“Can I come to Michigan to see you?”
“Ava, I’m not in Michigan right now. I’m visiting my mom in the city.”
“That’s perfect!” The level of Ava’s voice raised. “I’ll be in the city tomorrow. Can I meet you somewhere?”
“You’re coming to the city? With Dad?” Michelle did not want to see him.
“No. With my mom.”
Michelle had never met Ava’s mom, Betsy. She wasn’t sure she wanted to meet her now. Sean came up behind her just then and rested his hands on her waist, and it gave her strength. “All right. We’re going to the aquarium in the morning. Could you meet at Millennium Park after lunch? Say two o’clock?”
“Yeah. I’ll be there.”
Something in her sister’s voice sounded shaky and uncertain. “Are you sure you’re OK, Ava?”
“I will be when I see you.”
When they hung up, she turned to Sean with a look of confusion on her face.
“What was that all about?” he asked.
She shrugged her shoulders. “I guess I’m gonna see my little sister tomorrow for the second time ever.”
“How old is she now?”
Michelle thought about it for a minute. “I think she’s twelve.” She was shaking a little.
“Hey,” Sean took her in his arms. “Are you OK?”
Michelle moved to sit on the bed. “You know, I was always so mad at my dad for getting a new family and for never letting me be part of Ava’s life, but I never made an effort to know her. I didn’t even try. And I never really stopped to think about how that must have made her feel. I just couldn’t bring myself to reach out to her. It never occurred to me that one day she might want to reach out to me.”
Sean sat close to her and wrapped his arm around behind her, resting his hand on her waist.
She leaned into his side.
“Your sister’s growing up, and she’s starting to make decisions about her own life now. If she wants you to be a part of it, then that’s a huge blessing. For both of you.”
“You’re right.” She turned and took his face in her hands and kissed him softly. “Thank you.”
“Mmm. You are more than welcome.”
With sticky humidity, rain, and thunderstorms off and on, it wasn’t the best day to wander about the city. It was, however, the perfect day for a visit to Shedd Aquarium.
“I should’ve invited Ava to come along with us this morning.” Michelle regretted not asking, but everything had happened so quickly that it hadn’t crossed her mind until they hung up.
“Who’s Ava?” Ashley looked at her curiously.
“Oh,” Michelle glanced her way. “Ava’s my little sister.”
“I didn’t know you had a sister.”
“I do. She’s my half sister. And she’s close to your age, actually.”
Ashley perked up a little at this. “Do I get to meet her?”
Michelle nodded. “We’re meeting her after lunch.”
Aaron tugged Ashley’s arm and led her to some brightly colored fish that he was enamored by.
Sean’s fingers threaded through Michelle’s. “I haven’t been here since Ashley was five and Aaron was just a baby.”
“I was probably five the last time I was here. We went with school, I think.” She could barely remember that day.
Michelle watched as Aaron and Ashley caught up with her mom and Marv to see what they were looking at. She was surprised when Mom said they wanted to join them on this outing. She had never done anything like this with her mom — not when she was a child, not when she was a teenager. Louise doted on Aaron and Ashley, as if they were part of the family, and Michelle got a glimpse of how it might be if she ever gave her mother a grandchild.
This thought made her glance over at Sean, who was also watching the kids. He really was a handsome man, and she imagined the adorable brown-haired, blue-eyed babies they would have together. Or maybe they would have brown eyes like her. No doubt they would be tall, maybe basketball players. She smiled to herself. Her thoughts were taking her to places she had never visited before, and she liked it.
She let go of Sean’s hand and wound her arms around his waist, leaning into him as they walked. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple.
“Can we see the dolphins now?” Aaron cried.
Michelle chuckled at his enthusiasm.
“Of course,” Sean replied, and off they went.
On their way out the aquarium doors, Michelle thought she heard someone call her name.
A young girl with the same brown eyes as hers and a thin nose like their dad’s scurried up the steps. Her dark, chestnut hair was dripping wet from the drizzle.
Ava.
“You’re Michelle, right?” She nervously tucked a loose hair behind her ear. In her grip was a damp, folded piece of paper with Michelle’s Facebook profile picture printed on it. It was sad that her own sister had to look her up online to see what she looked like now.
“Hi, Ava.”
Ava sighed with relief and gave her big sister an awkward hug.
Michelle squeezed her extra tight and held on longer than a casual hug would be, but Ava didn’t seem to mind.
Sean held the umbrella over their heads to keep them dry.
When they let go, Michelle glanced at her watch. “We were supposed to meet at Millennium Park. Where’s your mom?”
“She couldn’t come,” Ava answered. “She told me to go ahead on my own.”
“Your mom let you come into the city alone?” Michelle found this a little peculiar. Not that she didn’t wander all over the city when she was Ava’s age, but as far as she knew, Ava had never lived in the city.
“I took the train.”
“You took the train from Naperville? Have you taken the train by yourself before?”
“All the time.”
