“Boo!”
A little girl with long blonde hair and white dress jumps out from the en-suite bedroom. Giggling, she leaps into Aiden’s arms.
“You got me,” he says playfully, setting her back on her feet.
Her round, blue eyes sparkle as she takes me in. Her little nose wrinkles, and her cheeks indent with adorable dimples as her smile widens. I can’t help but smile back. She waves to me and then skips over to the table where a coloring book is lying open with a box of crayons next to it.
My gaze drifts to the well-dressed man and woman sitting side by side with their hands clasped tightly together. Nora Westling is wearing a silky, pale blue dress. Her blonde hair is tightly pulled back into a low, off-center bun. Her shoulders are tense, and it looks like she’s holding her breath. John Westling’s brown hair is almost black and his skin a warm gold. He has rich brown eyes and right now they are red and glossy.
The air in the room seems to get sucked out as we take each other in. My eyes feel wide like they are going to pop out of my damn head, and my heart is pounding against my chest. These people might be my parents, and they aren’t ordinary people. I’ve seen John on TV shows and in movies. Nora has modeled for some of the top fashion designers around the world.
“Hey, bunny,” Mr. Westling says, breaking the silence. “I used to call you that.” He laughs. “You went through a rabbit phase. You acted like a bunny for weeks until…” A tear slips from his eye and trails down his cheek.
His lip quivers and then he’s falling apart. Normally I feel awkward when people cry, but right now, I feel like crying too. Watching him cry like this brings back memories of my dad mourning my mother. He cried every day. I had never seen anyone so broken.
The little girl moves from the floor to run over to her distraught dad. She climbs onto his lap and rests her head against his chest. He rubs her back while wiping away his tears.
“Come have a seat, Anna.” Nora gestures to the chair next to her but my legs only take me as far as the chair next to John.
She doesn’t seem fazed by her husband’s display of emotion. I would expect her to at least try and comfort him.
“Aiden, why don’t you call room service and order drinks. What would you like, Anna?” Nora’s form is formal, robotic.
I open my mouth to correct her about my name but change my mind. “I don’t need anything.” I rub at a stain on my jeans and shift in the stiff chair.
“Liv, come color Anna a picture,” Nora says.
“Okay,” Liv says, scooting off John’s lap to plop down next to the table. “I’ll color Daddy one too.” She pulls her coloring book and crayons to the floor and lies on her stomach in front of them.
“Can I give you a hug?” John says, through a hoarse voice.
“Sure,” I say, getting to my feet because how can I deny him a hug from his daughter who he hasn’t seen in over a decade. I’d be a cold bitch if I said no. He doesn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around me, squeezing tightly, and I find myself hugging him back.
Smiling, he holds me at arm’s length. “You look so much like Aiden.” He chuckles softly. “What do you think, Nora? Did you think they’d look this similar?”
Nora smiles tightly. “Of course, they’re twins.”
“Where did you come from? Are you Anna? Daddy said you were.” Liv says, looking up from her book.
John and I take our seats. “I was at my grandmother’s house, and I was told I’m Anna. I don’t remember being her,” I say truthfully.
“´Cause bad people took you when you were little?” Liv says, scribbling over the page with a red crayon.
“Yeah, but I wasn’t with them for long. I found a family to take care of me.”
John clears his throat. “I’m told you were adopted?”
I nod. “Not long after I turned twelve.”
“It’s probably unlikely they knew you were Anna, then,” he says. “So much time had passed since you were taken.”
“My mother was a saint. There was zero chance she was involved.”
John reaches over and takes my hand. “I heard she died. I’m sorry for your loss.”
I’m about to thank him but Nora cuts in, and says, “Yes, and her husband is in a rehab facility?”
I release John’s hand. “He hit bottom when my mom died. He just needed some help dealing with it.”
Nora nods. “Of course.” Her gaze lingers on my pierced nose and then moves to my clothes.
There it is, the disgust I was waiting for. She doesn’t like my look.
