Caleb is nine years old when Momma leaves him and his brothers at their estranged father's house for the summer. Dad doesn't have a clue how to care for three boys, and nor is he motivated to try. Navigating his moods and covering for his neglect are more than any child should have to face, but as the oldest brother, Caleb knows it's his responsibility to step up and grow up. With his mother gone, taking his twin sister with her, Indio is battling anger and grief as well as the nagging guilt it's all his fault. Resisting Caleb's newfound authority, struggling to keep little Jesse out of trouble, he never gives up hope. Momma will be home for his seventh birthday, won't she? All he has to do is wait it out. The Waiting is a Fairn boys story, a prequel to the Wynter Wild series, and can be read alone. It takes place when the brothers are young, long before they meet Wynter.