I sit across from her, each of us just staring at the other in complete disbelief. Well, I’m in disbelief, she just looks confused and lost.
The poor little thing.
“Ummm…what’s your name?” I ask her.
She blinks up at me and I’m once again struck by how similar her eyes are to my dad’s. I mean, they’re the spitting fucking image of his. “Aria,” she whispers.
“Aria,” I repeat, testing out the name on my lips. “I’m Henley. Are you…? Was that woman your mom?”
She nods and I suck in a breath, instantly starting to do the math. How long ago was it that she walked out on us? “How old are you, Aria?”
“Five,” she tells me as her eyes flash around the room, trying to work out where the hell she is as I try to come to the terms with the fact that I possibly have a sister sitting on the couch before me. I mean, what the hell is happening right now? Dad never said anything about me having a sister. Does he even know about this?
“Five,” I repeat, trying to do the mental math.
Mom left when I was twelve. She has to have known she was pregnant when she left. I wonder if that’s what prompted her to go?
Holy shit. I can’t handle this right now.
“So, ummm…your dad?”
She shrugs her little shoulders. “I don’t have a dad.”
“Right.”
“Your family?”
“Mom said you were family.”
I suck in a breath and place my hand against my chest, indicating to myself. “Me?” I question, just in case the little girl is confused.
Aria nods.
Shit.
My heart stammers in my chest.
‘She’s your problem now.’ ‘She’s your problem now.’ ‘She’s your problem now.’
My mother’s words repeat over and over again in my mind to the point I can’t even spare a second to think about the fact that I just saw the woman for the first time in over five years. Hell, I can’t even manage to calm my racing heart. What does she mean? ‘She’s your problem now.’ Is this kid being dumped on us? On me?
“So… where did your mom go?” I ask, secretly hoping she was just ducking down to the store and will be back in a few minutes. I mean, I’m not cut out for looking after children. I wouldn’t know the first thing to do with her.
Aria shrugs again as my eyes continue raking over the features that seem so similar to my dad’s. “Don’t know.”
I slowly nod my head, my mind whirring with unspoken thoughts as I try to remember the girl is only five and probably won’t have a single answer for me.
Aria crosses her arms over her chest and it’s then I notice that she’s in a tiny pair of sleep shorts and a tank that looks about two sizes too small for her. I quickly grab the remote for the heating and switch it on before looking down at her. “Are you cold? Do you need anything?”
She shakes her head. “I’m used to it.”
What. The. Actual. Fuck? ‘I’m used to it.’ What kind of kid has to get used to being cold?
I ask her again, though this time with a little more pressure, letting her know I need a straight answer. “Aria. Are you cold?”
She looks up at me with her sad little eyes and nods her head.
“Ok,” I tell her, getting up and crossing the room to grab the throw from off the other couch. “This is only going to work if you’re honest with me, alright?”
She nods again and I curl the throw around her shoulders. She instantly snuggles into it and I look around, realizing that nothing got brought along with her. “Your mom didn’t leave you any clothes or…I don’t know, your things?”
She shakes her head.
Fuck. Fuck. FUCK. What is this?
What do I do? I’m just a kid myself. I’m not ready to be looking after another human being. Hell, half the time I forget to feed Frog. I have too many questions to even concentrate on giving her what she needs right now.
She has no clothes. She’s cold. She probably hasn’t eaten. Shit, has she eaten? “Are you hungry?” I rush out. “When was the last time you ate?”
She shrugs her shoulders and I quickly realize that she doesn’t get asked a lot of questions. “I had breakfast.”
I blanch. “Breakfast?” I shriek.
She flinches and curls into the back of the couch and I curse myself for raising my voice. “I’m tired,” she murmurs.
“Ok, I’m sorry, but you’re not sleeping until you’ve eaten a little something, ok?”
