Hers From The Start: A Collection of First In Series Reverse Harem

by Laura Greenwood

  “You first.” My smile matched hers.

  Desiree remained silent for a moment as she picked at the sole of her shoe. “It’s rough, but I’m surviving. Going to a new school and living with Kris will help. It will give me a fresh start without all the familiar things around me.”

  I reached across the divide and placed my hand on her knee. She tilted her head up enough to look me in the eye as her hand covered mine. “Now you.”

  “I don’t want to burden you with my problems, Desire. You have enough going on.”

  Her eyes glistened. “That’s not how friendship works, Kayla. We share each other’s burdens.” She squeezed my hand and waited for me, but I couldn’t. To say it would make it real. “Please. It will help me to think about someone other than my myself.”

  When she put it that way, I couldn’t refuse. “M-my father called. He’s making me come home immediately. He was upset when he found out that the first bus out was early tomorrow morning, but he booked me on it anyway.”

  “Why? I thought the deal was you stayed all summer long.”

  Shrugging my shoulders, I sighed. “He didn’t say why. Just a whole bunch of threats about what would happen if I didn’t listen to him.” I stopped, not knowing what more I could say. Did she know about Kris, Ryan, and me? It wasn’t something we’d discussed. But there was something in her eyes, something that made me want to confide in her. “A-And I really want to talk to your brother and Ryan. I need them.”

  Desiree gasped as her hand tightened to the point of pain on mine. “No reason why? That’s crazy. And I can’t believe my idiot brother or Ryan didn’t say anything. I’m sorry, Kayla, but Ryan and Kris left late last night for Toronto.”

  Toronto? Now what am I going to do? My chest hurt as I struggled to breathe. Not only was I losing my summer vacation with no warning, but Kris and Ryan left me without warning as well. My heart cracked. I knew it had been too good to be true. If I’d really meant something to them, they would have told me. Like my brother. He’d told me when he left—not that he ever kept in contact with me once he did leave. Instead, this was just like my mother all over again.

  Like my mother… that’s it. I didn’t have time to mourn the loss of my boyfriends, the first two I’d ever loved. Instead, I shoved my feelings into a box and locked it tight, just like I did with my mother. Besides, glancing at the clock, I realized I had laundry and packing to do.

  “Thanks for letting me know, Desiree. It doesn’t matter.” I pulled my hand out from under hers and pushed myself up. “Right now, I need to do some chores and pack.”

  Desiree stood. “Well, you’re not doing it alone. I’m helping. We can spend the time trying to figure out ways of paying back my brother and Ryan for leaving you like this.”

  She followed me to my room, keeping up a constant stream of chatter about things she’d like to do to pay them back for their insensitivity. Despite my sadness and hurt, her devious plans wrenched a few chuckles from me. Wrapping my arms around her, I pulled her into a hug. “Thank you, Desiree. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

  “You won’t ever have to find out. My brother and Ryan might be idiots for forgetting about you, but I won’t. I know your parents are rough, but if you can find a way, call me if you need anything. I don’t like you leaving without knowing why.”

  “Me, either,” I mumbled as I released her to grab my suitcase from under the bed.

  Within a short time, we had the laundry on and everything that could be packed, packed. Desiree talked me into spending the afternoon at the pool with her to take my mind off things. Her pleading eyes were nearly as powerful as Ryan’s puppy dog face, and I gave in against my better judgement.

  By the time we sat down for supper with my Aunt Susan, I never been so thankful for Desiree’s friendship. And I was pleased to see more of a sparkle in her eyes. Whatever happened in the future, I vowed to always keep close to Desiree even if there was nothing between her brother and me.

  Aunt Susan tried to keep smiling, but I could see how my father’s pronouncement affected her. “I’m so sorry, Aunt Susan. He wouldn’t tell me why. Just a bunch of threats.”

  She clasped my hand. “Sweet pea, don’t worry. I’m sure it’s probably important or he wouldn’t have called both of us. I couldn’t get anything more out of him either.”

