Page 28 of Love You Still
“Doesn’t matter. We can travel to you and make it happen. Just say the word,” I reply as Leia nods in confirmation. “No one gets away with hurting you. Not on our watch.”
“I told her you guys would say that,” Love says before her face appears on the screen, her wavy black hair hanging into the camera, cutting off our view of Audrey. “I could help. I’m a minor. I think I could get away with it.”
“See, even Love is on board with our plan,” Leia huffs as I throw Love a conspiratorial wink.
Love rolls her eyes before crossing her long jean-covered legs and flopping down beside her mother, tucking her hair behind both her ears. Love may only be fourteen, but she has a good head on her shoulders, and she’s the best adoptive niece anyone could have. There is a slight twinge in my heart at thinking about my other adoptive niece around the same age, Lydia and Connor’s daughter, Jade. I don’t think Jade and I will ever be as close as Love and me, but I want to ensure that she knows how much I love her, regardless of my sudden appearance in her life.
“No jail time for any of you. Do you understand?” Audrey shouts before grabbing on to Love and pulling her down to have a seat beside her.
“She used her mom voice. She must mean business,” Love responds, causing all three of us to snicker.
“Let’s get serious, guys. We need to figure out a plan for Audrey and Love because they can’t continue living with Ian. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” we all answer in unison.
“Have you asked the cards yet?” Leia asks before pinching me hard on the leg.
I wince slightly, but Audrey doesn’t notice, thankfully. I can’t really understand what a deck of cards has to do with making decisions, but it’s important to Audrey. Audrey’s mother taught her how to read tarot cards when she was Love’s age, and now she does it before every major decision in her life. She says that it helps guide the path she takes through life and that each time she does a reading, she feels as if her mother is sitting right there next to her, guiding her toward the right choices. Too bad the cards didn’t warn her about Ian being a cheating asshole.
“No, because right now, I don’t know what to ask them to tell me. My mind is such a mess. I can’t believe this happened to me again,” Audrey whispers, a fresh round of tears streaming down her cheeks.
“That settles it. You’re coming here. You need your family right now, and since we are all here in Tyson’s Creek, you can come to us.”
“Yes!” Leia, Love, and I all shout in unison.
“I don’t know. Love has school, her friends, and has finally found her place at the dance studio in town. I also have my job at the yoga studio to think about. I can’t just pick up and move at a moment’s notice.”
“Mom, school is getting out in less than a month. Ian should be gone until right after school gets out. That will give enough time for you to give notice at the studio, and we can get everything packed or sold.”
“But then what? We need to find a place to live, and I need a job.”
“We got that covered, too.” Bristol smiles, crossing her arms on top of her belly. “You can work at Nurture Space with me. I’ve been wanting to cut back on classes with the baby coming, and this gives me the perfect opportunity. I was worried about finding someone I trusted to take over classes, but I trust you with my life, Audrey.”
“And you can stay at one of the cottages at my place until you find a place to live. Things are a little slow right now, so you’ll be doing us a favor,” Leia chimes in from her place on the floor.
Not to be outdone, I chime in with an offer of my own. “And Love can take classes at the dance studio if she wants.”
“Yes! I want!” Love screeches, throwing her fist up in the air before turning to her mother. “See? Everything is falling into place. Please?”
“Yeah, please?” Bristol and Leia beg, their hands clasped together while giving Audrey the best puppy-dog look.
“Maybe this is the sign you’ve been looking for,” I chime in, causing everyone’s eyes to snap toward me. “The universe’s way of telling you that here is your chance for a fresh start. A new place where you can find everything you’ve always wanted; all you need to do is take a leap of faith.”
Audrey is taken aback by my statement, probably because I’m not into this type of thing, but what do I know? I’ve also been given a chance to start over. A chance to be with the man that I thought had forgotten me.
Audrey sits up straight. A look of determination crosses her face as she swipes at the few tears left on her cheeks. “Okay. We’re moving to Tyson’s Creek.”
We all cheer loudly and talk at once, trying to come up with the best plan of action for Audrey to get here as soon as possible, but then Love yawns loudly, causing us all to freeze.
“Shit. I didn’t even notice what time it was. Love should have been in bed hours ago. It’s way past her bedtime.”
“Mom,” Love whines before stifling another yawn with her hand. “It’s Friday. I don’t have school tomorrow.”
“Yes, but you’re also a fourteen-year-old girl, and it’s almost eleven at night. You need to get to bed.”
“Aunties, tell her I can stay up longer.”
“No can do, kiddo.” Bristol snickers. “This is one of those times I can’t save you from your momma.”