abcnovels
Chapter 380: Mommy's pretending
Chapter 380: Mommy's pretending
In the morning, Lara collected the kids' things and cleaned the cabin from the mess before delivering the bags to Nate and waking up the cubs.
She was in a good mood after the fright of the night before. She managed to smile at everyone and take care of her family in the only way she knew.
She combed Scarlet's hair while Nate helped Jaden wear new clothes. Then, she offered her hands to the twins and followed Nate outside.
«Are we going back, mommy?»
«We are,» Lara said.
«Home?»
«To the base.»
«When will we go home with grandma?»
«I don't know, Jaden. Soon.»
«I want to sleep in my room,» he complained. «And to draw in peace. Scarlet always makes a mess when we draw together.»
«Hey!» the girl hummed, but she didn't add anything. She was still sleeping while walking, even though she had heard Jaden's tone. He was complaining, for sure!
«Don't be like that, Jaden,» Lara scolded him. «Your sister might be a little messy, but you have to be patient with her.»
«I want my place, mommy. Last time, she broke my puzzle!»
«Oh, well,» Lara mumbled, rolling her eyes. «That's true.»
They had barely woken up yet were already quarrelling. Or, better said, Jaden was quarrelling.
«Come here,» Nate said when they reached the car. He picked up the boy and carried him around the vehicle to place him behind Lara's seat.
«Am I wrong, dad?» Jaden asked, his lips curled in a pout. «Scarlet always causes trouble. I want to be alone.»
«Hey,» Nate warned him. «She's your sister.»
They both turned towards Lara and Scarlet, who had managed to fasten the belt by some miracle.
«Well... She is troublesome, but she's your sister,» Nate repeated.
«If Scarlet didn't get out, mommy wouldn't have been in danger.»
«Is that so?»
«Yes. When I woke up... I was alone, and mommy was looking for Scarlet. Then, mommy pushed Scarlet in, but she didn't come. I thought... I was so scared for my mommy,» Jaden said, his eyes filling with tears.
«It's over now. And your sister didn't do it on purpose. She was under the effect of the Bright Moon. I'm quite surprised that you remember, by the way. You were supposed to be under the same effect...»
«I remember everything...» Jaden started, but Nate finished the sentence for him.
«You remember everything when your mommy is involved,» the man sighed.
«I don't want to sleep in the same room as Scarlet,» Jaden pouted.
«Hey, hey... Your sister didn't do it on purpose.»
«So what? Mommy got hurt all the same.»
«She didn't. Look at your mommy: she's all right.»
«Hmm,» Jaden moaned.
He wasn't that convinced his mommy was fine. He bent over and reached Nate's ear.
«What if she's pretending?»
«P-pretending?» Nate muttered. Was his son really just five years old?
How could Jaden sense something Nate had overlooked? But Lara seemed truly okay. Yet, it would have been weird if what had happened didn't leave any trace on her.
«You're right,» he said. «What if she's not okay?»
«What can we do, dad?»
«Nothing. If your mother is pretending to be feeling fine, we can't force her to tell us her worries. All we can do is silently protect her and hope it will be enough.»
«And Scarlet?»
«Scarlet is not the problem. It's that man. He's the cause, Jaden. Scarlet was just unlucky to be out of control at the wrong moment. Your sister needs you to understand her. She's not doing it on purpose, and she will cause even more trouble in the future.»
Jaden's frown grew even worse.
«We shall help her learn how to control it,» Nate continued. «And you're a good boy, Jaden. You can help your sister a lot. Don't leave her alone, or she'll suffer. And, if you or Scarlet suffer, then Lara also will.»
No objection came to that last statement, so Nate closed the door - carefully - and circled around the car again.
He saw Lara closing Scarlet's door too, and he held her hand for a moment.
«Hey, are you okay?» he asked.
Lara smiled, standing on tiptoe to peck his cheek. She seemed all right to him.
«I am,» she said. «Stop worrying like this. I will tell you when I have a problem, okay?»
«But... Will you? I'd like to help you more, but I don't know how.»
«You helped me enough. You can't solve everything, Nate. And I'm good, see!»
«Jaden thinks you're pretending to be okay.»
«He's five.»
«And he has known you since the day he was born. He knows you more than I do, actually.»
«Oh,» Lara sighed, turning back to the car. Was Jaden worried about her? But... What could she even say to convince her boy?
«You don't need to tell him you are okay. He won't believe it, Lara. You need to be honest with us. We are your family.»
«Oh, Nate. I'm sorry for keeping things hidden from you. I really don't know what is wrong. But I'm not unwell right now. We can talk when we reach home, can't we? I'll tell you what I'm doing when I go to the city.»
«You don't need to, Lara. I wasn't trying to invade your privacy.»
«It's important.»
«Oh, okay, then... Let's go, shall we?»
She nodded, circling around the car and reaching the other side under the twins' gaze. Their eyes followed their mommy more out of habit than worry, but they stayed silent when she sat.
Nate started the engine and drove back. The whole family was lost in thought, each on their own... Except for Scarlet, who was still sleeping. They were thinking about their own worries, but they couldn't come up with a solution because none of them had the situation clear.
«Getting out of the base was a bad idea,» Nate said at some point.
He thought Lara was scared by wolves, but, seeing it wasn't the case, going so far had been a waste. And it had the only effect of bringing Polenta closer to his family.
«I made a mistake.»