by Brie Paisley
Sucking in a breath, I shake my head as I say, “Not really. I’m still so angry about it, and I don’t feel like crying anymore.”
“I have an idea,” she claims, and her eyes light up. “Why don’t you get your things, and we’ll drop them off at my house. I want to take you somewhere.”
Grabbing her hand as she starts to walk toward Caden’s room, I ask, “Are you sure? I don’t want to impose on you and Carter.”
“It’s fine, I promise. Carter was the one that mentioned it before I came over. So let’s get packin’, sis.” She winks at me, and I can’t help but smile. It’s like she knows just what to say to make everything better, and when she motions me to follow her, I do so without a word.
Shelby pulls into a driveway, and I sit up straighter seeing the small two-story yellow house. Wondering where we are, I glance around the yard seeing tons of bright colored flowers decorating it. Turning to Shelby as she turns off her car, I ask, “Where are we?”
She smiles brightly as she says, “You’ll see. Come on. I want to introduce you to my family.” Not knowing what to think, I unbuckle my seatbelt and get out of the car. Taking a deep breath, I push down my nerves and follow her toward the house. I wonder why she brought me here. Am I going to meet more of my family too? Making it to the front door, Shelby doesn’t bother to knock. Walking in behind her, she calls out, “Annie? Where are you hidin’?”
A petite woman with gray hair walks around the corner, and I know I’ve seen her before. Unable to place where I’ve met her, she smiles at Shelby and her honey brown eyes glance to me. “Well isn’t this a wonderful surprise.”
Shelby turns back to me and places an arm around my shoulder as she asks, “Annie, do you remember Savannah? You met her at Caleb’s welcome home party.”
My gaze locks with Annie as it clicks into place. I do remember meeting the sweet and very motherly Annie a couple weeks ago. It seems like so much time has passed since then. “I do remember,” Annie says. “I could never forget such a beautiful girl.”
My face warms at her compliment. “Thank you.”
“No need to thank me, honey. Y’all hungry? I’m about to make some lunch.”
Annie turns around to walk into the kitchen, but she stops when Shelby says, “Annie, I need to tell you somethin’.”
Annie immediately turns around with wide eyes. “Oh goodness. No one is hurt are they?”
I smile as Shelby lets out a laugh. “No, Annie. Everyone is fine. In fact,” Shelby stops and turns her gaze to me. Wondering what she’s up to, I glance between her and Annie. “I just wanted to drop by and introduce you to my sister.”
With wide eyes, I look at a very shocked Annie. She’s holding a hand to her chest as she says, “Well I’ll be.” Annie doesn’t ask how we’re sisters or anything of the sort. She walks right up to me and Shelby steps away from me as Annie wraps her small arms around me. Hugging her back, I’m a little surprised at her reaction. When she pulls back, she has tears in her eyes. “Welcome to the family, sweetie. Oh we have to tell William,” she exclaims proudly and turns to go find him.
“I hope you’re ready for a lot of huggin’,” Shelby says quietly.
Watching Annie rush out of the house, I ask her, “Are they my family too?”
Shelby shrugs and explains. “Technically no. But just because they aren’t blood-related doesn’t mean they aren’t family. Annie and William took care of me pretty much half my life, and I consider them my parents.” Waving her hand back and forth, she adds, “It’s a long story.”
Before I can ask what she means or to explain more since I know a bit about the situation, Annie comes back inside with William right on her heels. I recall talking with William some at Caleb’s party, and I smile noticing the height difference between him and Annie. She sort of looks like a midget compared to him. “What’s all the commotion about?” He asks.
“Just hold onto your horses,” Annie says as she looks to me then Shelby.
William waits for someone to tell him why I’m here and why Annie is so excited. “I’m not gettin’ any younger,” he declares when no one speaks up.
Shelby glances to me, and I take it she wants me to tell him. Feeling a bit nervous, I suck in a breath before saying, “I’m Shelby’s sister.”
