Chronicles

Great Idea Part III

“Go tell your mom that we need to work on the back roof and to keep the kids away from it so that they don’t get hurt,” his father said, not bothering to glance at him as sorted through his tools while Cole stood there, wondering how this day could get any worse.

“Mom wants us to organize the garage,” Cole pointed out, not because he was looking forward to spending the day cleaning the garage, but because he would rather do that than spend the day on the roof, tearing up shingles in this heat with his father glaring… Read More

Great Idea Part II

“What do you think?” Haley asked only to be met with matching glares.

“I thought you loved me,” Cole finally said with a sad shake of his head and a shuddering sigh.

“I do, which is why I think this is a great idea,” she said, nodding as she gestured towards the vision board that she’d made this morning.

“How exactly is spending time with him,” Cole said, emphasizing “him” when he gestured towards Jason, who hadn’t said a single word since she’d finished explaining everything, “a great… Read More

Good Ideas Part I

“Where’s your mother?” Jason asked, rubbing his hands roughly down his face as he sat there, trying to make sense out of this online platform for his classes only to go still when he heard the magical words that guaranteed that his day was about to get better.

“She’s taking a nap,” Elizabeth said, shrugging it off as Jason bit back a smile.

“In our room?” he asked even as he pushed away from the kitchen table and started heading that way.

“She went to lay down a few minutes ago,” his sweet little baby girl said absently as she worked on… Read More

Excerpt from Dark Light, the first Fire & Brimstone Novel

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Ash said softly as he took a step closer to her, refusing to let her go this time.

As Tomi continued to turn her head, searching for something, he ran his eyes over her and couldn’t help but frown. She was thinner than the last time he saw her, too thin, and her clothes were old, torn, and threadbare. She looked nothing like the spoiled girl he knew six years ago.

“What the hell happened to you?” he snapped before he could stop himself.

“You know what happened,… Read More

Stubborn: Part I

“It will be fine,” Jodi said, but something, mostly the fact that his father was shaking his head and mouthing, “It’s not fine,” told him that this wasn’t fine.

That, and the fact that his wife was in the fetal position, hugging the hand that she’d landed on wrong after an unfortunate incident that involved their sons’ collection of dinosaurs, Legos, and a remote control car that their baby girl had been trying to figure out how to drive when she was carrying laundry into the boy’s room.

“I-I just need some ice,” Jodi said softly as Danny glanced at his… Read More

How It All Began….Mikey and Sebastian

Oh, she was going to be in so much trouble, Mikey thought as she stood there, considering her options. She should pick the older one, but…

He probably wouldn’t want to go with them since he seemed to really enjoy tormenting his father. That left the twins, Mikey realized as she glanced back at the bunkbed in the corner, debating which one that she was going to drag with her.

There was Jonathan, she thought as she took in the twin passed out on the bottom bunk. He was funny, loved baseball, and would probably… Read More

The Great Lockdown of 2020 Part IX

“Why are you glaring at Dad?” Joshua asked, frowning as he reached for his brother’s plate only to have his hand absently slapped as Cole continued to sit there, glaring at his father.

“You don’t want to know,” Cole said, narrowing his eyes on Jason, who she’d like to point out, was glaring right back.

This was not going to end well.

Not at… Read More

The Great Lockdown of 2020 Part VIII

“Go to bed. I’ve got this,” Jason said, rubbing his hands down his face on a groan even as he mentally went over every possible hiding spot in the in-law apartment and-

“Goddamnit,” he said, sighing heavily as he got up and headed back to the in-law apartment where the old woman that he adored was currently struggling to open a twenty-ounce Coke.

“I need it!” Grandma said as Jason plucked the Coke out of her hand, opened it, and took a sip as he ran his gaze over her wheelchair and-

“This is just sad,” Jason said with a pitying shake… Read More

A Bradford Mother’s Day Special Chronicle

“You know what I think Mommy needs, Daddy?”

“What’s that, baby girl?” Devin absently asked as he searched for the bacon.

“Fluffiness, Daddy,” Abbi said, drawing his attention away from the fridge to find his baby girl nodding solemnly. “She needs fluffiness.”

“She has fluffiness,” Devin said with a pointed look at the large German Shepherd currently sleeping on his back in the middle of the floor.

“She needs more, Daddy,” she said with a sad shake of her head.

“No,” he said, chuckling as he returned his attention the refrigerator only to find his son standing in front of him, taking over the… Read More