Searching for Tomorrow (Tomorrows) (3 page)

A firm knock at the front door brings
me slowly back to my reality. As I raise my head from the table, I feel something sticking to my cheek. I can’t help but wonder what kind of mess I have on my face. Today isn’t a day that will find me with much time to spare, so I sadly put the lid back on the box that holds my most cherished memories, and prepare myself for the chaos I know as life.

Only s
econds later, I hear the deep rumble of Liam’s voice. “Kitty? Are you here?”
Did he just call me Kitty? Ugh.
He knows how much I hate the nickname that he gave me when I became a Tidwell.

He
didn’t even give me time to answer the door. Times like these make me wish that I had never given out a key to my little house. First, Mother Tidwell invades my sanctuary, and now Liam strolls right in as if he owns the place. The fact that he makes his home in our basement does not make the house any less mine. Surely, I could expect to have some privacy without everyone just barging in, especially this early in the morning. Good grief, I just want some coffee to help me wake up. I am sure he can tell by the look on my face that I am not very happy with him right now. “Liam, how many times do I have to tell you? DO NOT CALL ME KITTY.”

“Well,
it looks like
someone
has had a rough morning. You got any coffee to spare?” Liam walks into the kitchen with his hands guarding his head. “Don’t throw a mug at me—PLEASE.” He has this devilish grin on his face. Seeing it instantly lifts the sadness that has been trying to drown me since Mother Tidwell brought up my Tripp. Her doing that sent my thoughts drifting to other places this morning, and made my heart ache.

Liam
has a quiet strength that helps hold me together, and he always puts my needs above his own. As my twin, he reads me as no one else can. No matter what experiences I go through, my brother is with me every step of the way. No matter how bad the situation, he supports me one hundred percent and always comforts me with his readily available hugs. Being around him makes me happy. His smile makes my heavy heart feel lighter, and he always tries to crack me up with his silly puns. It looks as if today is no different. “So, Kitty Tiddy, why aren’t you at work? Don’t you have anything to do this morning?”

This is the very reason I hate it when
Liam calls me Kitty. He thinks the nickname he has chosen for me is hilarious. After all these years, I somehow still fail to see the humor in his twisting my last name around. I know that he is only joking with me though because he doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. One thing I can say about Liam is that he is the sweetest, humblest, most sincere man any woman would be lucky to have. But no, I don’t think I will ever let him know that I think that. I really wouldn’t want my admiration to go straight to his head. I do let him know all the time just how much I love him and how much I appreciate him just being here for my girls and me. Not just anyone would sacrifice all that he has for a stinky sister, but Liam not only has sacrificed for us, he has also never once complained about all that he has given up. He is at the age where he should be looking for his soul mate, but instead, he stays around to be a shoulder for me to lean on. He became my anchor when my perfect world spun out of control, and in doing so, he is helping me gather the scattered pieces once again.

After pouring a cup for himself and freshen
ing up my now lukewarm coffee, Liam sits down at the table with me. Brushing the hair from my eyes, he softly asks, “You okay, Sis? You’re looking a little shaky there. Anything I can do to help? Tell brother what is worrying you, and I will make it all better.”

Liam
may cut up and joke around, but he cannot bear to see me hurt or worried. He is always trying to put me ahead of himself. I hate to lay another one of my burdens at his feet. “Nope, Liam, not a thing. Just the normal chaos going on around here. I slept through my alarm
again
, so I have been behind the eight ball since before I even opened my eyes. Being late and rushing from Point A to Point B seems to be the new normal for me. Then to top it all off, Annie called Mother Tidwell instead of waking me up.” I stop for a moment to catch my breath. Poor Liam is going to wish he had never asked what was wrong. “You know how hard it is for me to stomach that woman on a normal day, but geesh, I hadn’t even had any coffee when she just comes prancing right in the front door as if she owns the place. Oh Liam, then she throws in the ‘
if my Channing were here’
bit, and you know where my mind always goes from there. I was just sitting here remembering some of our good times together.”
Sigh
. So much for not burdening him with my problems. I only have to open my mouth, and the words just keep coming out.

Liam
grabs me up in his arms and gives me one of his famous hugs. When he puts his arms around me, I cannot help but feel warm, safe, and secure. His arms shield me from all the harm that can come my way. I have always thought my bubby was the best there is, and he is constantly coming to my rescue, even when I don’t know or think that I need it. I guess it’s a twin thing. Most brothers and sisters get along, to a certain degree, but I swear he can read my mind, thoughts, and emotions.

When we were younger, people always commented on how much we resembled each other
, but the older we got, the less we looked alike. I might top out at five foot three inches, but Liam has me by more than a foot. We share the same color hair and eyes, but that’s about where the similarities end. Liam is a landscaper like our dad is, and the muscles in his arms and legs let everyone know that he can handle the heavy lifting. In his off time, he is also a volunteer firefighter, and his bravery has no limit. At times, his schedule seems hectic because emergencies are, well, emergencies, but he always makes time for family. Since he and I have lived in this little mountain town all our lives, everyone – and I mean everyone – knows who William Russell Broun is. All the mommas want him for a son-in-law. All the silly girls always bat their eyelashes and rub his shoulder, trying to get closer to him. The funny thing is, he is usually with either my girls or with me. This sure has not won any popularity contests for me with those old biddies. He has only dated one girl seriously in his life, but after their freshman year in college, she disappeared into thin air. Liam spent a lot of time looking for her, but unfortunately, this was before cell phones were everywhere and Facebook was popular. I hope that one day some pretty little girl sweeps his feet right out from under him. Unfortunately, I don’t think that is going to happen since he spends all his time here with us.