“No kiddin’?” His expression is the same as Annie’s was. Nothing but pure shock and surprise. William glances to Shelby then to me before he says, “I thought y’all looked alike when I met you before.” He smiles at me, and I can’t explain why but I feel as if they are my family too. Maybe it’s the way Annie and William are looking at me with nothing but love in their eyes. Maybe it’s because I know Shelby says they’re her family. Either way, my heart warms when he says, “Well get over here and give me a hug.”
Grinning widely, I don’t hesitate to do just that. He embraces me tightly and all the hurt I felt before coming here, eases just a bit. It’s still there, but having Shelby’s family welcome me with open arms makes everything seem just a bit better than before. When William lets me go, Annie hugs me once more. Squeezing her tightly, she whispers so low that only I can hear her. “I’m so happy you and Shelby found each other.” Not knowing what to say when she pulls away, I give her a smile and nod letting her know I heard her. “How about some food?”
“Why are you always tryin’ to fatten us up?” Shelby asks, and I let out a laugh.
“Food is the cure for everythin’, and I happen to like feedin’ y’all,” Annie says back.
“I know I’m not complainin’,” William says to them as he rubs his belly.
“Well,” Annie starts. “Y’all take a seat, and I’ll whip us up somethin’.”
Shelby nods her head toward the table, and I follow her. She and I sit next to each other as William sits on the other side by Shelby. Annie busies herself with making lunch, and a calmness washes over me when I hear her humming. “I have to ask you, Savannah,” William starts, and I glance over to him. “Are you still with that heathen Caden?”
My stomach drops hearing his name and thankfully Shelby cuts in. “We aren’t talkin’ about him, William.”
“What did he do now? Do I need to get my shotgun out?”
“William,” Annie warns.
I hold back a laugh hearing the seriousness in his tone, but it is nice to know he’s willing to risk jail time for me. Even if he doesn’t know me, he’s already showing me he takes care of his own. “How about we don’t kill my fiancé’s brother just yet,” Shelby states.
“I won’t kill him. Just want to scare him a bit.”
Shelby gives William a pointed look before saying, “I think we should let them figure things out before any of us interfere.”
William looks to me when he declares, “If you need me to ruff him up a bit, I will. My offer will never expire.”
“I appreciate that. And I might take you up on that offer,” I say with a wink.
Shelby leans over, and I hold back a laugh when she says, “Don’t encourage him. He’s dead serious.”
For the next hour, I find I really enjoy being around Annie and William. I can totally see why Shelby considers them family. They have no idea who I am, but yet they’ve opened up their home and their arms to me. They’ve made me feel as if I am a part of their family within moments of being here, and I can see myself wanting to stay here. I can see and feel the love they have for one another, and I hope one day they give me the same love.
For so long I’ve felt like an outsider, even with my own family. But being here with Shelby, my sister, and her family makes me finally feel complete. The only thing that’s missing is the one person I don’t know if I can ever face again.
Caden Harlow.
After helping Annie clean up the kitchen, Shelby wanted to show me her favorite hangout. Following her out to the backyard, I squint when the sun shines in my eyes. “You’re goin’ to love this,” Shelby says as she looks back to me.
Taking her word for it, I tag along with her until
we reach a treehouse. “Wow,” I exclaim. “How old is this thing?”
Shelby looks up with her hands on her hips as she answers. “It’s pretty old. William built it for me and the Harlow boys. We use to play up there all the time when we were kids.” Glancing away from her, I look up and wonder if she wants to climb up there. “Come on. I want to show you the inside.”
“Uh … Shel?” She turns back to me as I ask, “Are you sure it’s safe?” It doesn’t look very safe to climb, and I’m not sure how I feel about sitting inside a very old treehouse.
She laughs and shakes her head then says, “I know you don’t want me to mention Caden, but he once said the same thing.” Trying to act like it doesn’t bother me hearing his name, I take a deep breath. “I promise it’s safe. Carter and I still come up here sometimes.”
“Ew … Shel. I do not want to know that.”
“We don’t do that up there,” she claims with a huge grin.
“I don’t know. With the look on your face, it tells me all I need to know.”
She shakes her head but doesn’t say anything. Watching her as she starts to climb the makeshift ladder, she turns back to me. “Are you comin’?”