  After supper, the three of us, along with Julianna, sat down to watch a marathon of chick flicks in the hope of taking our minds off my impending departure. It didn’t keep my mind off the hurt their actions caused. Nor did it keep me from missing them. But it was nice. And it did help, a little.

  At the end of the third movie, Julianna stood and pulled me into a motherly hug. “I’m going to miss you. Let us know somehow how you are doing, and I’ll let Kris, Ryan, and Brad know that you are back home. They could stop in and see you.”

  My heart raced. Did I want them to know? I mean, they didn't tell me when they left. Maybe not telling me was their way of telling me something. Something they were too scared to say face-to-face.

  I knew it would happen one day. Between their public careers, and their good looks, it had always been a long shot that they would actually want me long term. There would have been big changes at the end of summer anyway as we all went our separate ways. It was probably better to end it now, before they’d worked themselves deeper into my life.

  “I’ll miss you, too, Julianna. But it’s probably better if you don’t tell them. I don’t know what’s going on at home and having the three of them pop by would just drive my stepmother insane.”

  She moved a few strands of my escaped hair behind my ear. “If you are sure, dear?” Her eyes pierced mine.

  Against the cries of my heart, I held firm. “It would be for the best. I’ll be back next summer.”

  Julianna nodded and patted my cheek before saying good night to everyone else.

  Desiree and I climbed into bed, she didn’t want me to be alone my last night. I tried to tell her that I probably wouldn’t get much sleep, but she didn’t care. And as I lay there, listening to her soft snores, I felt a bead of comfort land on my mangled heart. If Desiree could be this selfless while suffering her own loss, then I could as well.

  But even with that resolution, sleep did not come easy. My dreams were filled with Kris and Ryan, moving swiftly from scenes of us kissing to them walking away, ignoring me as I cried for them to come back.

  I woke with a heavy sense of dread weighing on my shoulders. The sliver of unease that I’d felt for the last few days was now a giant tree with branches and roots growing into every part of me.

  Aunt Susan drove me to the bus depot as the sun was just peeking over the horizon. It would be a long day of travel, but it would give me time to prepare for meeting my father.

  As the bus opened its doors, she pulled me into a hug and shoved one hundred dollars into my pocket. “Just in case. You never know when it will come in handy.”

  I nodded as she cradled my cheek. Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears. We both could feel that this parting was different, that something fundamental was changing. With a last look, she dropped her hands and stepped away, allowing me to climb onto the bus.

  “Be good, sweet pea,” she called as the driver closed the door behind me.

  Stumbling down the aisle, I dropped into an empty seat. I shoved my ear buds on and turned up the music, shutting the world and my brain out.

  Chapter Twelve

  After nine hours, cooped up on the hot, stinky bus, eating prepackaged sandwiches, I wanted off. My head ached from the emotional turmoil and even the package of Julianna’s cookies Aunt Susan had hidden in my bag only drew a partial smile.

  The only good thing about the trip was the lack of a full bus. At seventeen and a female, I was well aware of the possible dangers traveling alone, and I didn’t want to have to share a seat with anyone. Thankfully, I had a double seat to myself for the entire trip.

  When my father booked my ticket, he booked it f
or the Toronto downtown station instead of the one within Oshawa where our house was located. He never said why, but said he’d meet me here. The one hundred dollars from Aunt Susan might have to be used sooner than either of us thought if he didn’t show.

  I waited for the driver to unload my suitcase as my unease grew with each passing moment. Grabbing my suitcase, I walked into the terminal, looking for a place to sit and wait. Without a way to contact my father, I really didn’t have a choice. If I left and he arrived, I was sure there would be hell to pay.

  With a grumbling stomach, I pulled out the final package of homemade snacks from my bag. My watch showed I’d been waiting for more than two hours. My unease climbed as I wondered what kept him. None of this was normal behavior for him.

  “Kayla, grab your stuff and be quick about it. I’m parked in a loading zone.”

