was dressing like a frumpy bag lady, and that alone was cause for concern. If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t think much about it, but this was Ciana, and her elder sister was one hundred percent correct. She was a fashionista—whatever the fuck that was—but it was what she’d self-proclaimed herself in her preteens. But now, she’d gone from wearing designer outfits and thousand-dollar heels to wearing sweats and athletic shoes when she wasn’t in her work clothes.

“I’ve told you a hundred times this week alone, Ryan. I’m fine. And even if something were wrong with me—which there wasn’t—nothing could keep me from watching Nova graduate.” She stabbed her finger into my chest. “Now, stop fussing over me.”

“Stubborn brat,” I muttered under my breath and picked up her case. “Pain in the ass.”