Reunited
Wynn only sees her parents one more time.
They come to the last game of the next season, for Nate. They’d spouted some nonsense about wanting to be better grandparents, and Nate was so excited about finally having a Nan and Grandad like the rest of his friends that Brom allowed it.
The same rules apply, though, it seems the fear of Evie's threat had worn off.
About ten minutes into the match, one of the parents awkwardly approaches Evie.
“Hey, Em - everything okay?” She asks, bouncing a little on her toes. She's just settled Ana in her wrap, snuggled tight against her chest as she snoozed.
“Uhm - I’m so sorry to do this, but… that couple, over there? They're… they're being disruptive.”
Evie follows her finger to who she was pointing out and heaves a heavy sigh. “What are they doing?”
“They're... saying things about you and Wynn. Things I’d rather not repeat but- they were being nasty about it, and the other parents and kids could hear. I’ve tried giving them the hint, but-”
“No, don’t worry about it. They won’t take a hint. I’ll come take care of it. Thanks, Em.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to put you in the middle-”
“I’m more in the middle than you know,” she mumbles. “It's alright. I’ve got it.”
She glances over her shoulder at Wynn, pacing the touch line, and then at Brom, standing at her side. Normally, she’d want Brom with her, but she doesn't want to make a scene and she certainly doesn't want Wynn to have to come, so she goes alone.
She walks up calmly, and she knows they registered it's her who's approaching by the way they stiffen, though they continue to complain loudly about how Wynn shouldn’t be allowed around children, given her ‘proclivities’. They even start to say something about her past, which is when Evie cut in.
“I thought we had an agreement,” she calls, still moving forward. “The two of you behave properly, or I tell everyone what actually happened.” She knows she's caught the attention of the other parents at that, as she sees their heads swivel toward her. She keeps her eyes fixed on her father and mother in law.
“Is that a threat?” Wynn's dad hisses.
“No,” Evie says mildly. “It was a promise. And one I intend to keep. Now. ’ll give you exactly one chance to shut your mouths and leave. One. Starting now.”
“You have no right to speak to me like that,” he barks, stepping toward her in a way she's sure he thinks is intimidating.
“Wrong," she spits. "I have every right to speak to you that way when you come here, to a children’s football match in the name of being ‘good grandparents’, or so you told us. And we were kind enough to allow it. But now I’m being told by a concerned bystander that not only are you being hateful privately, you somehow think that I’ll stand here and let you call my wife a predator and insinuate that she was anything but a wonderful coach to these kids.”
“They deserve to know who is teaching their children!” He spits, his words carrying what he believes is a warning. One that tells Evie to back off, or he'll tell everyone their secret.
“They already know, you absolute imbecile! We come here every week, hand in hand. We make no secret that we’re married to each other and that this is our baby!" She shouts, pressing a hand to Ana's ear to try to muffle the noise. "They know we’re gay - shockingly, no one has a problem with it but you!”
“And do they know she was in prison?! Do they know she's a criminal?!” He snarls.
Evie hardly blinks. “I don’t know. Do you think they know she's your daughter? Do you think they know that when you found out she was gay, you kicked her out of your house and left her on the street? At sixteen?”
“That's a lie!” He bellows, glancing around at the other parents, who are staring at him and Wynn's mum in outright horror and disgust.
“Go on. Make an ass of yourself,” Evie hisses. “Go ahead and lie to everyone here because I know what really happened. Birth records don’t lie, you absolute piece of shit, and I’m more than happy to drag them out of whatever hole you think you buried them in. I can, and I will make those public.”
“How dare you-” He screams, red faced.
She narrows her eyes, stepping forward, dropping her voice to a steely growl. “Go on. Dig your own grave. I’d like to see you lie in it.”
He moves so quickly Evie hardly sees it coming. One minute he's glaring at her, the next, she's on her knees, balanced on a hand in front of her, her other wrapped protectively around Ana, who's mercifully still asleep against her chest.
