“You’re joking!?” she yelled. A flash of orange zipped by as Mr Snuggles fled to the bedroom. “Harry, are you fucking kidding me?” her voice rose, and I instantly lost interest in dealing with her. If it was an argument with Dom, he would have least tried to calm himself down before he thought about what he was going to say.
Molly started shouting, and it was the same as when she talked about her wedding plans. A stream of consciousness that didn’t actually involve me, and my contribution to it wouldn’t mean anything until she had worn herself out.
I didn’t expect her to throw things like Mum would have, and I wanted to give her time to collect herself instead of reacting like that. So, I did what she did to me.
I stood up, gathered my bag, and left.
Dom
“Are yousureyou don't want to come with me?” I asked my sisters as I closed the back door of my car outside Sally’s house.
The whole back seat and the boot was filled with things I'd bought them. A one-week trip had turned into three weeks, and I was so fucking glad I could spoil them that much.
“Yeah, it's okay,” Tammy said. “All our friends are here, and we don't want to have to start again at a new school.”
“Plus we know everyone in the area, and all our stuff is here.”
We'd already had the conversation at least five times as I tried to get them to come with me. The main argument was that Sally could claim that I kidnapped them. It wouldn't be too far from the truth if I tore them away from that fucking house.
I'd already talked to Grace, and Christian said it wasn't safe for him to talk to anyone after Harris sent him overseas, which sounded so ominous that I asked Grace to look into that as well.
But my priority was my sisters, and the man back in London I might never see again.
The main thing I could do was keep all their gifts at my place so they were safe. That, along with casually threatening them behind the girls’ backs.
“Just make sure you look after yourselves,” I said as I hugged them both, their blonde hair barely scraping my chest before they looked up. “And call me if they try anything, okay?”
I looked over the their heads, past Sally, to Terry standing in the doorway with his arms folded, freestyling on his cigarette.
“Are you sure you’re going to be alright?” Tammy asked as they both stepped away.
“Me? Of course! I just need to make sure that you’ll both be safe,” I said, my forehead creasing.
Sally was glaring just as well as Terry, though she could actually stomach talking to me. The big man didn't even have the balls to say goodbye.
She was too pissed off to try anything else. Considering I’d taken away her ‘babies’, she wasn’t exactly over the moon that we returned after weeks of rom coms, giggling, and ice cream.
“I’ll be back before you know it. I promise.”
“You better!”
“We miss you so much when you're gone!”
Thank God all they had were smiles. I just hoped the brightness that had grown stronger since the day I arrived hadn't dimmed by the time I next saw them.
I gave them both grins, nodding my head to Sally. Her jaw clenched, but she still stepped towards me as I opened my arms.
“It's so sad to see you go. We always worry so much about you when you're gone. It's like you don't even care about us,” she sighed.
“Of course you do,” I said as I bent down to her ear so the girls couldn't hear me.
I pulled her in close, holding her against my chest. “If I hear one fucking word from them that you and Terry are up to shit, they are coming home with me. And if I don't hear from them every three days, I'm coming back and taking them for good, you got that?”
Sally gave me a shrewd gaze, but she still nodded, so I'd take it. It didn't mean I trusted them, or even expected them to do better, but she knew I meant it.
I shot off a quick text, puffing my cheeks as I slid into the passenger seat.
Yeah, Harry called me a few weeks ago and I was still obsessing over it, but his silence meant everything, and I still regretted making that joke.