“What kind of things are you into? Do you play sports?” John asks.
I grimace because being adopted by two sports-oriented people could have been a disaster. Thankfully, my parents were all about being yourself and finding your passion. “No sports. I like writing and graphic art. My mom was an art teacher. She passed her passion on to my sister Tilly and me.”
“Nora is an artist too. You’ll have to see her work,” John says, smiling and Nora frowns. “We have an art studio at one of our vacation homes. You’ll love it.”
I swipe my tongue over my front teeth. “About that. I’m not sure what you guys want to happen. How does all this work? I live in Tennessee, and you guys live in California. It’s a long commute, and I should probably do a second test.”
The room goes silent, everyone seeming confused, and then John says, “We’re here to take you home.”
My first reaction is to say hell no, but my mother raised me better than that. She always told me to put myself into other people’s shoes. I need to try and show compassion. “I was thinking we could get to know each other while I live with my grandmother. I have a job, my sister to take care of, my dad will be out of rehab in a couple months, and I’m almost twenty—an adult.”
“Eighteen,” John says, with a reassuring smile. “You’re eighteen.”
My pulse kicks up a notch. If I’m a year and a half younger than what I’ve thought… I shiver. That’s fucking weird.
“And you’re our daughter. You should be home with your family.”
“My grandmother and my sister are my family,” I say, feeling angry he isn’t considering my needs. I am fully prepared to walk out of this room and never see these people again. I will be doing it my way. They can’t expect me to drop my life for them, but then again, they are probably used to getting their way in life. “I’m sure we can work something out,” I say, not really believing it.
“Anna, come speak with me in the other room.” Nora stands on high heels that put her a few inches taller than me.
Smiling, she takes my arm in hers and leads me into the en-suite. She leaves me by the bed while she walks over to the floor to ceiling window.
She stares out at the view. “My husband has been through too much to lose his daughter again. And Aiden—” She sighs, turning to face me. “He was devastated by the loss of his sister and then again by a con artist.” Her eyes narrow, and her tone turns harsh. “You cannot come here and expect to gain the benefits of Anna without stepping into her role. I will not allow it. I will not have my family lose her all over again. It would be too much for them.”
I study her pinched face. Not once did she mention how she felt or that she wanted Anna back. “Listen, I didn’t ask for this—”
“You did,” she snaps. “And I would hate for your whole family to come under investigation.” She raises a sharp brow.
My eyes widen. “My family had nothing to do with anything.”
She runs a hand over the top of her blonde hair. “It will take police and investigators months to come to that conclusion. Especially if I pushed.” She lifts her chin. “How stressful it would be for everyone, including your father. I would hate to jeopardize his sobriety.” She arches a brow. “Or you could come with us, and your family doesn’t need to be investigated. The police might have questions for your family, but I can be very persuasive. I can assure the police will be understanding of your father’s fragile state.”
<
br /> My mouth hangs open as I wonder what the fuck is wrong with her. Maybe having a bitch of a mother is the reason Aiden looks the way he does. The rumors about Nora Westling being a drug addict might have merit after all.
Her gaze drifts back to the window. “Do we have an understanding?”
“An understanding?”
She turns away from the view of the city to glide elegantly toward the door like this conversation is over. “Yes, you’ll come home with us like Aiden and my husband want.”
But not her. Maybe she never wanted to find Anna? “No deal. I’m not moving in. We can talk about weekend visits or something.”
Her shoulders stiffen. “It would be a shame if your father was arrested.”
My face flames with heat, and my hands ball into fists. It would be a shame if I kicked her ass out of the fucking window. “You can’t have him arrested. He didn’t do anything.”
“Six months. Stay for six months and the police won’t even question your father.”
Her blank expression is gone. Her eyes are cold and hard. Her smooth face has been replaced with lines between her brows and around her eyes. I take a deep breath. “Two weeks and nobody in my family is questioned by police.”