Evie takes a gasping breath, blinking the tears out of her eyes at the sting against her cheek. When she reaches up to touch it, her fingers come away red.
So many things happen at once in the next few moments that Evie has a hard time making sense of it. There's a whole lot of shouting, the voices of the parents rising to a loud roar in her ears. There are so many feet in her line of sight that for a brief, terrifying moment, she thinks she's about to be trampled. She curls in on herself in an effort to guard the infant strapped to her chest, shielding her with her body. Then there's the sound of Wynn's name being shouted at the loudest volume she's ever heard, and then Wynn's there, skidding to a stop in front of her on her knees.
“Genevieve - baby, look at me. Are you hurt? Look at me,” she half-shouts, planting her hands on Evie's cheeks to tilt her head up. Evie's cheek burns horribly at the contact and she winces, pulling away.
“Fief,” Wynn gasps, feeling her throat constrict.
Evie's face has a clear handprint on her right cheek, raised and red and welted from the strike. She has a scrape high up, dripping blood from just under her eye, just a little, and she looks terrified. She's mumbling something Wynn can't understand for a moment, and then she's sobbing, screaming at Wynn as she pulls at her hands.
“Take her, Wynn! Get Ana!"
“Ev, she's fine-”
“Get her out! Get her out - I- I think I landed- oh god, I crushed her. Was she- she was- oh god-"
Wynn can tell there's no hope of calming Evie down. She's apparently convinced she's landed with her full weight on their baby, though Wynn can tell from here that isn't true. Regardless, she reaches into the wrap and scoops Ana up, pulling her out from her place snuggled against Evie's chest. Wynn cradles her in one arm, rocking her slightly as Ana starts to shriek discontentedly at being woken up so rudely. With her other hand, Wynn pulls Evie forward by the back of the neck to press their foreheads together, tilting her head down to look at Ana between them.
“Evie- breathe, love. She's fine. You didn’t land on her, she was just napping. She's okay. Look. She's fine.”
“I- I could have killed her-”
“Genevieve,” Wynn said, voice rough. “Look at your daughter. Look at our baby. She. Is. Fine.”
Evie keeps sobbing but manages to look down, practically collapsing in relief when she sees her gurgling happily in Wynn's arms, currently trying to eat the ends Evie's hair where it dangles in front of her face. Then she spots the blood on her and panics, pulling her out of Wynn's arms and running her hands over her quickly to find it.
“She's bleeding, Wynn - where's she bleeding-”
“Love - that's yours. You’ve got a cut on your face. It's your blood.”
Evie reaches up, blinking when her fingers come way red. “It's mine? Are you sure?”
“I’m sure,” Wynn nods. “It was on my hands from when I touched you. It just got on her clothes. She's okay. Look. She just wanted her mama,” she says, looking down.
Ana does indeed seem to want Evie, reaching both arms up in the air in an effort to grab her face. Evie stares at her for a moment, then bursts into tears again, tucking their daughter into her neck and curling over her, much like she had been when Wynn arrived.
This time, Wynn just pulls Evie into her lap and cradles them both, rocking gently. She calms Evie as best she could, taking the opportunity to look around at the chaos that has just started to settle down. She hadn't been paying much attention in the last few minutes, at least not to anything but Evie.
Wynn's dad is face down on the ground, hands behind his back with one of the larger men kneeling next to him. Her mum is staring, horrified at her husband, and Brom looks like he might have a stroke, turning purple with rage. The other parents are split - half crowded around the commotion, the other half corralling the kids on the far side of the field. The other team's parents seem to have done the same, a few coming over to help. Wynn checks on Evie again, who's quieting down against her chest, and then their baby, who's blinking up at her sweetly.
“Brom,” she calls just loud enough to catch his attention. His head whips around and she wave him over. He takes one last glance at their parents, then jogs over, crouching down next to them both.
“Is she okay? Ev, you okay?”
