Excerpt:

Ian and Isaac, are each sitting on “gaming” beanbag chairs. Blair is sitting on one end of the massive, worn couch. Addy is sitting in Harris’ lap.

Harris leans over and whispers something in Addy’s ear. Addy’s eyes go wide and she nods and grins.

“Harry says ta tell you that it’s the first game of tha season and that the Yanks are playin’ the Phillies ‘n that Swisher is up to bat. It’s DREADFUL!” She exclaimed over dramatically. Harris leans over to tickle Addy and she giggles, as her eyes light up.

Harris continues to tickle her side.

“Man, we’re trying to watch the game!” Blair yells.

Ian finds the current situation humorous and suppresses a laugh. Isaac remains unscathed. His is leaning over towards the TV screen and he still hasn’t put on his glasses. It takes me a minute to realize that his eye is puffy and green and has a large purple ring around it.

“H-harryyyy… s-top-p!” Addy giggles.

“Should I?” Harris looks at me, and winks so that Addy can see.

“I dunno…” I play along, and put on an evil grin, though my eyes are still on Isaac’s eye.

“The kids at school and they’re mean to Ike.” Addy explained to me like she was an “expert”. Since the lower school and the upper school were combined during renovations, she would have seen a lot. She also couldn’t say “Isaac”, so “Ike” became his name. “They broked his glasses.”

You had to feel bad for the kid. He didn’t have Blair’s street smarts or Ian’s social connections. He was amazing at math, chess, and he could beat most anyone at Star Wars trivia.

“I callded them 'stupid'… then Miss B. stopped it up.”

“You don’t call people stupid, Adeline…” I warned.

Isaac turned towards us, a slight scowl on his face. “Don’t blame Ad.” Light struck his face, showing the yellow in his bruise even more.

“I won’t.” I informed my brother and turned to my baby sister. “It’s bath time, Addy.”

Addy scrunched her face, almost as if to contemplate the warm bath she knew that our mom had drawn.

“Okay… but will baseball be on when I’m clean?”

“It’s only the first inning, kid.” Blair said.

Addy skipped into her bedroom and I saw her get her favorite rubber ducks and smiled- the green one was mine and the purple was Halyn’s, when we were little. She skipped into the bathroom.

“Leave the door open!” I called.

“Uh-huh!” A little voice called back.

I cooked the vegetables, like Mom asked me to, and I waited for Addy to appear from the bathroom in her “jammies”.

“Smells good.” Jake emerged from his study.

“Mom cooked most of it."

“Daddy!!” Addy ran up and into Jake’s arms. He laughed and moved the little girl to his hip. Addy would have looked huge in most people’s arms, but Jake was 6’3 or something.

“Should we go get the boys?” Jake asked in an emphasized excited voice.

“You are a boy!” Addy giggled.

“HM!” Jake pretended to be insulted. “Then shall we get the other ones?"

Addy nodded excitedly, and Jake played along.

“Haven cooked and Halyn’s at work, so they’re clear for tonight... So, Ian, you’re on trash and recycling tonight… Isaac you’re on dishes and kitchen cleaning… Blair you’re dining room table pick up… Harrison you’re on den pick up…” I could hear Jake from the other room. Jake is lawyer and always fair. He’s reasonable.

I felt my Blackberry Curve ring in my back pocket and pulled it out. With some of the money I make, I bought a Blackberry and monthly data plan. It’s my splurge. Halyn’s is shoes. Harrison’s are movies or baseball memorabilia.

“New Message From: Halyn… He’s Here!”

I responded. “Whose there?”

“Tony! My-Ex!”

“I know that, Hal… But what’s he doing there?!”

“I don’t know… he’s with some other girl…”

“Wasn’t her idea, I bet!” I exclaimed.

“No! Hey, did Hardy’s check come yet?” Halyn asked about our birth-father’s child support money.

“Like half of it.” I texted back. My blood should have been boiling, and it was a bit, but over the years, I had learned not to expect Hardy’s child support money. Half wasn’t too bad. Not for Hardy.

Halyn didn’t respond to what I said. She hates Hardy more than I do. She doesn’t have the same ability to somehow love him, “because he’s my father”, that I do.

My phone vibrated again and I half- expected it to be Halyn- but it wasn’t. It was Ava Munroe- Halyn and my agent. Well, it wasn’t really her, it was her secretary, Laura, but you know what I mean.

“Hello, this is Haven Cambria!” I answered my phone.