She laughs a manic sort of laugh that has me backing up a step. “Two weeks?” Her laughter dries up and her nostrils flare. “You have no idea what I’m capable of, little girl. If you knew, you wouldn’t be testing me the way that you are.”
Her eyes are wild, and I don’t doubt she’s capable of all kinds of crazy shit. I want to go back in time. I could have crashed at Grace’s house on the day of the interview. Tilly would have been pissed but she would have gotten over it. Fuck Nick Cabot for this. I pull at my lip ring, hating that I’m in this situation. “Three weeks,” I mumble.
“That’s not enough time,” she snaps. “Two months and your father won’t go to prison.”
I study her face. She’d send an innocent man to prison? “Fine, two months. My dad has two months left anyway. And Tilly comes with me wherever I go.”
“And you’ll visit on weekends after that.”
“After that, I’ll visit one weekend a month for three months. Final offer.”
She studies me and then she smiles, her face softening. “Fine. Glad we got that sorted out.” She spins on her heels, leaving me to wonder what the fuck happened and if I made the right choice.
I follow behind her a second later, making it into the room as she’s sitting down to take her husband’s hand.
“She’s nervous. This is a big change for Anna.” She turns from John to Aiden. “Take Anna to collect her things. The plane will be ready to take us to the beach house in an hour.” Her lips pull into a tight smile as she focuses on me.
Aiden bends down to kiss his mother on the cheek. “See you at the airport.” He straightens and smiles at me. “Ready?”
Sighing, I move out into the hotel hallway where James is waiting. “Your mom is interesting.”
Aiden’s arm brushes against mine as we move into the elevator with James. “How so?”
“She threatened my family if I didn’t come with you,” I tell him, and he doesn’t look surprised which has my eyes narrowing. Either he’s used to this behavior or he thinks she was right in doing so.
“Mom’s… she’s struggled since you were taken. She sees a psychotherapist and takes a multitude of pills to function throughout the day and to sleep at night. She wants you home. She wouldn’t actually hurt your family.”
I shake my head because he’s wrong. “It didn’t seem like she wanted me. She made it seem like she was doing it for you and John, not herself.”
“She has her moods, but she loves you. I’m sure she was just panicking about the thought of you not coming with us.” He rubs the back of his neck. “I can talk to her if you want. If you don’t want to come with us…”
My stomach flips as the elevator carries us down. Nora made it clear what she would do if I didn’t agree to come. I’m not going to risk my dad being sent to prison. Nora has issues. Testing her wouldn’t be worth it, and I can handle anything for two months. “I’ll visit for a couple months like I said I would.”
“I know it’s going to take time for you to adjust, and things might be weird at first, but it’ll be okay.” He gives me a reassuring smile. The elevator door opens, and Aiden whispers, “I’ve missed you.”
He doesn’t look at me like he’s afraid to see how I’ll react to his vulnerable words. Aiden Westling is nothing like the moody asshole I had pictured, and I don’t want to hurt him. “I know,” I reply, meeting his eyes and giving him a small smile. I really need to take that second test.
Chapter 12
James parks the SUV on the side of the street, and I hop out, leaving him and Aiden to wait. As soon as I open the door, the smell of garlic and cheese hits me. I kick my shoes off because the vacuum is sitting by the closet. Nana will throw a fit if she sees me walking through her house with my shoes on after she’s done the floors.
“Is that you, Hayley? Come into the kitchen and eat,” Nana calls.
I was already on my way. Nana can cook, and whatever she’s making smells delicious. Nana’s hovering over steaming pots on the stove when I walk in. The gray apron with pink trim Dad bought her is tied around her waist.
“Almost ready. Making spaghetti with homemade sauce. You hungry, baby?” Nana asks me over her shoulder.
I take a seat at the small table by the kitchen window. “Starving, Nana.” I don’t ask if she needs help because I know she won’t let me. Cooking is a solo act for her. Tilly and I usually handle the dishes afterward.