“Shaken up mostly,” Wynn answers for her. “But he- he hit her pretty hard," she rasps. "She has a cut. Mostly it scared her, I think. She was wearing Ana in the wrap when she fell."
“And how’s babygirl doing?” He asks, reaching a finger out for her to catch in her fist.
“Just fine - slept through all the excitement. Just woke up when I took her out of the wrap.”
Brom nods, blowing out a long sigh.
“What's going on over there?” Wynn asks, feeling eerily calm.
“Dad's being arrested,” he says flatly. “Fucking idiot - one of the other dads is on the police force. He’s already called it in - they’re on their way, apparently. And the paramedics, just in case.”
“And mum?”
“Charged with hate speech, I believe,” he reports. “I’m a little unclear on whether or not that means she's being arrested, too. They haven’t had to restrain her at least. Not yet. I don’t think the other parents would let her get far if she tried to run, though. They’re all furious.”
Wynn must look vaguely surprised, because Brom rolls his eyes. “A grown man just backhanded your wife while she was holding your baby because she came to confront him about saying hateful things about you,” he says angrily. “There isn't a single person here that isn't on your side. Even if they were bigots.”
“Which they're not,” Wynn says, frowning. "Right?"
“Right. But I’m just saying. Even if they were, like even if the other parents did have a problem with you and Evie, like Mum and Dad were hoping when they started spouting off - hitting a new mum wasn’t exactly going to get them on their side.”
Wynn grimaces, looking at Evie again, who has her eyes closed, but isn’t crying anymore. She holds her tighter, ducking to kiss her head.
“It isn't your fault,” Brom says softly, correctly interpreting Wynn's expression.
“I should never have let them around her,” she chokes out. “I should have-”
“You were doing a favor to my son. You wanted him to have grandparents, the way he deserves to. It isn't your fault they were shitty excuses for family,” he says. “And you didn’t have anything to do with what Dad did. I didn’t think- I never thought he’d-”
“I did,” Wynn whispers, her stomach twisting painfully.
Brom goes deadly still, staring at her. “What?”
“I knew. That he was capable of things like that,” she whispers, blinking away tears.
“He-”
Wynn nods.
“Wynn,” Brom rasps.
“I just- I thought since it was in public we’d be safe! He never- he always did it so no one would see,” she says roughly.
Brom has no idea what to say. He just stares, feeling a growing nausea in his gut, suddenly reliving every flash of an argument between Wynn and his parents when they were children, wondering if that was the time-
She glances up at him, eyes sliding behind him, then ducks her head to Evie, whispering something softly in her ear. She nods numbly, and Wynn jerks her chin behind Brom. “Can you bring the paramedics here, please? I want them checked out as soon as possible.”
Brom nods, looking carefully at Evie, then runs a gentle hand over her head and sends one last desperate look at Wynn before he gets up and jogs away.
“They’re going to come take a look at you, Fief, okay?”
“Her first,” Evie says, nodding at the baby.
Wynn sighs, but knows she can't win this argument. “Alright, but you after.”
When the paramedics get there, Evie demands they look at Ana first, but then has a very difficult time actually letting go of her to let them. Wynn has to pass her to them, then spins Evie in her lap so she can keep an eye on her. They check her over, head to toe, and wipe off any of the blood that had dried on her. “Did she get hit at all?”
Evie stays frozen, and Wynn shook her head. “Don’t think so. She was in the carrier on Evie's chest. She fell, when she got hit, but she caught herself on her hands and knees. Don’t think the baby touched the ground at all.”
“And did she cry at all?”
“No,” Wynn says. “She was asleep in the carrier. I don’t think she even woke up. Did she, Ev?”
Evie shakes her head.
“Nothing that made you think she was knocked unconscious?”
Evie shook her head. “No. She- she moves a lot, in her sleep. She was still doing that, like normal.”
“And she’s acting like herself?”
“She’s normally pretty happy unless you wake her up,” Wynn says, shrugging. “She seems okay.”
