✔Cupcakes to Kill For

13. A Mournful Day🧁

Birds flock together, soaring over the vast cemetery. Casey wished he could just take off and abandon his home like they did when the weather got too harsh. Last night's altercation was still fresh on Casey's mind and August had texted him throughout the day to check up on him.

After making a police report yesterday, his dad helped him get his car in the auto shop downtown to fix the shattered windows. Casey had not fully recovered from the shock of being shot at. Throughout the night, he woke up sporadically to check outside, ensuring that nobody suspicious drove by their house.

The coroner had finally released his mom's body from the morgue so they could have her proper burial. Even their family from out of state drove up for the services. Most of them on their mother's side, Casey wasn't close with. They frowned upon him for having a child so young with Veronica. Their whispers didn't bother Casey, but he hoped Wyatt didn't notice their glares or hushed conversations around them.

Casey considered bringing August to their mom's funeral to keep them safe, but thought better of it. None of his family trusted any of the gang members, with good reason. With most of Mom's family already silently judging him, the last thing he needed was to bring a stranger they could gossip about.

Beside him, Wyatt held his hand tightly. His son's gaze remained on the unearthed plot, where they'd just lowered Mrs. Lockhart's casket. In his pale complexion, Casey noticed his lips quivered and eyes brimmed with tears.

"Nana's in a better place now," Casey told him. "I know she was taken from us too soon."

"Will you die?" Wyatt gazed up at him, sniffling.

"It's been scary and I know the police haven't found the person who hurt Nana, but I plan to stay here for a long time to take care of you, okay? Nobody's going to let them get to me." Casey crouched down, gently wiping the tears from his son's rosy cheeks.

What made things so difficult for Casey was how he knew his mom should still be alive. They were going to take Wyatt sledding together as a family. Come summer, they'd even made plans to take Wyatt on his first vacation. She'd never get to see Wyatt grow up and Casey would never be able to go to her when he needed her the most.

A shoulder bumped into Casey, but the wrinkled-faced prune only snubbed her nose at him. Aunt Dorthy, his mother's sister. Casey groaned, resisting the urge to argue, as if it would do anything good. He wouldn't instigate a fight at his mom's funeral. Even if some of them deserved it. Casey led Wyatt over to his father and Lani, trying to stay away from the rest of the family on his mom's side.

"Ignore them." Lani rested a hand on Casey's shoulder. "They're just bitter old bitches."

"You okay?" Mr. Lockhard asked. "If any of them said anything to you or to Wyatt-"

"I'm fine. Don't worry, they're just giving us dirty looks," Casey replied.

"If only we could've banned them from attending." Lani folded her arms across her chest, sending a glare their way. "Mom would be pissed, seeing her family act like that."

"We were the only real family she had," Mr. Lockhart choked on his words.

It wasn't a secret how their mom hadn't been in contact with her folks and siblings. They'd had a falling out when they learned Casey had gotten Veronica pregnant. None of them supported her choice to stay by Casey's side and wanted them to kick him out of the house. Let him live with those horrible gang members, they'd said. As if Casey wanted to be a part of any of that.

Veronica wasn't always a part of their gang. She changed, and so did he.

Abrasive gusts of wind rustled through the graveyard as Casey left a rose at his mom's grave. Nothing felt right about being there. She shouldn't be dead. She still had so much to live for.