  My neck rotated as I looked for my father, the person behind the bellowing voice. I found him standing in the doorway leading to the buses. He gestured impatiently for me to pick up my suitcase and join him before spinning on his heel and walking away.

  What the hell? Who is this man? My father may not have been the best once he fell under my stepmother’s spell, but this was not normal for him. Usually when it was just the two of us, he reverted a little to the dad I remembered. This was just crazy.

  With speed born from fear, I snatch my suitcase off the ground, jogged across the room and out into the bus loading zone. My father sat behind the front seat of our green SUV, instead of our older sedan, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. He didn’t even hop out to help me load my suitcase into the trunk. But I guessed I should have been thankful he at least pressed the button to open it for me.

  I had barely closed the front passenger door before my father pulled away from the curb. “Get your seatbelt on,” he barked.

  Glancing out of the corner of my eye as I struggled to latch the belt, I noticed the deep stress lines around his mouth and eyes. Out of nervousness, I chewed on the inside of my lip where I had a permanent callous. When I was younger, I used to chew on my fingernails, but my stepmother broke me of that habit. But biting and sucking on my bottom lip persisted as one of my main coping mechanisms.

  The vehicle stopped at a red light, and my father turned to face me. There were more streaks of gray in his black hair, making him appear older than when I left two weeks earlier. What happened? “I’m going to take you in and introduce you, but then I have to run home to relieve the babysitter watching your brothers and sister.”

  The light turned green, and he stepped on the gas. He ignored every question I had in the five minute drive before he pulled into a parkade not far from the bus depot. He hopped out of the car and pulled my suitcase and backpack out of the trunk, leaving them there for me, before I could even release my seatbelt.

  “Hurry up, Kayla. I don’t have all day.” He spun on his heel and marched away, leaving me to race after him. The fact that he didn’t even bother to say hello, explain why he was late, or even apologize for breaking our deal were all stabs into my already broken heart. Not done by a knife, but rather a poison dart which spread the pain throughout my mind.

  Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t see him stop until I ran into the back of him. My suitcase followed suit, hitting my legs and nearly pushing me to the ground. As he opened the door, a sign on the window caught my eye, making my breath splutter. The children’s hospital? My mind rushed through all the worst case scenarios, and I almost felt a sliver of sympathy for my father. But why didn’t he tell me one of my younger siblings was sick?

  “Father, who’s sick?”

  He ignored me as he raced across the large glass enclosed entrance to a bank of elevators with me at his heels. As much as I felt sorry for him, I was starting to feel angry at the whole situation.

  The questions piled up with each floor the elevator passed. Why did he bring in my suitcase? Where was my stepmother? Who was sick if my siblings were at home with a babysitter?

  I would have pushed harder for answers, but the elevator was filled with people. I could feel their stares as they wondered why someone so sweaty and disheveled with a backpack and suitcase was in the elevator. Even if I wanted to explain it all to them, I couldn’t. I didn’t know.

  My anger rose against my father for putting me into this situation. All I wanted was time away. Time to be a normal teenager with friends and even boyfriends. I was tired of being yanked around like a piece of property.

  The doors slid open, revealing a large sign that read, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Numbers and arrows pointed in two different directions. My father turned to the left and I followed, still trying to piece together what the sign meant.

  My father pushed a button on the wall and then walked through the double doors when they opened. “You can leave your suitcase and bag against the wall.”

  He stepped deeper into the brightly lit corridor. The silence hung like a heavy blanket, and I shivered. What is this place?

  “Hurry. Up.”

  I raced to his side. He’d stopped in front of a sink and shelving area. Just beyond it, the corridor opened into a cavernous room containing muted hisses and beeps that weren’t able to be heard when you stood by the doors.

  “We need to wash up, but you don’t need a gown as you won’t be holding her. No one can.” He deftly washed his hands, and I followed, unable to make any sense of his disjointed conversation.