“Is there anything else that normally upsets her?”
“She hates being naked,” she offers.
He nods then unsnaps her little onesie, letting the cool air brush across her belly. She immediately curls her legs up and scrunches her face, then lets out an unholy screech.
“This what she normally does?” He asks, wincing a little at the volume.
“Yeah, pretty much,” Wynn says.
He zips her back up, then hands her carefully to Evie, who cradles her close again, settling her quickly. “She looks good. No bumps or bruises. Acting like herself. No reason to think she got hurt at all. Just scared the daylights out of mum, it seems like.”
Evie heaves a sigh of relief. “Sorry - I know it's stupid, I just-”
“Not stupid,” he says easily. “My kid rolled off the changing table once, and I lost my mind. And I’m trained for this. It's different when they're yours.”
Evie nods absently, and Wynn presses a kiss to the space just above her ear.
“Do you mind if I take a look at you, then, mum?” He asks Evie.
She nods again, spinning so she was facing him a little more directly.
“Is it your face, then?” He asks, looking carefully at her.
“Yeah,” she whispers. “It stung really badly at the start. Now it just aches."
“Anything else?”
“My wrist hurts, where I caught myself,” she says, holding up her left arm.
He cleans the cut carefully, determining it to be a minor scratch, and wipes up any blood. He expects it will bruise. Then he takes Evie's arm carefully, manipulating her wrist this way and that.
“Just a sprain on that, I think - but I’ll wrap it, just in case. And give you a couple of ice packs for your face and arm. We could take you to A&E, if you like-”
Evie shakes her head. “No. I’m fine.”
“Alright,” he agrees, but insists on giving Wynn a list of things to look out for, for both of them.
The police come to talk to them next, which is actually much more brief than Wynn is expecting. They got a quick statement from both of them, explaining they already have more than enough eyewitness accounts, and then give them a slip of paper and are off again, hauling Wynn's parents with them.
The match is over, after that. Wynn refuses to leave Evie’s side, leaving Brom and the other parents to communicate with the other team. Wynn asks Brom to apologize on her behalf and he rolls his eyes.
“I’m not apologizing, but I’ll explain the circumstances,” he says. “Now get them out of here,” he orders her, sending a concerned glance at Evie.
She’s got Anneliese tucked against her chest, back in the wrap. She’s wrapped both her arms wrapped around her protectively, and is shying away any time anyone comes within ten meters of them. Evie, herself, is half-curled against Wynn.
“Come on, Ev,” Wynn says softly. “Let’s go home.”
Evie nods, letting Wynn guide her to the car with an arm around her shoulders. There’s a brief moment of hesitation when they get there, but Wynn just smiles reassuringly when Evie seems worried she might be offended by her impulse to sit in the back of the car with their baby, instead of up front, with her.
“Go on. Keep an eye on her. I’ll drive us home,” Wynn coaxes.
When they get there, Wynn lets Evie carry the baby inside, as well, sensing that she needs to be in contact with her, right now. It’s March, but it’s cold enough that Wynn puts the fire on and sets the kettle on to boil, then steps up to Evie where she’s leaned against the countertop. She’s been trailing after Wynn since they got home, never straying more than two arm’s lengths away from her the entire time.
“Fief? Love, why don’t I take her, and you go take a shower? Or a bath, maybe?” She suggests, holding her hands out.
Evie flinches away, holding her tighter and turns her shoulder to shield her.
Wynn fights the hurt that she feels at that gesture, and instead moves towards Evie slowly, setting a hand on her gently, then touches her cheek to tilt her face up.
“Genevieve,” she whispers. “It’s me, sweetheart. It’s just me.”
Evie blinks up at her with wide eyes for a moment, seemingly processing, then all at once bursts into tears, collapsing against Wynn who holds her up against her own chest. She manages to maneuver them over to the sofa, pulling Evie into her lap even as she keeps holding Ana against her. She’s trying to figure out how she’s meant to get Evie to put the baby down so she can take care of her wife properly when there’s a knock at the door. Evie goes rigid in her lap.
