Miss Trailerhood

by Carina Taylor

  “You don’t even know how happy I am to see you,” Nola said as she held onto me. “You have to tell me everything. Everything.”

  “I will, Nola. It’s so good to see you. I’ve missed you.” My voice wobbled like a first-time tight-rope walker. This was not good. I was turning into a crier.

  Nola still didn’t let go. We stood there a few more minutes before the man who came with her walked over and pried Nola’s arms from around my neck.

  His face was close to mine as he did so. He smiled. “Hi. How are you? I’m Bane.”

  “I figured you might be.” I smiled back through my watery eyes. Once he peeled Nola loose—she acted as though he did that type of thing every day; maybe he did—we sat down on the futon together.

  Nola and I sat in the middle. Nate sat down next to me, and then Nola pulled Bane onto the couch next to her.

  “Where have you been? What happened?” Her hands latched onto my face and squeezed my cheeks together.

  “Whish wsh fishter,” I tried to say.

  “Why didn’t you call? Have you been hurt?” She squeezed my cheeks tighter.

  “Mmnu,” I managed. I could feel Nate shaking with laughter next to me.

  Bane’s hands covered hers and gently pulled them down. “Nola. If you want answers, you’re going to have to let her talk.”

  Poor Bane. He probably didn’t realize this was perfectly normal Nola behavior. I knew what I was getting into when I told Nate I was ready to explain everything to her.

  “Oh, you’re right. Sorry.” This time she latched onto my hand and held on.

  Now I couldn’t stop grinning like a fool. “I’m just so happy to see you, Nola. You look so good. And you’re married—to that!”

  Nola practically bounced up and down in her seat. “I know. I can’t wait for you to get to know each other. You’re going to love him.”

  “I’m sure I will.”

  “And you’re here with—“ Nola’s eyes latched onto Nate, seemingly for the first time. “Louis Nathaniel Mercier.”

  Nate tugged me a little closer, probably hoping I’d provide some type of barrier between him and his sister.

  “Before you get too angry, remember the first time I met your husband was at your wedding!”

  Nola scrunched up her nose. “I don’t like it when you use my actions against me.”

  She turned her attention back on me. “Where have you been? What have you been up to?”

  The front door flew open with a bang. “Why is Gabe parked in our driveway—oh.”

  Wren stopped just inside the door. “I’m guessing that isn’t Gabe parked in the driveway.”

  “Who’s Gabe?” Nola asked.

  “She thought you were the Gunrunner,” Nate offered unhelpfully.

  “What?” Nola laughed.

  Bane scooted forward. “Are you in trouble?”

  Wren’s eyes bounced back and forth between the four of us. “You know, I discontinued couples therapy sessions last month. If you’d called ahead, I would have given you the discount for extra-troubled cases.”

  Nola smiled. “Who are you?”

  Wren kicked off her shoes. “I’m the dirty little secret.”

  I felt my heart flutter. Wren knew all about Nola and Nate. I knew she’d wanted to meet them. But now I only felt an incredible sense of guilt that I’d kept Wren a secret. The last thing I wanted was for her to feel like a dirty little secret.

  “No. She’s not the dirty little secret. She’s my sister. And you’re going to love her, Nola. Just like I do.”

  “Your sister? The one you always talked about? And snuck away to visit?” Nola asked excitedly.

  I nodded.

  Wren pulled out a chair from the kitchen table. “So. You’re the famous Nola.” She smiled at Nola then turned her attention toward Bane. “Who are you?”

  “I’m the infamous Bane.”

  “Well, at least you’re cute, so you have that going for you.” She shrugged. This was one of the things I loved so much about my sister. She was so good at making an awkward situation the most fun thing in the world. She could have probably made a root canal fun.

  Bane cracked into a full grin.

  Nola stood up and walked over to smother Wren in a Nola-sized hug. “It’s so great to meet you! Riley used to talk about you all the time.”

  Wren patted Nola’s back awkwardly. “Yup. Nice to meet you, too. I’ve heard lots of stories.”

