It was after hours on Christmas Day and Iris was back in her store. It was still a mess, despite multiple attempts to fix it. Every time she tried to clean Roland – or whatever he was – just trashed it again. But tonight she didn’t care. Instead, she paced the store furiously, tossing supplies […]

Noah was dying. That was the only explanation for how he felt right now. He’d had hangovers, more lately than he wanted to admit. But this…this was rough. This time he may have done actual damage. There was a glass of water on the bedside table and he reached for it, moving his head as […]

Cleo was relieved to see that her mom’s new house was almost entirely unpacked and set up. There were still plenty of boxes stacked on the living room couch, but the furniture was arranged and the tiny kitchen was set up. Her mom had seemed distracted when she got there that morning, like maybe she’d […]

Olivia walked out of her bedroom a little while later. Cleo and Andrew were sitting together on the couch. Andrew looked distraught. Cleo just looked tired. “It’s okay,” Olivia said. “It’s not fucking okay,” Andrew snapped. “What the fuck? This is what I was talking about! Why didn’t you know about this?” Olivia stared at […]

Noah was already halfway across the town common by the time Cleo caught up with him. He was a little unsteady on his feet and weaving through the crowd, which was now slightly thinner as the night got later. She could see him ahead, his brown leather jacket draped over his broad shoulders, which were […]

Mia was fussy, on the verge of really crying. Olivia had tried everything she dared try: snacks, carrying, even a discrete diaper change behind a tree. But nothing was making her feel better. She could feel a headache forming as Mia continued to fuss. Exhaustion settled heavily on her as she pushed the stroller. Why […]

Christmas Eve found Olivia, Cleo, Noah, Andrew, and Mia making their way to the town common for the annual Christmas caroling festivities. Olivia had been looking forward to this for weeks. It was Mia’s first Christmas, she adored music and lights, and an event like this was perfect for her. It started right around the […]

Noah didn’t want to use anything from Olivia’s pantry to make the adults’ dinner, so he went upstairs to see what he had. There was a frozen pizza and a bag of chips, so he figured that would be good enough for the three of them. He needed a quick break, anyway. The close proximity […]

Roman was changing Aidan’s diaper one last time as Jamie ran through the living room, his shin guards dangling from his hands. “Found them, Mom!” he yelled as he passed. Roman flinched and Aidan wailed as his brother ran too close. “Jamie!” Roman snapped as he snapped the diaper shut and scooped up the baby. […]

Olivia had the lights off and the shades down in her living room as she lay on the couch. Her head was pounding and her body felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. She’d collapsed onto the couch the second Mia had fallen asleep in her playpen and half an hour later she was still […]