Her eyes cast down and she slowly nods her head. I take that as my cue to get on with things. I hurry into the kitchen and rummage through the fridge for something I could give her. “Are you allergic to anything?” I call out before wondering if she even knows what that means. She doesn’t respond and I shake it off. I probably wouldn’t respond if I was in her situation either.
I find a frozen pizza and shove it in the oven. You can’t go wrong with pizza, but knowing my luck, I probably could.
As it heats, I hurry down to my room, giving her a forced smile as I pass her, hoping to ease her worries. I snatch my phone off my bedside table and dial dad’s number as fast as I can. “Come on,” I groan as it rings over and over again.
I start making my way back to the kitchen and don’t miss the way her cautious eyes follow every step I take. “Henley,” dad’s voice comes through the line in a panic, drawing my attention away from Aria. “What’s wrong? Why are you calling so late?” he rushes out, though it’s clear as hell I just woke him from what would have been a shitty sleep anyway.
I hurry into the kitchen, not wanting to have this conversation in front of her. “Mom was just here,” I whisper yell into the phone.
“What?” dad grunts, cutting me off before I have a chance to continue. “What the hell did she want?”
I scoff. “She wanted to dump us with her kid, that’s what.”
“Excuse me?” he roars, suddenly not sounding so sleepy. “What the fuck are you talking about, Henley?”
“Her kid,” I repeat. “She knocked on the door at one in the morning. I opened it, she asked if you were here, and then pushed a kid through the door before practically running for he life. She didn’t even give me a chance to ask what the hell was going on. Here one second, gone the next.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he grunts, clearly trying to control his anger.
“Dad,” I say softly. “This kid…well, she has your eyes. I don’t even have your eyes, but she does.”
“What?” he stutters. “That’s not possible. Your mom’s been gone for years. That could be anyone’s kid. How old is she?”
“She’s five. If you do the math, it’s extremely possible. Actually, it’s the only logical explanation. Don’t have a heart attack on me, but I’m almost certain this is your kid, dad.”
The line goes silent for a short moment. “Are you sure?”
“Well…I.”
“Henley, are you fucking sure?” he roars.
“Yeah. She would have had to be pregnant when she left.”
“Fuck. Where’d your mom go? Where is she?”
I shake my head, even though he can’t see. “I don’t know. She pushed Aria through the door and said ‘She’s your problem now,’ and took off. I…I don’t think we’re seeing her anytime soon.”
“Shit.”
“Dad?”
“What?”
“I don’t think Aria has been cared for very well. She has no clothes, she hasn’t eaten since breakfast, and she scares easily.”
“Fuck,” he sighs so low, I don’t think I was even meant to hear it. “Ok, look. I’m halfway across the fucking country. I can finish the job later, but I won’t be home for a few days. Can you hold down the fort? Give the kid what she needs and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Ok,” I say as the buzzer for the oven goes off. “I have to go,” I tell him. “Her dinner is ready.”
“Alright, Squish. Call me first thing in the morning and
we’ll work it out. We’ll get some DNA tests done and work out what the hell happened to your mom. You’ll be alright, ok? Just…chin up.”
“K, dad. I’ll talk to you later.”
I hang up the call, feeling a little better about the situation, but still completely freaking out. I mean, how am I supposed to look after the kid for the next few days? I don’t know the first thing about taking care of a child or what she would even need.
I grab the pizza from the oven and put it up for her before walking out into the living room and placing the plate down on the couch beside her. “Hope you like pizza,” I murmur.
Over the space of the next two minutes, I watch as she annihilates the pizza as though she’s never eaten before. “Slow down,” I tell her. “There’s more than enough food. You don’t need to make yourself sick. You’re safe here.”
Her eyes flick up to mine for the briefest second before she focuses back on her dinner and I realize I should probably get her a drink to go with it.
I hurry back into the kitchen and grab a glass before filling it with water. I’m just about to walk back out when I reconsider and change the glass for a plastic tumbler. You know, couldn’t be too careful, right?
