Page 109 of Chasing Home

I nod at them both. “I should have told you sooner. And I know Anna isn’t here, but I didn’t want to wait any longer.”

“You didn’t need to tell us shit, Aurora,” Bryce huffs, leaning forward slightly. “If you weren’t comfortable sharing, then that’s that. You’re telling us now, so it doesn’t matter what happened before.”

“You three have been nothing but kind to me, and I was keeping this from you. I’m not the most open person. I don’t make friends easily, clearly, and I was just freaked out to tell you so much and then leave once we grew close. It’s a stupid thing to fear, but that’s me. An overthinking grump,” I admit.

Poppy reaches out and takes my hand. “We’re human. We get afraid and worry, so we tell ourselves a million bad things just because we can. That doesn’t make us bad people.”

“You’ve been really good friends to me. Better than I’ve ever had.”

“You deserve it,” Poppy says.

Bryce’s stare is intimidating, but not necessarily in a bad way. “Is there anything we can do to help? Does Wanda know?”

I exhale a laugh. “Yeah, she knows. We’ve only spoken a few times, but things are . . . tense, to say the least.”

“It’s an odd situation for both of you, I’d imagine. Have you spoken to Lee? Does he know?” Poppy asks.

“He knows,” I answer tensely before dropping to sit on my ass in front of them and explaining everything that happened in Toronto. About every dismissive look and sharp, disbelieving comment.

By the time I’m done speaking, they look like they’d push the man in front of a moving car if given the chance. I smile at their protectiveness, knowing exactly how lucky I am to have them.

“I always knew he was a fucking prick not worth everything he’s gotten in life,” Bryce mutters.

I tuck my leg beneath my ass, humming in agreement. “I’m thirty years old and made it through the majority of those years without knowing him. I’ll be fine once I get over the sting of rejection, but I just wanted to know all these random little things. Like if I have more family out there and if we have any genetic issues I should know about. What if I have aunts and cousins out there too? Maybe all of this is silly, but I still wanted to know.”

“It’s not silly at all. Whether or not you need him, it has to be impossible not to want to know him still. You share his DNA, Rory. That isn’t nothing,” Poppy says.

“Wanda could give you some of those answers. She’s always said she isn’t close with her family, but she’ll still know some things,” Bryce suggests.

I know they’re right. But Wanda terrifies me. Maybe more so than Lee does. While he’s a righteous asshole, she doesn’t seem all that bad. Her acceptance is the one I want most, so what happens if I can’t get it?

“Do you think she’ll be at the barbeque?”

I don’t know if she’s even still in town. I’ve heard nothing from her since before I left, but I hope that she’d at least say something if she were leaving again.

“Johnny’s moms invited nearly the entire town. If you were going to find Wanda anywhere, it would be there,” Bryce says.

“Daisy will be there.” Poppy smirks at Bryce.

Bryce glares at her, and maybe it’s the lighting in here, but I swear her cheeks are pinking up. “Obviously. She’s a Mitchell.”

“Am I missing something?” I ask.

Poppy leans into Bryce. “Well, since we are in honesty hour right now, Bryce has had a crush on Daisy Mitchell for what . . . four years now?”

“I don’t have a fucking crush. I’m not a teenager,” Bryce snaps.

“An obsession, then.” Poppy looks at me, that evil gleam still in her eyes. “Daisy’s been gone for school, but she’s got to be almost done by now. Have you met her yet?”

“I met her once. She helped me out when I needed it.”

“Not surprising. Daisy and Johnny are like two halves of the same person.”

Bryce stands and crosses her arms over her chest. She ignores Poppy and stares right at me. “That’s exactly why you can’t say anything to Johnny. God, with the mouth on him, everyone would be talking about this by tomorrow morning.”

I straighten my spine. “In Johnny’s defense, I don’t think he’d tell your secrets to anyone. But yeah, this stays between us. I promise.”

“Good. Because it would be rumours, anyway. I’m not obsessed with Daisy. Poppy’s just trying to poke at me.”