Chapter 16 Midnight Snack(Lotus)
It took a second before her eyes adjusted.
One of the twins was knocked out cold, sprawled on top of her like a little space heater. The other twin was curled up behind her, sharing a pillow with their big sister. The whole crew had migrated into her bed like she was the community mattress.
Lotus rolled her eyes but couldn’t help smiling “ THAT BITCH! Lotus thought to herself. She slightly bend to kiss each of them gently forehead, cheek, tiny fingers. She loved those kids. Always had. It was just their mama she had an issue with.
Autumn is always doing the most. Dropping her kids on me without asking like I ain’t just got out the damn hospital.
She moved slow, careful not to wake them. Gently peeled the baby boy off her chest and laid him next to his twin. Adjusted their blankets. Kissed them again.
Then she sat up, bones aching, and reached for her phone on the nightstand.
Missed calls.
A bunch of them.
The phone buzzed again—another message lighting up the screen.
From Mom:
8:00pm
Pastor wants to come by and pray with you before he leaves.
10:00pm
Everyone had a blast. Make sure you put the food up I was too tired. But I know you’ll wake up and just handle it. Wash the dishes, sweep the floor too. Also your little boyfriend showed up, but you were knocked out. Call me when you wake up.
Lotus sighed, her fingers tightening around the phone. Before she could fully process it, another message blinked in.
From her boss:
6:00pm
I know you're technically on medical leave, but is there any way you can work from home? We’re underwater without you. I’m sending some documents for you to look over since you have your laptop with you.
The phone slipped from her hand and fell into her lap. For a long, heavy moment, Lotus just sat there, staring at the blank wall in front of her. The morning hadn’t even begun, and already the weight of everyone else’s expectations was pressing down on her chest like a stone.
She stood slowly, stretched, and walked barefoot out of the room limping toward the kitchen in the main house. The air was still thick with the scent of last night’s food. She needed tea. And maybe finally some boundaries.
When she stepped into the kitchen, Cam was already there, finishing the cleanup. He was putting away the leftovers, rinsing the last of the dishes, the hum of the faucet blending into the stillness.
He looked up as she entered.
“Lotus, stopped right in the kitchen door way look puzzled. What are you doing up?” she said gently. “Everyone left. I knew if Mom didn’t clean up, she’d expect you to. So I took a short nap and handled it. You need rest, Lo. I told you I got you. Your plate’s over there on the table next to the flowers Jason brought for you. I was going to take it to your room when I finished.”
Her throat tightened. For a second, she couldn’t speak. She just stood there, watching him her little brother, who she practically raised Cam, quietly doing what no one else thought to do: protect her, care for her without asking anything in return.
“Thank you,” she whispered, barely above the hum of the refrigerator. “Seriously. Thank you for… for seeing me.”
It hit her all at once the sheer contrast. A family who didn’t ask how she was healing, only what she could still do for them. A boss who knew she was in an accident, yet still reached for her as if she were a lifeline, not a person. And then there was Cam one person in her life who didn’t treat her pain like an inconvenience.