I get her sorted and before I know it, the yawns start ripping out of her.
Alright, next challenge. Where the hell is she going to sleep? Couch? No. That only leaves my bed or dad’s. So, which would she be more comfortable in? Dad’s bedroom is cramped, messy and has a rifle on the fucking wall, so I guess mine would be the best choice.
“Come on,” I tell her, holding out my hand. She takes it straight away and a funny feeling settles into the pit of my stomach. I could be wrong, but it feels like some kind of weird protectiveness claiming me. This kid is now my kid to take care of and I guess it’s finally sinking in.
I take her into my bedroom and find one of my shirts that’s a little too small and pull it over her head, on top of her old shirt and laugh at the way it looks like a dress on her, but it will have to do for tonight. “This is my room,” I tell her. “You can sleep in here tonight and we’ll sort you out something better tomorrow.”
She nods her head and I help her climb under the blankets before pulling my phone charger out of the wall to take with me. “Will you be ok?” I ask. “Do you need the door open or, I don’t know…the light on?”
“Can you leave the light on?”
“Really?” I grunt. “You couldn’t possibly sleep with the light on. How about I leave the door open and turn the hallway light on so you can still see, but it’s not too bright to keep you up? That way you can call out to me if you need anything.”
She nods her little head again and I squeeze her hand. “We’re going to figure this out, alright. I know it must be scary.”
Tears pool in her eyes and it breaks my heart. “Is my mommy ever coming back?”
I consider lying and letting her know that everything is going to be fine, but I have a feeling that this little girl has had to do some growing up over her short five years, and I have a feeling that lying isn’t really going to help her. She needs the truth.
I sit down on the edge of my bed and hold her hand. “I don’t know, Aria, but my dad and I are going to sort it out, ok? All you need to know is that you’re safe here. I’m going to take care of you. You and me, we’re going to be best friends. We’re going to be sisters.”
“Promise?”
“I promise, Aria,” I tell her. “Now, you need to get yourself to sleep. Do you want me to go or do you want me to wait until you fall asleep?”
“Can you stay?”
“Sure thing, sweet girl.”
----------
After waiting nearly an hour for Aria to fall asleep, I took myself into dad’s room and crashed in his bed. I tossed and turned all night before getting woken at six in the morning to the sound of ‘SpongeBob Square Pants’ blasting through the television.
So now, here I am, making myself and Aria some toast while trying to work out what the hell I’m going to do with her today. I mean, I have a feeling I won’t be going to school as I can’t exactly drag her along with me.
Shit. School? Is she supposed to be going to school? Is she even old enough for that?
Every few minutes, another question pops into my head and it’s driving me crazy. I need help.
I’ve spent the last half an hour talking to dad, but he was still in shock to really be helpful. I think he needs a few days to get his head around the fact that he might have another kid.
I get Aria something to eat and by the time she finishes eating while being distracted by the TV, the questions and panic have risen so far within me that I can't sit around, waiting for answers anymore.
I hurry into my room, grab the money out of my jewelry box and haul ass out of here. “Come on,” I tell her, bringing the throw from the couch with me as it’s still a bit cool outside, and besides, the poor kid doesn’t have any proper clothes to keep her warm.
I open dad’s truck and help her up into it before grabbing the seatbelt and buckling her in. Wait. Is she supposed to have one of those carseat things? I look at her in a panic before realizing there really isn’t much I can do about it now. In order to get a carseat, I have to get to the shops and it’s not like I can just leave her behind to do that.
Fuck. This is all too hard.
I just have to be careful.
I tighten her seatbelt as much as I can before making my way around the truck and hauling myself up into the driver’s seat. As I’m backing out of the driveway, a tiny little hand falls upon my thigh and I look down at it. “It’s ok,” Aria whispers. “You said it was all going to be ok, remember?”
I give her a small smile realizing this is her way of trying to comfort me. Is my freaking out that obvious? “It is,” I tell her. “We’re going to be fine, aren’t we?”