I move the yellow curtains to the side and see the SUV is still parked on the curb. I wonder how long they’ll wait before they think I’m not coming out? I’m going to take my time if this is my last day.
I’m not going to miss Nana. We were never close. Her and my grandpa traveled a lot before he died, so we only saw them a couple times a year. I just have this feeling like going with the Westlings isn’t a good idea. I’m afraid to call Nora’s bluff. I laugh lightly to myself. Look at that, something I’m scared of, a fucking princess.
I can handle two months. It’s not like I’ll be missing out on much.
Shit.
My job. I won’t miss it, but I’ll miss the income. I pull my phone from my pocket as Tilly’s walking in.
“You’re back. You weren’t gone long.” She drops down on the chair across from me. “Tell me everything.”
With the phone to my ear, I hold my finger up to her. “Hey, Pete. Can I talk to Lisa?”
Pete transfers my call and then Lisa is on the other end. “Hello?” Her smoker’s voice is deep, almost sounding like a man.
“Hey, Lisa, it’s Hayley Thompson. Something unexpected came up, and I won’t be back.”
“You won’t be back?”
“I won’t be back to work. I wanted to let you know, so you could find someone to cover my shifts.”
I wait for her reply but the silence on the other end has me pulling my phone from my ear. She hung up.
“You hungry, Tilly?” Nana asks, pulling a stack of plates down from the cabinet.
“Yes, ma’am,” Tilly says and then taps her fingers on the table to get my attention. “You quit?”
“Yeah. Nora… convinced me to visit. You down? I’m not leaving without you.”
She grins. “Yes! Of course I want to come with you.”
I laugh lightly at her excitement. “We eat and then pack. I’ll warn you Nora seems a bit nuts. I don’t know how this is going to go, and it’s temporary.”
Nana sets full plates down in front of both Tilly and me. The steam from the spaghetti and fresh garlic cheese bread has my mouth watering.
“You girls mind putting the leftovers away? I’m meeting some friends to plan the bake sale at church.”
“We’ve got it, Nana, but Tilly and I are going to stay with some friends out of town for the rest of the summer, so we
won’t be here when you get home.”
Nana smiles. “That sounds nice. You girls have fun.” She grabs her purse from the hook and then she’s out the door.
“She probably won’t even notice we’re gone.”
I laugh. “Probably not.”
“So.” She grins. “Tell me how it went.”
“It was awkward. I still think this is weird. They have a five-year-old daughter and of course Aiden and Colt. Aiden and the little girl already think I’m their sister. Colt wasn’t there.”
“You are their sister. You have two brothers and another sister. I’ll always be your favorite, right?” She rests her chin on her hand and bats her long eyelashes.
I roll my eyes and shove a mouthful of spaghetti into my mouth.
Tilly brushes her bangs from her eyes. “School starts in two weeks. Are we coming back for that?”
“Probably,” I lie, not wanting to worry her. I’ll think of something when the time comes.
We eat the rest of our food in silence. I glance out the window and see the SUV is still parked before Tilly and I get up to take care of the dishes and leftovers.
Once the kitchen is taken care of, we head to our room to the familiar task of packing. It doesn’t take long since most of our things are at home. We brought the bare necessities with us here. I take a much-needed shower, change into a gray tank and black jeans, and then we’re lugging our bags outside. The SUV is still parked by the curb. I was secretly hoping they would leave. Aiden and James hop out to help us shove our bags into the back.
Aiden nudges me. “We spend summers at our Florida beach house. There’s jet skis, a boat, a private beach, a pool, and a ton to do around town.”
I nod, trying not to grimace. A beach vacation is the last type of vacation I’d take. Grinning, Tilly rushes into the back seat. I follow her, and Aiden and James move to the front.
“Buckle up,” I remind my sister as the SUV pulls out onto the road.
“Mom and Dad are on their way to the summer home. Liv was getting tired and cranky, so they took the helicopter. We’ll head to the airport now. It’s only an hour or so by private plane.”
Everywhen: (Savage Princess book 1) Page 7