“I’m just going to see who that is, okay?” Wynn says softly. “You stay right there.”
As soon as she opens the door, Nate slips inside past Wynn’s knees.
“Nate!” Brom and Wynn both call sharply, but he ignores them both, barreling for Evie and the baby.
“Auntie Ev!” He shouts. “‘You and baby Ana okay?”
Wynn can see the way Evie flinches, and she starts moving, leaving Brom standing in the doorway.
“Nate,” Wynn says sharply. “Evie doesn’t feel so good right now-”
To her surprise, Evie shifts, wiping her eyes, and gives Nate a little smile, turning Ana in her lap to face him where he stands with his hands on Evie’s knees. “We’re okay,” she says softly, trying to hide the shake in her voice. “Thank you for asking.”
“Sorry,” Brom says quietly. “He was freaking out, saying he needed to check on them. I didn’t think he’d go barreling inside-”
“It’s alright,” Evie says, though it was Wynn who Brom had been addressing, and not her.
“Auntie Ev?” Nate asks. “I have a question.”
“What’s your question, sweet boy?” She responds.
He frowns, shifting on his feet, glancing back over his shoulder at his dad and Wynn before he waves a hand for Evie to come closer, and whispers in her ear. Evie listens carefully, then sits back, looking a little bit lost for words.
“That’s a hard question,” Evie responds, glancing at Wynn and Brom with a wince. Something in her face tells them not to get involved, though. “Come climb up here with me, lief,” she says. She helps him get onto the sofa next to her, rearranging them so Nate’s halfway on her lap, Ana balanced between the two of them. Nate reaches out and very tentatively offers a finger for Ana to hold, which she does with a gurgle.
“Sometimes,” Evie says softly. “Sometimes people don’t treat everyone nicely. And sometimes people we love do things we don’t like.”
“Nana’s and Poppa’s are s’posed to be nice,” he says sadly. “Like Ana’s Oma and Opa.”
Evie nods. “They are,” she says. “But sometimes people don’t act like how they’re supposed to.”
“Poppa did a bad thing today,” he murmurs, brow furrowing. “Daddy says we never, ever hit anyone. Not unless they’re hitting someone else and we’re trying to stop it. Otherwise it’s bad. And it’s mean.”
Brom takes a step, intending to answer, but Evie shakes her head at him, glancing up very briefly.
“Your daddy is right. We don’t hit. It’s not a nice thing to do.”
“Poppa hit you,” Nate says, very carefully raising his hand to rest over the mark on Evie’s face. “Why would Poppa hit you? We’re not supposed to hit.”
Evie sighs. “Your Poppa was angry. We were having a fight and he lost his temper. But it wasn’t okay. No matter how angry we get, we don’t hit people.”
“Why were you fighting?”
“Uhm-”
Wynn steps in, coming to kneel by Evie’s hip while Brom takes up the seat next to Nate. “Evie was trying to protect me.”
“From Nana and Poppa?” He frowns.
Wynn falters, so Brom steps in. “Buddy - Nana and Poppa aren’t always very nice. And today, they were saying mean things about Wynn. So Evie went to tell them they needed to be nice,” he explains. “And Poppa didn’t like that, and he got angry, and he hit her. And he shouldn’t have done that.”
“Why was Poppa saying mean things? What mean things?”
“Your Nana and Poppa just don’t like me very much,” Wynn answers. “They don’t have to. But we asked them to be nice whenever we’re around each other.”
“Why don’t they like you?" He scowls. "You're my Auntie Wynn."
She smiles softly. “I am. But… it’s a long story, buddy.”
“Tell me the story,” he says. “Please.”
Wynn glances at Brom, who sighs.
“Nate - remember how I told you some people might be confused or… unhappy, that you have Aunties that are married to each other? How some people are mean about that?”