Michelle didn’t know whether to believe her or not, but she was there. She was safe. How she got there didn’t matter.
“This is my mom, Louise, and her boyfriend, Marv. And this is my boyfriend, Sean, and his kids, Ashley and Aaron.”
Ava looked uncomfortable. “I didn’t know you were here with a bunch of people. I’m sorry to interrupt your trip.”
“It’s all right. I’m happy to see you.”
Ava’s face lit up. “So am I.”
The group traveled by taxi to The Cheesecake Factory for lunch. The wind whipped between the buildings causing the vehicle to sway. Rain came down in sheets, and they could barely see out the windows. Lightning flashed immediately followed by a loud clap of thunder, and the younger girls both screamed at the same time.
Everyone got a good laugh at that, and the girls began chattering and instantly bonded as girls their age often do.
The conversation over lunch was light. The adults talked about the weather. What else? Ashley and Ava were fast friends, and they spent lunch showing each other photos, games, and apps on their phones. Aaron couldn’t stop talking about the dolphins and his other favorite, the frogs.
After lunch, they all headed back to the apartment.
The kids settled in the living room with games, television, and their phones.
Michelle stood in the doorway to the kitchen. “Ava, do you have to head home soon? I thought maybe we could talk before we get you to the train.”
Her sister looked over at her. “Oh, I don’t have to be back tonight. Mom said if it was OK with you, I could stay here.”
Michelle glanced over her shoulder at her mother, who had been listening from her seat at the table.
“It’s fine with me,” Louise said.
“OK, that’s fine. Call your mom and let her know we’d like you to spend the day with us tomorrow. We can take you to the train on our way home.”
Ava smiled at her. “OK. Thanks.”
A little past midnight, Michelle heard the apartment phone ringing in the other room, then shuffling of feet from Mom and Marv’s room.
“Hello?” Marv’
s voice was groggy from sleep. “Who? Yeah, she’s here.” There was a pause. “What? She did no such thing. Your daughter’s safe in our apartment. You have nothing to worry about.” His voice was louder and more firm.
Michelle climbed from the bed, careful not to wake the girls, and walked into the dark living room. “Marv?” she whispered. “What’s going on?”
“Well, you’re gonna have to take that up with her.” Marv looked grumpy.
Louise joined them and clicked on the table lamp. “Who is it?”
Marv shoved the phone in her direction. “It’s your ex-husband.” He marched back to the bedroom and shut the door.
“What’s going on, Robert?” She looked over at Michelle with concern as she listened. “Ava’s here. She’s sleeping right now, but she’s fine.”
“What’s he saying?” Michelle whispered.
“Michelle did not plan this. It was all Ava’s doing.”
Michelle got a nervous feeling then, and she knew that Ava was there without permission. She had taken the train to Chicago, to her, without anyone knowing. Oh, Ava.
“No, we are not gonna wake her right now. We will get her home safely tomorrow.”
Michelle could hear her dad yelling on the other end. His go-to reaction to everything.
“That’s completely idiotic. Let her sleep. She’s not going anywhere.” Another long pause while Louise listened to her overreacting ex. “Fine. I’ll tell her.” She pulled the phone away from her ear suddenly.
Michelle could hear the dial tone from where she stood. Dad had hung up on her.
Louise rolled her eyes as she returned the cordless phone to the charger. “Your father is coming into the city tomorrow to collect his runaway daughter.”
Michelle sank into the nearby chair. Her Mom turned off the lamp and shuffled back to the bedroom, leaving her sitting in the dark.
“Hey.” Sean’s voice came from the direction of the couch, his makeshift bed. “Are you OK?”
Michelle shrugged.
He motioned for her to join him, so she stood and walked quietly to the couch. He pulled her onto his lap and wrapped her up in his arms.
“I can’t believe she did this. It’s the sort of thing I would’ve done when I was her age. I just pray she’s not turning out like I did.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. You turned out just fine.” He pressed his lips to her temple and tightened his arms around her.
She settled into him and closed her eyes, relaxing with every rise and fall of his chest.
He leaned against the back of the couch and flipped the blanket over the both of them. “We can sort it all out in the morning,” he whispered.
“Mhmm.” She vaguely remembered making that sound before she drifted off to sleep in his arms.
It was still dark outside the window when her eyes opened. Sean’s breath was hot against her face. They had shifted from their seated position to lying down at some point in the night. He was still asleep and peacefully so. One arm was under his head while the other rested across her hip. Their legs were intertwined, which was probably the only reason she hadn’t fallen backwards off the couch during the night.
She leaned back and let her eyes adjust to the darkness. When Sean came into focus, she smiled to herself. His lips were slightly parted, steady breaths flowing in and out, chest pressing against hers with every intake. His five o’clock shadow made him look more attractive than usual, if that was possible.
She relaxed into him again and brushed her lips against his. She really should have let him sleep, but she couldn’t help it.