  Nola let her go and wedged herself back on the couch between Bane and me.

  “So, what are you up to these days? Your business degree coming in handy?” Nola asked as she glanced meaningfully around the trailer.

  Well, that was a little snarky, but I’d let it slide. I’d literally disappeared without a word; she was entitled to some anger.

  “Yeah, actually. I’m doing okay for myself.”

  Nola grabbed my hand. “You know I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just curious.” She tilted her head to the side. “Okay, and a little mad. It’s been two years—almost three! I want to know all the things.”

  I looked at Wren. She nodded as she stood up. “I’ll make us some coffee. This could take a while. Why don’t you guys go for a walk?”

  She bustled around the kitchen, setting up the coffee pot, and I was reminded, once again, that maybe I wasn’t the one raising Wren. I stood up, tugging Nola after me.

  “Why don’t we go stretch our legs a little?”

  I had to tug extra hard to get my hand back from Nate.

  “We’ll be back in a minute.” I met his eyes. They looked conflicted.

  This wasn’t easy for him. He was reuniting me with my best friend—his sister—who had always been a priority in my life. She’d always been first, and Nate had only been the ‘little brother.’

  Nola and I rekindling our friendship posed a direct threat to Nate’s and my relationship. In fact, I hadn’t even mentioned the fact that we were in a relationship.

  Nola was tugging on my other hand. I let go of Nate’s and turned to follow Nola.

  I stopped. Pulling my hand from Nola’s, I turned back to Nate and bent down, kissing him gently on the mouth. “This changes nothing between us,” I promised against his lips.

  He grinned up at me. “Glad to hear that.”

  I turned around to find Nola with her jaw practically resting on the floor.

  “What?” she gasped. “Nate—Riley—what is that?”

  Nate looked positively gleeful at his sister’s reaction; even Bane was fighting a smile.

  “I should have known. Oh, I should have known! Nothing is as it seems! You’ve probably been dating this whole time!”

  I glanced at Nate; he grimaced as we braced for what we knew could be a long tirade from Nola.

  Wren made a face at us from behind Nola’s back.

  Nola threw her hands up in the air. “How could you do this to me?”

  “Well, I—"

  “I had plans! Big plans! It’s taken me a long time to come up with them. They were so perfect, and now you’ve ruined it!” she continued.

  And I was getting annoyed.

  Nola stepped closer, shaking her finger at the two of us. “Do you know how long I’ve spent planning how to get the two of you together? To see that you’re perfect for each other?”

  I opened my mouth with a rebuttal but sputtered instead. “Wait—what?”

  Nate looked equally confused.

  “You two morons couldn’t see past your stupid little plans in high school to see how perfect you are for each other. You were so caught up in your five-year plans, I figured I’d have to enact a five-year plan of my own to get you together! Do you understand what that means?”

  Nate was shaking with laughter from where he sat on the couch.

  “I made a plan!”

  Bane looked at us in confused amusement. I explained, “You might not have known her long enough to know that Nola never makes plans.”

  “You know, I think I already caug
ht up on that when she was staying in that condemned building until they brought the wrecking ball,” Bane said.

  Seemed like Nola had had a busy little life as well. “You mean you’re not mad about Nate and me?”

  “I’ve been trying to figure out how to get the two of you together. Why would I try to break you up?” She scowled at us.

  I ran a hand through my hair, careful of the waves. “You mean to tell me, you want Nate and me to date?”

  “You idiot. Why did you think I was always making you guys go do things together in high school?”

  “I knew you weren’t on your cycle all those times!” I exclaimed.

  Nate laughed and stood up to hug his sister and plant a kiss on her cheek. “Thanks, sis. You’re the best.”

  “Now that we have that out of the way, I have years to catch up on with my best friend.” With that, she latched onto my arm and tugged me with her out the door.