Nate nods.
“Well… Nana and Poppa think that people that are married should only be a man and a lady. They don’t think two men or two ladies should be allowed to get married.”
“But you get married when you love somebody,” Nate frowns.
Brom nods. “Right. But Nana and Poppa think Evie and Wynn shouldn’t love each other.”
He scowls. “Why not?”
“I don’t know,” Brom says honestly. “But some people think that. And we don’t always have to agree with everyone. But we’ve got to be nice and respectful if people are nice and respectful to us, right?”
Nate nods.
“Well…. Today, Nana and Poppa couldn’t be nice and respectful to Wynn and Evie because they disagree with them. And that was wrong of them. And now they’re in trouble for it. And also because we don’t hit, and-”
“Poppa hit Evie,” Nate finishes. He scrunches his face unhappily. “Poppa hurt you?” He asks, glancing up at Evie.
Evie nods. “Yeah. A little bit. I’m okay, though. I’ll be okay.”
“Poppa hurt my baby Ana?” He frowns, touching her little fist again.
“No. Ana’s okay,” Evie answers.
“You're sad? Because he hurt you?”
“A little,” Evie replies. “But mostly it was scary.”
“But Ana's okay?”
“Ana’s fine,” Wynn reassures him, and Evie.
Nate nods, but still frowns thoughtfully. “Daddy? Where's Nana and Poppa?”
Brom freezes. “Uhm… I don’t know, buddy. I haven’t talked to them.”
“Don’t want to talk to them,” Nate grumbles. “Mad at them.”
“You’re angry with Nana and Poppa?”
Nate nods. “They were mean to my Aunties. And hurt my Evie and my Ana,” he frowns. “Don’t like that.”
“I don’t like that either,” Brom admits. “We might… we may not see Nana and Poppa for a long time, Nate. Especially Poppa - he’s in big trouble.”
“Good. They need time out,” he says angrily. “Don’t want to see them.”
Wynn touches his hand softly. “Hey, Nate. It’s okay to be angry with them. But Evie and I won’t be angry with you or your daddy if you see them again. We just- I don’t think they’re going to be allowed to come to any more football,” she winces. “I’m sorry, buddy-”
“No. Don’t want them at football. Want Evie and Ana at football," he says angrily, sitting stiffly. "And Henry and Sara. Nana and Poppa are bad.”
“They’re not-” Wynn starts, but Brom cuts her off, shaking his head.
“Nana and Poppa did a bad thing. Just because you do a bad thing doesn’t mean you’re a bad person, but when you do a bad thing, you’ve got to learn from it, and be sorry that you did it and try to not ever do it again. Sometimes people do bad things but they don’t feel bad. And I think… I think Nana and Poppa won’t feel bad about what they did today.”
“But they should feel bad!” Nate whines.
“I think so, too,” Brom says patiently. “And if they don’t feel sorry and don’t try to do better… sometimes we don’t spend as much time with those people.”
“So we're not going to see Nana and Poppa again?”
“Maybe not. Poppa’s in adult time-out. He’s not allowed out for a while. And Nana might be, too. I’m not sure.”
“I don’t have Nana and Poppa anymore?” He asks softly.
“You do, but we might not see them anymore.”
“Nana and Poppa are Ana’s Nana and Poppa, too?” He asks.
Wynn goes stiff and Evie places a hand on her back gently. Evie glances up at Brom and Wynn briefly, then seems to make a decision. “Nate - did your dad ever explain more about what an Auntie is? And about how I’m your auntie and Wynn’s your auntie, but for different reasons?”
Nate shakes his head, frowning.
Wynn and Brom both stiffen slightly, which Evie catches out of the corner of her eye. She glances up again to see if either of them have any objections, but they’re both just staring at her, wide eyed.
“An auntie is your mummy or daddy’s sister. The same way an uncle is a mummy or daddy’s brother. So your dad is Ana’s uncle, because he’s mine and Wynn’s brother. And we are Ana’s mummies.”