Pushing out a breath, I say a little prayer hoping I don’t fall to my death. “I’m right behind you.” Shelby grins widely then begins to climb again. I follow behind her, but I’m much slower. I take the wooden ladder carefully because I don’t want to slip and fall. Not to mention, I’m a little worried the wood will somehow come out of the tree, and I’d rather not die at twenty-two. Looking up, I notice Shelby is gazing down at me through an opening in the floor above me, and once I reach the hole she helps me up. Taking a look around, my heart pounds seeing how high up we are. Seeing the neighbor’s yard, my hand shakes as I move to grab the railing. “Shit. I didn’t realize how high up this was.”
“I know,” Shelby says, and I glance to her seeing her bright smile. “It’s great isn’t it?”
Raising my eyebrows, I claim, “I guess so. Unless you’re afraid of falling to your death that is.”
She lets out a laugh before saying, “I used to love coming here. I felt as if I could escape all the worries and problems of my life when I was up this high.” I frown seeing her smile fade, and I wonder what she’s thinking about. Whatever it is, it seems it still haunts her. “Let’s go inside,” she says, and I don’t say anything as I follow her once more. We both have to duck as we walk inside, but once we’re clear of the door frame, we both stand tall. Glancing around the room, I smile seeing the knickknacks of her childhood. A few bean bags sit in the corner behind some old horror posters, and I pick up to look at the mixtapes sitting on a shelf. There are even some old army men toys lined up by the tapes. “This was my safe place,” Shelby says as she sits on one of the beanbags and looks around the room. “It’s like comin’ home every time I come up here.”
Setting the tapes back down, I take a seat next to her. “I have to say, I’m impressed. Not only because we haven’t fallen to our deaths yet, but because I can see why you love this place too much. It’s cool.”
We both let out a chuckle then she says, “It’s too bad you couldn’t be here when William built it. It’s a little worn out now, but this place holds so many memories.”
I can’t help but think Shelby is holding something back. She keeps looking off into the distance as if she remembers things from her past, and I can’t decide if they’re good things or not. “Will you tell me about them?”
She turns to me with a wide smile as she nods. “Well there’s so many. I don’t know where to begin.”
“What’s the first one that comes to mind?” I want to know more about her and her life. I have so much to catch up on, and this seems like the way to go about it.
“Let’s see,” she starts and looks up at the ceiling. “Oh I know.” When she glances back to me, she says, “Carter and I lost our virginity up here.”
“You’re lying,” I say in disbelief.
“I’m not.” She giggles. “It happened right over there,” she says as she points toward the only window in the room. “It was awful. We had no clue what we were doin’, and it hurt so bad.”
Unable to hold back a laugh, I glance away from the spot she’s looking at and try to put the picture of her and Carter out of my mind. “Yeah, my first time wasn’t that great either. Why didn’t anyone warn us how bad it would be?”
“I honestly have no idea.” Laughing with her once more, her laughter slowly stops. “Can I ask you somethin’?”
“Of course.”
“How was your childhood?”
Her question catches me off guard for a moment, but I quickly recover. “It was wonderful. My mom and dad were the best. They used to take me to the beach, and they were very loving. To be honest, I feel like an asshole for how I’ve been acting toward them since they told me I was adopted.” Shelby doesn’t say anything as I continue, and it feels good to be able to talk about my family again. I miss them like crazy, and even if I found my blood family with Shelby, I wish my parents were here to meet her too. “I was sixteen when they told me, and I didn’t react to the news very well. I thought they had lied to me for so long, and some part of me thought since I was adopted, that meant I didn’t belong with them.”
“I understand not feelin’ as if you belong. I’ve dealt with that all my life.”
“It’s not a good feeling. I hated that I felt that way, which is why I fought so hard to find our mother.”
She nods in understanding, and she’s quiet for a while before she finally says, “I’m glad you had such loving parents, Savvy. Trust me, you do not want to change who your parents are.”
Frowning, I wonder what she means. “Can you tell me what you mean by that?”
