Merrick's POV
I allowed my mother to walk ahead of me, she had spotted her brothers and they were also walking in her direction. I didn't expect to be part of their conversation unless I was invited to join and in light of this, I intentionally slowed my steps as my mother's pace naturally took her ahead of me and toward her brothers.
In her excitement to meet up with her brothers, she hadn't even noticed that her hold on my arm had left and it wasn't a problem either way. It had been a while since she saw her brothers and according to our customs, they weren't allowed anywhere near the house without an express invitation from her.
It was no surprise that she hadn't found the time to offer it, she'd had her hands quite full dealing with Henry and the way he had been affected by our Fat