Nate frowns, but nods.
“Do you know how you get to be somebody’s brother or sister?” Evie asks gently.
Nate shakes his head.
“Well, usually, it’s when your family has other kids. So if your dad had another baby, that baby would be your sister or brother. And if Wynn and I have another baby, that baby will be Ana’s sister or brother.”
Nate nods, but frowns, eyes darting to Brom, then to Wynn and back to Evie. Evie catches sight of it and nods.
“Your dad is Wynn’s brother for that reason. And she’s his sister. When they were little, they had the same mummy and daddy.”
Nate’s brow furrows. “But Nana and Poppa are daddy’s mummy and daddy-”
Evie nods. “Your Nana and Poppa used to be Wynn’s mummy and daddy, too.”
“Not anymore?” He asks, confused.
Evie shakes her head. “No. But even though they aren’t her mummy and daddy anymore, she’s still your daddy’s sister.”
“But your mummy and daddy are Sara and Henry,” Nate frowns.
“That’s right. But there’s another way you can be a sister or a brother. It’s called a sister or a brother 'in-law’. And that means you married somebody, and their sisters and brothers become your sisters and brothers. And their mummies and daddies become yours, because you’re one big family. But you say ‘in-law’ so everybody knows you didn’t grow up together.”
Nate frowns. “So you’re daddy’s sister law?”
“Sister-in-law,” Evie nods. “Right. Because we didn’t grow up together, but I’m married to his sister he did grow up with, and that’s Wynn.”
He seems like he’s keeping up alright, to her surprise. Then he frowns. "But we're one big family," he says, a little pout at his lips. "Why aren't Nana and Poppa Ana's, too? And Sara and Henry not mine?"
Evie winces, looking at Brom, who takes over. "Buddy - Nana and Poppa, they’ve never met Ana. And they won’t. They’re not Wynn’s mummy and daddy anymore, so they’re not Ana’s Nana and Poppa.”
“Why they're not her mummy and daddy anymore? How?”
Brom sighs, looking at Wynn for permission who nods back and then pushes to her feet to escape the room.
“Nate - Nana and Poppa were very mean to Wynn when we were little. They were angry that she loves girls, like we talked about. And they tried to stop her from loving girls. And when that didn’t work, they said she wasn’t their baby anymore, and that she couldn’t live with us.”
“She- Auntie Wynn got put in timeout?”
“Not time out. Auntie Wynn didn’t do anything wrong. It wrong of Nana and Poppa to tell her they didn't want her anymore because of who she loves. But Nana and Poppa told her they didn’t want to see her anymore, so she had to leave,” Brom says, swallowing hard.
“Where'd she go?” Nate whispers, glancing up at Wynn's back where she's very stiffly pouring tea at the stove.
“She lived on her own for a while. And she did her best by herself. She was very brave."
Nate frowns, but nods. “Daddy?” He whispers.
“Yeah, buddy?”
“Poppa ever hit you and Auntie Wynn? Like he hit Auntie Evie?”
Wynn freezes in the kitchen, gripping a mug so tightly in her hand that she’s worried she might shatter it. Brom glances over his shoulder at her, but Evie’s already moving, nudging Nate off her lap into Brom’s and heading for the kitchen. She takes the mug from Wynn’s hand and sets it down, then pulls her out the front door into the garden and shuts the door behind them.
Brom sighs when the door closes.
“I say something wrong?” Nate whispers, looking extremely guilty.
“Sometimes people just get very sad when they get reminded of bad things that have happened to them. So Auntie Wynn’s just a bit sad right now, and Evie’s taking care of her.”
“I made her sad?”
“You didn’t. But sometimes talking about these things makes her upset. Nana and Poppa were very mean to Wynn," he says. "And a lot of bad things happened to her when she was young because of them. Because they told her she had to leave.”
“Poppa hit her?” Nate whispers again.