She sighs deeply as she looks away and I suddenly wish I hadn’t asked. “Let’s just say our mother won’t ever be winnin’ mother of year awards. I’m sure Caden and Cason have told you our mother isn’t someone you want to be around, and they’re right. She wasn’t lovin’, not in the slightest. Our mother is who she is, and she’ll never change. She’s a very selfish woman, Savvy. Which is why I’ve clung to Annie, William, and the entire Harlow family. They were there when our mother starved me, let me go days without a bath, and was downright hateful.” Reaching over, I grab her hand and squeeze tightly. I had no idea how different our childhoods were, and it makes my heart hurt knowing that our mother was so different than I thought. “Anyway I’m still tryin’ to keep all that in the past, but I want you to know that Caden was tryin’ to keep you away from that.” Glancing away, I don’t know what to say. “I’m not sayin’ what he did was right by any means,” she says and lets out a small sigh as she continues. “I understand why he did what he did because I’ve lived through that kind of hurt. He loves you, Savannah.”
“I don’t know if I can believe that.”
“Why not? Isn’t it obvious?”
“To a point yes,” I pause as I try to get my emotions under control. I suddenly feel all the hurt he’s caused blubbing up, and it threatens to take over. “I’ve just been looking for so long for our mother, and now I know who she is and that I have a sister. It wasn’t right or fair to either one of us that he decided to keep all this a secret.”
“I know. I really do get it from both sides. And I wish Caden hadn’t lied to either one of us.” She lets out a sigh before saying, “The only way I think you’ll understand is if you meet her.”
“What?” She can’t mean what I think she does.
“I think,” she says with a heavy sigh. “I think it’ll be good for you to see for yourself how our mother is, and maybe then you’ll understand why Caden did what he did.”
Staring at her, I wonder if this is a good idea. But knowing how badly I want to meet her, I don’t really give myself a chance to think it over even knowing Caden, Cason, and Shelby is clearly warning me away. “You would do that for me?”
“Yes. Because you’re my sister, and in thi
s family, you’ll also see we’ll do anythin’ we can to protect you and give you everythin’ you need.”
“Thank you.”
Shelby shakes her head and lets my hand go as she stands. “Don’t thank me just yet, Savvy.” Ignoring her warning once again, I nod. I can’t deny I’m excited to finally meet my birth mother, and I’ll finally get the answers I want.
The thing is I hope the answers I desperately crave are the ones I want to hear.
A week goes by without a single word from Savannah, and I feel myself falling deeper into despair. I can’t focus on work. I can’t think straight, and I don’t even want to think about how I can’t get a good night’s rest since everything went to shit. It’s probably because I’ve been crashing with Clark, and with his one bedroom apartment, I’ve had to sleep on his hard ass couch. I can’t complain too much, but I miss my own bed. The thing is I can’t go home since Savannah left. The one time I did go back, I couldn’t handle seeing all her stuff missing, and all that was left was the memories her and I made. I know she moved in with Shelby and Carter, and I know it’s for the best. She needs to be around family, and I know Shelby isn’t going to let Savannah out of her sight. One good thing is Cason finally started speaking to me again and caught me up on what’s been going on, but he refuses to let me know how Savannah is doing with everything.
Huffing out a breath, I rearrange the hard pillow behind my head. Clark left earlier to go talk to his therapist, and with me taking some leave from work, I have nothing left to do with myself. Yeah, I’m feeling sorry for myself, but I don’t know what else to do. Mindlessly flipping through the channels, nothing catches my attention until I see Supernatural on TNT. Clenching my jaw, I shut off the TV hating I can’t even enjoy my favorite show anymore without thinking of her. I guess I should be happy she didn’t run back home like I thought she would, but then again it sucks knowing she’s so close but so fucking far away. If she would just talk to me, maybe I wouldn’t feel like such an ass. But no matter how many times I call or text, she won’t answer me. I’ve all but given up because what else can I do? Apparently Savannah doesn’t care to hear my side or why I did what I did, and even if I know I really fucked things up with us, I want to explain why I didn’t tell her about her mother.