  As we walked deeper into the room, my eyes widened in surprise. The beeps and hisses came from space age pods, and when I stepped closed, I discovered each pod contained a tiny premature baby.

  My curiosity peaked, but I chickened out from asking my father any more questions. Not that I figured he would answer anyway. Instead, my eyes and brain absorbed everything I saw for examination at a later date.

  We stopped in front of a long counter splitting the staff from the babies and their parents. Banks of screens with various wavy lines on them took up one wall of the staff enclave. A group of people sat in front of them writing on tablets while others rushed about, crossing the line made by the counter.

  A young man in a white doctor’s coat was one of those who stepped across the line, leaving the bustle behind the counter for the sedate space pod area. His full attention was captured by the tablet screen in his hands.

  “Ahh, Dr. um”—my father scratched his chin—“well, whoever. You are just the person I was looking for.” My father’s clipped tones and booming voice startled the doctor, who jumped, along with several other staff and family members.

  I could feel the heat rising on my face, and I wished there was a hole I could hide in. It would only be my father who wouldn’t care that everyone else spoke in murmurs. As the people around continued to stare, I wished my hair wasn’t pulled back into a braid. I could have used some of its length to hide my face.

  “Mr. Newman, correct?” The young doctor held my father’s gaze, but waited for my father to nod before continuing. “What can I help you with?”

  My father reached back and grabbed my shoulder, yanking me to stand beside him. “You said it would be best for Chloe if someone was here. This is my oldest daughter, Kayla. She will be the one staying to look after Chloe.”

  My brows drew together. Who was Chloe? Why was I going to be watching her?

  A shove to my lower back sent me flying toward the ground. What? Before I could even move my arm to protect my face, a warm slender hand with long fingers—perfect for playing the piano—grabbed my arm, pulling me upright. The hand continued to hold my arm until I was steady on my feet.

  Glancing up to thank my savior, my words died on my lips. My gray eyes collided with the most beautiful emerald colored eyes I’d ever seen. They were framed by long, dark eyelashes, ones any woman would be jealous of. Realizing my mouth hung open, I snapped it shut as heat once again traveled up my face.

  I cursed my pale skin which always revealed my every emotion. My skin felt gritty under his gaze, and I felt every
single one of the hours I spent on the bus.

  He raised a single eyebrow. A soft smile played on the edges of his full lips. I wondered what the look was for, but then I remembered a concerned male voice asking if I was okay.

  Another nudge to my back, but this time softer, had me answering. “I-I’m fine. Thank you.”

  My father grunted beside me, and I knew there would be hell to pay from my stepmother for my rudeness, if he told her.

  The young doctor nodded before returning his attention to my father. Once the scrutiny was off, I side stepped away from my father, not wanting another repeat of his strange behavior.

  They talked for a few minutes, giving me time to gather my wits. I still didn’t understand anything, but something serious was going on, and I was somehow a part of it.

  Glancing down at his watch, my father stepped closer to me. I held my breath. “Shoot. I need to go.” He dropped a kiss on the top of my head. The first sign of affection he’d shown me since he’d picked me up. “Thanks, Kayla. I knew I could count on you. I’ll be in touch.” He spun and marched down the hall, leaving me standing there all alone.

  What the hell? I pinched my left arm until I left deep indentations in my skin, but it didn’t wake me from this nightmare I found myself in. What was I supposed to do? He’d just left me there. I bit my lip hard enough to flood my mouth with the coppery taste of blood. But even that didn’t work. I could feel the tears massing, but I pushed them down. There was no point in crying over something I didn’t even understand.

  A hand waved in front of my face, pulling me from the abyss of my thoughts. “Hey, are you alright? You seem a little shaky,” the young doctor with the emerald eyes asked. Concern was written all over his face.

  I nodded, too scared to talk.

  “Have you seen Chloe yet?”

  I shook my head. How could I have seen her? I didn’t even know who she was. Maybe finding out who she was and seeing her would start me down the path to some answers. “W-who is Chloe?”