“Yeah, bud. Poppa used to hit Wynn.”
“He hit you?” He asks worriedly, raising a hand to Brom's face as though to check for a welt, like he'd felt on Evie's.
“No,” Brom says, putting his hand over Nate's. “He never hit me.”
It takes a while, but eventually, when they learn about Wynn's parents' sentences, Nate learns about the concept of ‘jail’. He nods along quietly, then loudly declares that he hates all people that are in jail because they’re bad. He means well, but he doesn’t get the reception he’s expecting. Instead of serious nods of agreement, Auntie Wynn looks like she might be sick, Evie looks sad, and Daddy looks angry.
“Nate! That’s not true!” He says sharply.
“But they in jail! In timeout! Because they did a bad thing!” He protests.
“That doesn’t mean we hate them,” Brom says. “And that doesn’t mean they’re bad!”
“But they did a bad thing!” He says again.
“I know. But remember? Sometimes good people do bad things?”
“But if they’re good, why they in jail?” He frowns.
“Sometimes if you do something bad, even if you’re sorry and try not to do it again, you’ve still go to be in timeout. Not everyone who goes to jail is a bad person," Brom says, sneaking a glance at Wynn, who still looks like she might faint.
Nate looks skeptical.
“Tell him,” Wynn says, looking pale in a chair Evie’s ushered her into.
“Wynn-”
“Do it. He needs to understand.”
Brom sighs. “Fine.” Then he turns to Nate. “Buddy - I’m sorry I shouted. That wasn’t nice. But what you said was very hurtful to Auntie Wynn.”
“Why?”
“Auntie Wynn went to jail. Before you were born, back before I found her again. She did something bad and went to jail. But that doesn’t mean she’s a bad person, or that we hate her. We love her very much.”
“Auntie Wynn went to jail?” Nate asks, frowning at her in confusion.
“Yeah. I did,” Wynn whispers.
“Why? What bad thing you do?”
Wynn winces, biting her lip. “I- I used to be mean, because I was so angry at your Nana and Poppa. And it was hard to have all those feelings, so I used to do bad things to make myself feel better. I stole things and went into people’s houses without asking. And I got caught.”
Nate frowns. “You stole things?”
“I took other people’s stuff without asking,” she explains. “And I never gave it back.”
“Oh,” Nate frowns. “Why?”
Wynn laughs dully and shrugs. “I don’t really know, Nate. But I did. I did it a lot. For a while.”
“And you're sorry about it?” He asks, squinting like he's trying to tell how sincere she's being.
Wynn nods. “I wasn’t, not until I went to jail - not until I was in time out and had time to think about what I did. Then I was very sorry and promised I’d never do it again. So once my timeout was up - once I got out of jail - I had a lot of nice people that helped make sure I didn’t do the bad things again. They gave me a job and somewhere to live and helped make sure I didn’t do bad things to make myself feel better.”
“You never did it again?” Nate asks, narrowing his eyes at her.
Wynn shakes her head. “No. I haven’t done it again.”
“And you're sorry?”
“I’m very sorry,” she nods.
He’s still frowning, but nods back. “Okay...”
“That’s why we didn’t like what you said about people in jail being bad and that you hate them. Because I was in jail and was bad. But I don't think you hate me, do you?”
“No, I don't hate you. ”
“I’m glad to hear that," she smiles thinly, leaning into Evie when she comes to stand close to her.
“Sorry, Auntie Wynn. I not mean to make you sad.”
“We know, buddy. But this is why we’ve got to be careful about what we say. Because sometimes we hurt people without meaning to," Brom explains softly.
“I sorry,” he says softly. “Sorry, Auntie Wynn. I not hate you."
She smiles awkwardly, nodding once in acceptance.
Nate frowns, approaching her slowly and crawling into her lap. He leans his head against her chest, wrapping his arms around her neck.
"Love you, Auntie Wynn."
She drops a kiss to his head. “I love you, too, Nate.”