Chapter 0176

“You’re coming home, son,” Cora says, crossing her arms and glaring at her eldest child. ” Because if I let you stay here, you’ll drink yourself silly with your cousins and then be

useless to me in the morning.”

“Mom!” Jesse begs, sending an anxious glance towards Daphne, who pretends not to notice the whole conversation.

“Jesse,” Roger says, his hands on his hips, his voice low and dangerous. “Get in line. Your mom wants you home, so you’re coming home. If it were up to me I’d leave you here, because you always rile the small ones into rebellion, telling them all sorts of nonsense about free will –”

“They deserve to know the truth!” Jesse protests.

“But your mother wants you home. So?” Roger points emphatically to the front of the line.

Daphne, to her credit, does her very best to suppress her smile and pretend that she’s incredibly interested in the trim that adorns the bottom of dad’s armchair. Ben has no such grace and watches eagerly, laughing. But Jesse, realizing that he’s lost this battle, just groans and pushes himself to his feet, slumping to the front of the line.

head. Jesse just scowls and smacks

and each of my six cousins straightens their shoulders, standing at attention, and then – at their father’s signal – begin to march out of the room.

calls over her shoulder towards us, completely ignoring the military precision with which her kids are swept out into the hall. “Love you, see you tomorrow or the next day or whenever!”

how weird it is. I burst out laughing myself, because I mean I’m just so used to the way

into Roger and Cora’s

smiling happily and getting to his feet. “Daphne?” He raises an eyebrow at her empty glass of wine.

Mom says, getting to her feet

gasps. “Mom, it’s our first night home, we’re not

giving him a

protests, throwing out his hand.

laugh. “And if I don’t stay up to supervise you, Cora is right – you’ll drink yourselves silly and be all useless

and looking around with embarrassment. “You can’t

with a sigh, getting to his feet. I sit up straight in surprise.

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