Ava spent fifteen years of her life in and out of different foster homes, never knowing her real parents or why she didn’t have the same family that her classmates did.
A huge-hearted married couple, Lily and Derek Layton adopted her days before her sixteenth birthday, seemingly saving her from what could have been an even more so lonely and heartbreaking life.
“So that leads me to tonight—to now. My mom called me an hour ago to tell me that my birth mother showed up at their house this morning. She was demanding to know where I was.” Is that even legal? “Who does she think she is? She threw me away like fucking trash twenty-years-ago to drown her sorrows with vodka and heroin. Now she wants to know me?” More cries echo through the other end of the line.
My eyes attach themselves to the family picture sitting proudly on my desk. I thought I had it rough with losing my dad, but I can’t even begin to imagine never having had him in the first place. Or my mom. I’m at a loss for words. My heart hurts. All I want is to wrap her in my arms and help wash away all of the heartbreak that she’s feeling.
“I’ll be there in four hours. Don’t leave the apartment, okay? Just wait for me.”
I don’t know what is driving me to make such a reckless decision. But I know I won’t be able to sit here for another two days wondering if she’s okay.
Gracie is going to kill me.
“What? Oakley, no. Your sister has her recital. I’ll be fine. I just needed someone to talk to. You’re not driving four hours in the dark because I’m a cry baby.”
Her protests don’t change my mind. I’ve already shoved all of my stuff back in my bag by the time I answer her.
“Too bad. Good luck with changing my mind. Us Hutton’s are stubborn. Four hours and I’ll be there. Then we can talk about it all. Should I get Adam to stay with you until I get there?”
God knows I don’t want Adam anywhere near her, not alone—and certainly not when she’s in a vulnerable state—but he is one of her best friends so I’ll have to suck it up. I can pretend for one night that he isn’t in love with my girl.
“You’re ridiculous. And no. Please don’t. I don’t need anybody else worrying about me.”
Too late, I already texted Adam and told him to get his ass over to Ava’s. She doesn’t need to know that, though.
“Okay. I’m going to hang up now so I can start driving. Stay calm,
okay?”
“Drive safe. Thank you.”
“Always. See you soon, beautiful.” By the time I end the call, I’ve
already made it down the stairs to see Mom setting the table.
She looks at me, grinning until she sees the bag slung around my shoulder. “Where are you going? What’s wrong?” she asks, obvious concern in her eyes.
“I know it’s last-minute, but a friend needs me—a special friend. I wouldn’t be leaving unless it was important,” I plead, hoping she’ll read between the lines since I don’t have time to explain to her who the “friend” is.
“Of course, sweetheart, I understand. Is she okay, at least?” Bingo. “For now. I sent one of our friends over to check on her until I get
there. But I’m worried,” I manage to choke while fiddling with the strap of my bag. This helpless feeling is so foreign to me. Mom walks over and rubs her hands up and down my arms.
“Where’s Gracie? She’s going to hate me, isn’t she?” I ask, the guilt starting to eat away at me.
“Outside with Jacob. She’ll understand, Oakley. Just tell her what you told me. I’ll record the whole thing for you tomorrow.”
With a nod, I open the back door and welcome the cold September wind that bites at the skin not covered by my thin t-shirt. Gracie is sitting on the wooden swing hanging from our big oak tree.
“Hey, Jacob, mind giving me a minute alone with my sister?” My wording is polite, but the tone in my voice is a silent challenge.
“Oh yeah, of course. I’ll be inside.” After placing a kiss on my sister’s cheek, he gets up and makes his way to the back door.
Once he makes it a safe distance away, I sit down beside her. “He’s crazy about you, you know?”
That may be one of the only reasons I took it easy on him. It’s evident to everyone who sees the way he looks at her. It’s like he would move galaxies just to see her smile.
“I’m crazy about him too. Thank you for being nice to him.” She lays her head against my shoulder and sighs, “Something’s wrong. What happened?”
“That obvious?” I run a hand across my face as she nods. “I’m leaving tonight—like right now. Something came up. I understand if you’re mad at me for missing your recital. I know how excited you were for me to be there.”
“You idiot. Don’t worry about it. It’s a girl, isn’t it?” My cheeks grow hot as Gracie shrieks happily. She grabs my forearm and squeezes. Quite hard, I might add.
“Ow! Gentle!” She loosens her grip on my arm. I quickly move to rub at it, hoping to soothe the sting. “Yes, it’s a girl. I promise the next time that I come I’ll tell you all about her, okay? Promise you’re not mad?”
“I promise. Trust me. I’ve been waiting for this day for ages. You’ll finally have another girl to worry about, so maybe I’ll be able to breathe freely,” she grins wickedly. “I’ll get Mom to record the whole thing for you. It’ll be like you’re in the audience. Hopefully, she’ll keep her thumb out of the way this time.”
We both laugh as I help her up off the seat and wrap her in a hug. “Don’t get your hopes up, Gray. I’ll always keep an eye on you. And before I forget, there’s a pile of sticks downstairs. Make sure to give one to lover-boy tonight.” She pulls out of the hug, a gentle smile on her lips. “You rock, kid. I love you.”
“Love you too, big bro. Now go get your girl,” she winks as we reach the house.
Following Gracie inside, I grab the takeaway box of food off the counter and meet Mom on the porch. “I love you. Please drive safely and call me tomorrow. Good luck.”
After receiving one more hug, I turn my attention to Jacob. We slap hands together, pulling each other close. I linger for a few extra seconds, lowering my voice into a low growl.
“I might be able to tolerate you, but if you hurt my sister in any way, I won’t hesitate to break both your kneecaps. Got it?” I pull back and smile innocently as he gulps, nodding frantically. “Awesome. I better head out then. Thank you both. I’ll call you guys tomorrow. Good luck, Gray. Wipe the floor with your competition.”
“I will,” she promises as I open the door.
I wave and head back out into the cold. Once I’m ready to go, I send Ava a quick text and glance briefly at Adam’s response before starting the truck. I send him a simple thank you for checking on her and pull out onto the road.
