Whirl | book one

7: wolves

Song: Gold by Imagine Dragons

Chapter 7
~wolves sightings~

"Well?" Michael questioned, his eyebrows high in anticipation.

My own furrowed, confusion sewn into my expression. "Am I supposed to know what that means?"

He grunted, his head falling defeatedly, "Parties, Rem! Parties!" Looking up from the table he pointed a look at me, "Did you get invited to any yet?" With a slow drawl to his voice, I rolled my eyes slowly into my head at his ridiculous fantasies.

Snorting under my breath, I took a sip of the soup I had helped make with Natasha earlier that week. "I'm not a football star like you were, Mikey. Parties aren't exactly my thing."

Michael groaned, "You're killing me, little sister! Nass, she's killing me! Live a little!"

"Lay off your sister, Michael." Natasha spoke up, feeding Ava mashed up bananas and strawberries. "She knows what she's doing with her life. She doesn't need to conform to your ideals."

"I wouldn't go that far," I hummed, making Michael laugh.

"Shush, you're not helping your case." Natasha sighed, cleaning up the mess Ava was happily making. "Can you take her, darling? I'm going to call Anne back about doing that job."

Michael's eyes widened, his smile dropping as he reached over towards the highchair, "You think you're ready? Do you think she's ready?" 

Natasha smiled sadly, "I don't want to leave her. But I'm going crazy. I need to get back to work." Her hands clenched as she looked at her daughter, her face full of guilt.

Michael nodded, inhaling deeply through the anxiety. "It's okay, baby, I get it. You need to do this for yourself. Ava will be fine with a nanny during the days we're at work." He pulled Ava into his arms as he stood up, ignoring as she grabbed his work shirt with her messy little hands.

Natasha smiled weakly, becoming increasingly more unsure whether or not to go for it.

With a loving smile her husband moved over to her side of her table, resting his forehead on hers, "You're a wonderful mother, Nass. Don't doubt that for a second. It's okay to need something for yourself." He mumbled, kissing her nose, "That doesn't mean you love her any less. I go to work too, but she's still my world." He laughed softly, already passed most of the anxiety as he reassured his wife.

"He's right, Natasha." I spoke up, "And I get why you need this. I've seen you look after her when Mikey's gone, she's a great baby but you're going insane doing the same things day in and day out—I would too." I stacked the dirty dishes up, avoiding eye contact. "You should take that job for you and Ava both."

Natasha sniffed, laughing quietly through tears. "You both are too good to me. Alright, I'll call." She said with determination, placing a hand on both mine and my brothers cheek before leaving us alone. "Thank you."

Michael ruffled my hair, his smile thankful as I looked up and rolled my eyes. "You're a good kid, Remy. Dad would be proud...in his own way." He added as an afterthought with a sigh.

"You take after him a lot." I began quietly, counting all of the things they did similar, "But you're a better father and husband." I told him noticing his eyes had dimmed with the observation. "In the ways it counts...you guys are different. You're the better man, Mikey."