  I had some explaining to do.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Riley

  “I think that went rather well.” Nate smiled at me as I flopped down onto the wicker couch beside him outside the trailer. Sam and Elise had finally gone inside. They’d been outside, watering their plants, when Bane and Nola left.

  “You would think that. You weren’t the one who was in trouble.”

  Nate pulled me close, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. Why was he so perfect?

  “Thank you for picking me,” he whispered against my hair.

  “Hmm?” I mumbled from where I pressed my face against his chest.

  “You kissed me. In front of Nola. Before we knew she wanted us to be a couple. You picked me.”

  “Nate, I told you I would always pick you. I love Nola; she’s my best friend, and she will always be special to me. But there comes a point where I have to make a decision for myself, and other people are going to have to be okay with that. And I pick you.”

  He chuckled. “Well, I picked you first.”

  “Not everything has to be a competition. But if it was, I’d win.” I smiled up at him and latched my arms around his middle.

  A car engine drew my attention away from Nate. With a loud revving, a large white SUV pulled into my driveway behind my Jeep. The car looked familiar, but I couldn’t remember where I’d seen it... Then, I recognized the people in it.

  It was Frank and his new girlfriend, Tia, and she was driving. It must have been her car, because I couldn’t imagine Frank having that kind of money.

  “What are they doing here again so soon? He usually doesn’t visit this often.”

  Nate stood up with me, and I was grateful he was standing there holding my hand. I was already emotionally raw after reuniting with Nola. I wasn’t ready to try to deal with Frank or Tia. Thankfully, Wren was over babysitting Kristin’s brood while she ran to the grocery store. It earned her some extra cash and gave Kristin some much-needed sanity.

  They climbed out of the car, Frank hitting his head against the frame. He muttered as he slammed the door. Tia glared at him as she carefully shut her door.

  She turned to us with a smile pasted on her face. “Hello, honey! It’s so good to see you, sweetie pie.”

  She came toward me like a wrecking ball, her arms outstretched and rolling as though nothing could stop her.

  Nate pulled me close to his side and shoved his hand in front of us. “Hi there, I’m Nate. I haven’t met you yet.”

  I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding when Tia paused her hugging mission to shake Nate’s hand. “Oh, how wonderful to meet you! You must be the man who takes care of Riley.”

  Nate snorted. “Trust me, Riley doesn’t need anyone to take care of her. I’m merely along for the ride.”

  Frank shifted from foot to foot behind Tia. He lifted a hand in awkward greeting.

  “Did you come to see Wren?” I asked.

  Frank studied the hand he’d waved at us with, as though he were wondering where it came from.

  “We’re here to get Wren!” Tia said with a giant smile that grated on my nerves.

  “Get her?” I asked with a frown.

  “Yes, I’ve set up her room for her and decorated it.“

  I latched onto Nate’s arm, squeezing it. “What are you talking about?”

  Tia continued, “Wren will come live with us now! I’ve always wanted a bigger family. I’m so happy I’ll be getting it now.” She clapped her hands together in excitement.

  I turned to Frank, completely ignoring Tia. “You can’t be serious.”

  Frank shrugged. “It’s what Tia wants.”

  I shuddered as my words caught in my throat. They wanted to take Wren away from me. They wanted to take her from me. I couldn’t let that happen.

  “You can’t.” My eloquent rebuttal would have to come later.

  Tia frowned at us, her drawn-on eyebrows wrinkling comically. “He’s her father. He can have her if he wants her!”

  Nate’s arm tightened around my waist, and I wasn’t sure if it was necessary to hold me up before I fainted, or to hold me back if I decided to attack Tia.

  “You have no right to her,” I managed to get out calmly—and by calmly I mean I sounded like a chain smoker who lit one cigarette off the end of another.

  Frank cleared his throat and took a step forward. “She’s my daughter, Riley. I have a right to her.”

  “You need to leave right now,” Nate cut in. “You are not Wren’s legal guardian. You take her now, and you’ll be charged with kidnapping.”