I step back
and peer up at him. “Liam, you know that my life is so messed up, so crazy right now. I don’t know how I would make it without you here, but you have to start living part of your life away from the girls and me. How are you ever going to find someone, settle down, and start a family of your own? I know you want kids someday, and I can’t believe I’m gonna say this, but you aren’t getting any younger.”

“
Right now, Mom, Dad, you, and the girls, that’s all the family I need. I have friends that I spend time with, but I haven’t had a girl turn my head in a long time.” He stops talking and looks at me with a mischievous grin. “Besides, if I wasn’t here, who would protect you from Grandma Tiddy?”

I close my eyes and shake my head
. Really, this is just part of what I was telling you earlier. Liam is such a cut-up. Keeping him on a serious subject is next to impossible. “Dang it, Liam. That has to stop. You know that one of these days one of the girls is going to slip up and call her that to her face. I would never hear the end of it. Maggie was calling her that just the other day when we were at the grocery store. How easy do you think my life will be when that happens in front of Mother Tidwell? I swear that woman is losing her mind.”

I open my eyes to see
Liam’s shoulders shaking with silent laughter. It seems the scowl on my face just pushes him right over the edge. He bends, doubled over, hugging his knees, and gasping for air as big tears slide down his reddened cheeks. “I would give … just about anything … to see one of the girls … call her that.” How he manages a sentence between gasps is beyond me. He is literally rolling with laughter.

Seeing red, I reach over and smack him on the back of his head
. “Seriously, Liam. You know that woman makes my life a living hell as it is. Can you imagine the harsh punishments she would come up with to pay me back for that? It is soooo not funny.”

Liam
manages to right himself in the chair, and I watch him fight to get control of his laughter. As I look at him, I cannot help but smile. I mean, really, it is funny in a weird sort of way. My mother-in-law is one of the most stuck up, snobbish people I have ever known. She walks around with her nose in the air, looking down it at all the peons who dare come into her presence. Trust me when I say that the woman is never wrong, and I have never been right. To imagine someone calling her Grandma Tiddy to her face, well, it might just be worth whatever havoc she decides to wreak in my life.
No, no, no.
That really is not a great idea. She is so subtle in her snide ways, but somehow I always end up paying.

“
Liam, hon, you’ve really got to stop it. I swear if it happens, I will tell her it’s your fault.” I say this with a smug grin as I watch a slight edge of panic come over his face. Truth be told, I think we are all just a little scared of Mother Tidwell.

“Okay
, Sis. You win. For now, I’ll behave. But I’m telling you one thing, the next time one of the girls repeats some pile of crap that she’s told them about you or me, I’m getting my buddies, and we’re going to teach her a lesson. She shouldn’t be thinking such lies, much less telling those things to those sweet little girls.”

I shudder, thinking about the things
that she has told my girls. As my pit of despair and depression has grown, the ‘me’ I used to be struggles harder to come back to the surface. I find myself more and more disorganized and disheveled, and the strong, independent person of my past becomes buried a little more each day. She uses my weaknesses against me, and does not hesitate to proclaim my flaws for all who will listen. I dread hearing what she will tell the girls if I should ever decide to start dating again.

As
a chill runs down my spine, I look at Liam and sigh. “I know that she is twisting things up and confusing the girls, but it is up to us to be a good example and show them that she is wrong. They need to see the truth, not just hear it. Teaching her a lesson is not showing my girls how to handle bad situations. Of course, if you’re talking about taking her out … ” I add a little laugh, letting a slow grin spread across my face before throwing a quick wink Liam’s way. I say that last part without actually finishing my sentence, but in my mind …. Nah, not really.

I look at the clock and ask
Liam what his plans are for the day. It is already almost 9:00 and I know that he is normally hard at work by now. He is definitely the early bird, whereas I think I could sleep all day. I see a shadow pass over his face and can’t help but wonder what is wrong. “Well, Wrynn, it looks like I don’t have any jobs to do today, so I thought I would come see if you’ve got any repairs around here that I need to see to. Bekah mentioned something about a leaky faucet, and I noticed the other day that the bushes need a good pruning. Are you working today, or do you have the day off, too?”

Standing up, I stretch my arms above my head and yawn loudly
. “Nope, no day off for me. It’s Friday, Liam. Charlie wants me at the Smokehouse for lunch, and then I am the hostess over at Ruka’s tonight. I should be home by two or so in the morning, at least I hope.”

I have a
n Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Education, and someday intend to find work as a teacher’s assistant during the hours my girls are in school. Unfortunately, with all the budget cuts, our local school system isn’t hiring. Charlie is a friend that went to school with Liam, Tripp, and me. When he heard that I was entering the job market and having a hard time finding employment, he asked me to come help him at several of his restaurants. Since we live in a tourist town in the mountains, most occupations around here are seasonal, and very hard to come by. Even though I really don’t need a paycheck, I jumped on the chance to work with Charlie, knowing that all the other job pickings might be very slim. Work is my escape, a way to keep my mind from dwelling on the past.

“So
, who has the girls tonight?” Liam asks. “Do you need me to come crash up here? I could probably get several things done around the house before I go pick the girls up from school. Then we can head out and grab burgers at Flipsides. Charlie’s been bugging me to bring them to see the new game room he just finished upstairs, so after we eat, I can bring the girls by to see you at Ruka’s. You know they would love to play foosball and air hockey.”

“Well, while I real
ly appreciate that, Mother Tidwell already has their evening planned out for them. She’s going to pick them up from school and probably take them out for ice cream or some other junk. Then, they’re going to spend the night with her because I have to be in for the breakfast crowd tomorrow morning at Flipsides. After the lunch run, I get the rest of the day off. Thank goodness. I am ready for a couple of hours to just slack off and do nothing other than laundry and housework. It will feel good to get more than four hours of sleep, too.”