Moral Devotions

21| Macy

The next two weeks passed by in a blur and before I knew it, I was clipping the last Velcro curler in my hair when a knock came through the door.

I walk down the hallway, fully expecting it to be Beth, only to be surprised when I look through the peephole.

"You're early," I tell Declan when I open the door.

He flashes me that crooked grin. "I wanted to see the little guy before he left. I haven't seen him in a couple of days. I miss our apple juice bonding time." He closes the door and looks at my head. "This is a very good look for you by the way. Very Hairspray."

"Hush," I tell him, turning around and walking back down the hall.

I look in Axel's room to find him sitting on the floor, playing with his Legos. "Hey Bubba, Declan is here." He squeals and runs out the door, nearly knocking me over.

"Little dude!"

"Big dude!"

I chuckle at the nicknames and walk back into my en-suite bathroom.

I finish applying makeup-which consists of concealer under the bags under my eyes, mascara, and strawberry chapstick because I could honestly not care less. Mascara itself is such a hassle to deal with, why would I want to do a full-face glam? If Declan can't see that I don't need makeup to look or feel pretty, then out he goes.

Despite his dress comment from a few weeks ago, I'm wearing skinny jeans with a nice shirt that I splurged and bought at J.Crew a few months back-but have felt too guilty to rip the tags off and wear until tonight. I at least settled for a pair of brown-heeled Timberlands, instead of my regular insulated Sperry duck boots or the cute sneakers I wear to school.

My jeans are cuffed and my thick socks stick out of my boots, giving off a cute winter cottage vibe. I dig it.

"Are you ready to..." My words trail off when I walk into the living room to find Beth still isn't here. That's odd. I frown and pull my phone out of my pocket.

"I was hoping you'd leave the curlers in. I was digging 'em." Declan says from his spot on the couch.

I smile and shake my head. "Should I wear an apron next time too? Get a little housewife thing going?"

"Hey, if you're into role-playing, I'm all for it." He says and I roll my eyes.

"Shush." I nod to Axel who is right beside him, paying no attention at all to our conversation.

A knock comes through the door and I hurry to open it.

"Sorry, I'm late." Mark stands on the other side and my brows furrow. "Forgot to defrost the windshield ahead of time."

"No, you're fine, but, where's Beth?"

"She was nervous about driving in the snow after the accident, especially with Axel in the car."

My brows furrow deeper. "What accident?"

"Oh, she didn't tell you? That's weird. She spun on some ice last week and hit a few things. She's alright though, no injuries."

My eyes widen. "What exactly are a few things she hit?" I fold my arms across my chest.

"A stop sign and another car."

I lightly gasp. "Why wouldn't she tell me?"

"I dunno. That is odd. I'll talk to her about it. Where's my little Axis, though?" He sticks his head into the apartment and looks toward the living room. "Hey buddy, you ready to go?"

"Peepaw!" Axel slides off of Declan's lap and runs to the door. Mark scoops him up in his arms. "I missed you."

"Oh, I missed you too, little buddy. You ready to go see Meemaw?"