  My shaking legs steadied. “Frank, you gave up any legal rights to Wren two years ago. You will not be taking her with you. I’ve allowed you to come visit her because you’re her father, and I thought it was fair that she be able to talk to you, but if you push this, if you try to take her—and I know she’ll be neglected—I will take you to court and file a restraining order against you.”

  Nate squeezed my hip reassuringly.

  “I have lawyers,” threatened Tia. Gone was the fake smile. “The court will not let you keep his daughter from him.”

  “You will leave right now, or we’ll be calling the police,” Nate spoke calmly, with a level voice.

  Tia leaned forward and pointed a finger at us. “You have not heard the last of me.”

  She turned around and stomped toward the SUV. “Hurry up, Frank. I need to call my lawyer.”

  Frank turned to follow her. He took two steps then glanced back. “I’m—“

  He shook his head, interrupting his words and hurrying toward the car.

  We didn’t say a word until the white car turned out of the trailer park.

  “They can’t be serious,” I whispered.

  Nate turned me to face him. He grabbed my face gently, his calloused palms resting against the soft skin of my cheeks.

  “Riley. It’s going to be okay. Understand?”

  I nodded slowly.

  “What’s going on?”

  We turned to see Wren standing at the end of the driveway.

  “What were Frank and his new girlfriend doing here?”

  I licked my lips and turned to face her. The concern in her face was evident.

  There was no lying to her. She was practically an adult. She already knew something was wrong.

  “Tia and Frank want you.”

  She walked toward us slowly. “Want me? In their wedding, you mean?”

  “No, they want you to live with them.”

  Wren’s face turned ashen. “Why? He’s never wanted me before.”

  “Tia.”

  “No.”

  I nodded. “I think she’s imagining a Yours, Mine, and Ours remake.”

  “I’d rather live under a bridge.”

  “I know. You don’t have to worry; I’ve been the only legal guardian after Mom. And it’s all followed the proper channels. I think the court will look favorably at us if they decide to pursue it. They might just decide her kids are enough. You know how Frank gets stressed thinking about how much money it w
ould cost to have you live with him.”

  Wren finally smiled at that. “You’re right. This is totally Tia’s doing. Frank would have a heart attack imagining feeding me or buying me clothes. Imagine if I asked him to pay for college!”

  We giggled at that. “He’ll forget all about it and remember that it’s not a good idea.”

  Wren smiled and relaxed her stance. “All right, well, I came back because it’s our show night.”

  I hugged Nate. “We’re going to have a girls’ night and catch up on some TV shows. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

  He studied my eyes and frowned, not liking whatever it was that he saw. “Have a good night. Text me.” He planted a kiss on my forehead and slowly drew back. I wanted nothing more than to latch onto him like a professional clinger, but I needed to be strong for Wren. Show her that I wasn’t worried about Frank and Tia’s visit. If I didn’t follow her inside, she’d know something was wrong.

  “Goodnight,” I said as I smiled at Nate. I gave Wren a playful push toward the door. “Come on. I’m getting used to those subtitles.”

  I spent the rest of the evening watching a Turkish drama. It was the perfect thing to distract us from Frank and Tia. We had to focus on the subtitles the entire time. Eventually, Wren fell asleep on the bed where we’d made a cozy nest to watch the show on my laptop.

  That girl could sleep at the drop of a hat.

  I stared at her relaxed face with the intensity of a predator about to launch onto a kill. I wanted to study every feature, memorize it. I couldn’t lose her. She was my baby. She was my sister. Frank and Tia didn’t know how she easily fell asleep or how she had bad allergies during harvest season and needed an inhaler. They didn’t know she was scared to death of her science classes, worried she’d have to dissect something.

  Why was my world falling apart right when it had begun to feel so right?

  I slammed the bottom of my fist against Nate’s front door repeatedly. The door popped open under the force.

  Nate came walking down the hall, wearing a pair of basketball shorts and no shirt.

  “You broke my door,” he teased. His smile dropped when he saw my red, puffy eyes.