Four Of A Kind

That hit close to home.

“Look,” Diana continued, her voice softening into that practiced earnestness I remembered too well. “I know you don’t trust me. God, I understand why. But I’ve changed, baby. I’m stable now. I have a good life in California—a real life—and I want to share it with you both. I want you to be part of it.”

“Why now?” I asked, keeping my voice level. “Why after two years of silence?”

“Because I’m finally in a place where I can be the mother you deserve.” She said it like she’d rehearsed the line. Maybe she had. “I’m ready to be there for you. Both of you.”

“And if Jack leaves?” I asked. “What happens then? You pack up and disappear again?”

Diana flinched, a crack in her composure. “He won’t. Jack and I are solid. But even if he did…” She paused, meeting my eyes. “I wouldn’t leave you again. I swear it. I promise.”

“Your promises don’t mean much,” I said flatly.

“Isaiah,” Iris said sharply, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade. “Stop.”

I looked at my sister, genuinely surprised by her tone. She almost never spoke to me like that.

“Mom’s trying,” Iris said, her expression somewhere between pleading and frustrated. “Can you at least listen? Just listen.”

I could see it in her eyes then. That dangerous, fragile thing I’d spent years trying to protect her from. Hope. The desperate wish that this time would be different. That our mother had finally transformed into the person we needed her to be. That the fairy tale ending was possible after all.

I couldn’t crush that hope, even if every cynical instinct in me knew better. Even if experience screamed that I should.

“Fine,” I said, forcing my shoulders to relax. “I’m listening.”

Diana shot Iris a grateful look, relief flooding her features. “Thank you, baby. I know this is hard to believe. I know I’ve given you every reason to doubt me. But I’ve been in therapy for the past year. Real therapy. Working on myself. Understanding why I kept running away from responsibility. From you both.”

That was new. Diana had never admitted to needing help before. She’d always blamed circumstances, bad luck, other people.

“I realized I was terrified of failing you,” she continued, her voice dropping to something almost vulnerable. “So I ran before I could fail. Which was failing anyway. I know that now.”

“Yeah,” I said. “It was.”

“I know. And I can’t undo that. I can’t take back the years I wasn’t there. But I can try to be better now. Starting today.”

She reached for Iris’s hand across the counter, her movements slow and tentative. Iris hesitated for just a heartbeat before letting her take it. Diana’s fingers closed around hers like a lifeline.

“I’m not asking you to forgive me yet,” Diana said, her eyes glistening. “I haven’t earned that. But I’m asking you to give me a chance to prove I’ve changed. To show you that I can be the mother I should have been all along.”

Iris looked at me, a question in her eyes. I shrugged slightly. Her decision.

“Okay,” Iris said. “But we’re not moving to California. Not now, anyway.”

Diana nodded. “I understand. What if… what if I stayed here for a while? Got an apartment nearby? We could spend time together without uprooting your lives.”

That surprised me. Diana was actually listening.

“You’d do that?” Iris asked. “Leave Jack and California?”

“Jack and I have talked about it. He supports whatever I need to do to reconnect with you. He travels a lot anyway.”

“What about your job?” I asked.

“I work remotely. I can do it from anywhere.”

This all sounded… reasonable. Which made me deeply suspicious. Diana was never reasonable.

The doorbell rang, interrupting us.

I checked my phone. 11:45 AM.

Shit.

Harlow was early.

I opened the door to find all four Valentine sisters standing there.

Harlow held a garment bag. Cassidy carried what looked like platform boots. Vivienne had a makeup case. Sabrina held a book.

“Hi!” Harlow bounced on her toes. “We’re here to transform you into a vampire butler!”

“All of you?” I asked, suddenly very aware of Diana watching from the kitchen.

“Duh,” Cassidy said. “This is a four-person job.”

“You need the full team for maximum effectiveness,” Vivienne added.

“We brought breakfast,” Sabrina said, holding up a bag I hadn’t noticed. “In case you hadn’t eaten.”

“They already ate,” Diana called from behind me. “But thank you for the thought.”

“Zay promised to help with our Halloween festival,” Harlow continued, oblivious to the tension. “He’s going to be our vampire butler!”

Diana’s eyebrow rose. “Vampire butler?”

“For the cafe,” Harlow explained. “I’m a vampire maid! See?” She held up her phone showing a photo of the costume. “We’re going to look so cute together!”

Diana looked at me with a mixture of amusement and confusion.

“It’s for a school event,” I explained weakly.

“Isaiah is amazing with customers,” Vivienne said, all business. “His experience as a bartender makes him the perfect choice.”

“And he looks hot in formal wear,” Cassidy added.

“Cassidy,” Vivienne hissed.

“What? He does. Everyone thinks so.”

“I apologize for my sisters,” Sabrina said to Diana. “They lack filter settings.”

Diana looked fascinated. “No, please. Continue. I’m learning so much about my son’s… employment.”

This was getting out of hand fast.

“Iris!” I called. “The Valentine sisters are here!”

Iris appeared from the kitchen, grinning. “Harlow!”

“Iris!” Harlow squealed, hugging my sister. “I brought you something! Your own maid costume! You can help at the cafe!”

“Really?”

“She absolutely cannot,” I said.

“Why not?” four voices asked simultaneously.

“Because she’s fourteen.”

“The costume is totally appropriate,” Harlow promised. “No cleavage. Normal skirt length. I designed it specifically for her!”

Iris gave me puppy eyes. “Please, Zay? I never get to do fun stuff.”

I was outnumbered.

“Fine,” I sighed. “But I’m checking the costume first.”

“Yay!” Harlow clapped. “This is gonna be so fun! We should get going though. The festival starts at one and we need time to set up!”

Diana stood, drawing everyone’s attention.

“I should go,” she said. “Let you all get ready.”

“You don’t have to leave,” Iris said quickly.

“No, it’s alright. I have some errands anyway.” Diana grabbed her purse. “We can talk more tomorrow? Maybe lunch?”

Iris nodded. “I’d like that.”

Diana hugged Iris, who returned it somewhat awkwardly. When she approached me, I stiffened.

“Think about what I said,” she murmured, patting my arm instead of trying for a hug. “About California. About being a normal teenager.”

Her gaze flicked to the Valentine sisters, who watched our interaction with obvious interest.

“You could have a life, Isaiah. A real one.”

With that cryptic statement, she let herself out.