She nods her head and with that, I hit the gas.
I pull into the familiar driveway ten minutes later, pleased to see everyone’s cars still here. Hell, even Rivers is here. I don’t know why though, I figured he’d be the type to sleep in until a minute before needing to be at school and then haul ass to get there before the bell while eating his breakfast on the way.
Either way, it’s not important right now. What I need is to get inside that door.
I help unbuckle Aria even though I have a feeling she can do it herself and I explain where we are.
A moment later, I knock on the door with relief shadowing over me knowing I’m about to have at least a few of my questions answered.
Noah’s mom, Violet, opens the door and the second I see her, my eyes fill with tears. “I need your help,” I tell her as Aria peeks her head out from behind my leg.
Violet sucks in a sharp breath. “What? Who is this?” she questions, opening the door wider for us to enter.
“If I’m right,” I tell her. “She’s my little sister.”
Violet’s eyes fall over Aria as she continues to cower behind me and I explain what the hell is going on. “My mom showed up in the middle of the night after being gone for five years and just left me with her. She didn’t tell me if she was coming back or what was going on. Just said she was my problem now and left. I mean…my dad isn’t even here and I…I don’t know what to do. She doesn’t have clothes or, or things.”
“Oh, honey,” Violet says cutting me off and pulling me into a tight hug. “It’s ok, you’re going to be ok. I’m glad you came, we’ll get you sorted, alright? Now, first things first. Have you two eaten?”
Aria pokes her head around my side once again, looking up at Violet. “Henley gave me toast.”
Violet drops down to one knee in front of Aria and gives her a warm smile. “That’s good,” she says. “Are you still hungry? I was just about to cut up some fruit for my big babies. Would you like some too?”
Aria looks up at me and it’s almost as though she’s seeking my approval to go with this new stranger. I give her a small nod and before I know it, sh
e takes Violet’s hand and she leads her into the kitchen, giving me a moment to myself to breathe.
I consider dropping down on to the couch and letting myself break down, but not today. There’s somewhere else I know I’m going to find a shitload more comfort.
I make my way down to Noah’s room, bypassing the bathroom with the sound of the shower running from within, and seeing as though Tully’s door is wide open, I’d assume it’s her in the shower. Though that still doesn’t shed any light on Rivers’ whereabouts. If I had to guess, I’d say he’s probably in the kitchen, eating everything in Violet’s fridge.
I push through his door to find him just waking up. “He gives me a warm smile and I crash down into his warm bed, loving his comforting arms wrapping around me. “What are you doing here?” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to my forehead.
“You probably should have stayed last night,” I tell him. “Shit hit the fan after you left.”
“What?” he grunts in confusion. “I left just after midnight and you were asleep. What shit could have possibly hit the fan between then and now?”
I groan and roll around in his arms, squishing my face into his chest. “How about my mom showing up in the middle of the night and dumping me with a kid? Apparently, I have a sister.”
“Fuck,” he grunts. “Are you alright?”
“I think so,” I tell him. “Maybe a little shocked. I was just talking to your mom, she’s going to help me figure out what the hell to do with her until dad gets home, and then I think I’ll be alright. My head is a bit of a mess.”
“I bet,” he murmurs, running his hands over my back. “Wait. You brought the kid here, right? You didn’t just leave her at your place?”
“No,” I scoff in disgust. “Who do you think I am?”
“Just checking,” he says with slight humor in his voice that I’m damn thankful for. “Come on, let me up and we’ll go talk to my mom.”
“Ok,” I say, moving out of his way. He gets up and quickly pulls on a pair of sweats before heading to the door. I stop him and throw a shirt at his chest. “Put this on. She’s only five and already terrified. She doesn’t need some tatted up, scary as shit guy sitting across from her during breakfast.”
Unbelievable: Haven Falls (Book 2) Page 10