He stirred, wrapping his arm around her as his eyelids lifted. “Good morning,” he whispered. He stretched his arm out behind her, then tightened it around her again. His lips found hers for a slow, tender kiss. “Mmm. I could get used to this.”
“My thoughts exactly,” she whispered.
They laughed softly, careful not to wake Aaron, who was sleeping on the floor nearby.
“I should probably get up soon.” She brushed her nose against his. “I really wanna talk to Ava before my dad comes to get her.”
Sean groaned as he reluctantly released her.
As she walked toward the bathroom, she glanced back over her shoulder at him flirtatiously.
He buried his head in the blanket.
Michelle sat across the table from her little sister, who was devouring scrambled eggs and sausage. “Why would you take off by yourself without telling anyone?”
Ava shrugged and kept eating, like she didn’t care if she got in trouble or not.
“Is something going on at home?” Michelle looked at her searchingly.
Ava shook her head and nibbled on a slice of toast.
“Ava, I really need to know. Dad will be here soon, and I want to help you if you need it.”
“I can take care of myself,” Ava declared.
“I’m sure you can. I wasn’t saying that.” Ava sounded exactly like she had at that age, and that worried her. “I just need to know if there’s a problem.”
Ava set her fork down. “I just wanted to see my big sister. Isn’t that a good enough reason?”
Michelle smiled at that. “It’s a good reason, Ava, but you went about it the wrong way. Don’t you know how worried your parents have been? They didn’t know where you ran off to. Can you put yourself in their shoes for a minute and think about how they must have felt?”
“I know. But every time I ask about seeing you, they shut me down.”
This angered Michelle. “You’ve asked before?”
“All the time.”
“Why won’t they let you see me?”
“They don’t have a good reason, really. They’re just too busy to take me all the way to Michigan, or they have to work, or maybe you don’t wanna see me, or some other lame excuse.”
“Why would I not wanna see you?” Michelle asked.
“Because of what you said to Dad the last time you saw him.”
“You remember that day?”
Ava shook her head. “Not really. I remember meeting you, and I remember crying.”
“Why were you crying?”
“Because I thought it was my fault that you left. I thought I did something wrong.” Ava picked up her fork then and pushed the remaining bits of egg around on her plate.
“Oh, Ava, that wasn’t the reason. It was because of Dad.”
Ava looked over at her. “Really? Because I thought you hated me for being Dad’s favorite or something.”
Michelle let out a breath. “I don’t really know our dad, Ava. He left when I was a little girl, and he never looked back.”
“Because he didn’t love your mom any more?”
“And because he didn’t love me.”
“That’s not true.” Louise shuffled into the room then.
Michelle glanced over at her mom. “Whatever.”
Louise stopped next to the table and looked seriously at Michelle. “Your father left because we were never really in love with each other. We jumped into marriage for all the wrong reasons. But he loved you, Michelle. There was no mistaking that.”
“How can you even say that? He hated being home, especially being around me. A kid can tell when her own dad doesn’t care about her.”
“Well, he wasn’t the best at showing it, but you were the reason he stuck around as long as he did. If not for you, we probably wouldn’t have made it past our first anniversary.”
Michelle stared at her mom, her mouth agape. She didn’t know what to say. “Why didn’t you ever tell me that before?”
“I didn’t wanna face it for a long time. It took a while for me to accept the fact that we were doomed from the start. But once I got some distance, I saw the whole thing very clearly. We were already on a rough path by the end of the first year, then I found out I was pregnant. The pregnancy made things better for a while. We were excited about you. And your dad, oh, he was so happy when you were born. You were the light of his life.”
“That was my fault, not yours. He just couldn’t stand me any more. And I think the older you got, the more you reminded him of me and the years he wasted with a woman he didn’t love.”
“Mom, how can you talk about this so calmly? How are you not breaking down right now?”
“A few decades of distance and perspective, I guess.”
“Dad leaves me a lot, too,” Ava said quietly.
Michelle glanced over at her sister. “Really?”
Ava nodded. “He works all the time.”
“Do he and your mom still get along?”
“Yeah. They don’t fight or anything like that, but I can tell she’s not happy when he goes away on business trips. And he doesn’t really have time for me like he used to.”
Michelle could feel herself tensing up, her fists tightening. “I can’t believe him. Is that why you ran away?”
“I didn’t run away,” Ava stated. “Not really. I told you. I wanted to see you. I was sick of not knowing my sister.”
There was a knock on the door just then, and Michelle tensed up even more.
Louise went to answer it, and Michelle exchanged glances with her sister.
“You should probably go pack up your things,” Michelle told her. “I’ll talk to him first.”
“OK.” Ava skittered off to the guest room, where Ashley was getting ready.
Michelle cleared the plates from the table. She could hear her parents talking in the hallway by the door, which was very strange for her. It had been many years since her parents were in the same place at the same time. At least there was no yelling … yet.
Robert and Louise walked further into the apartment and joined Michelle in the kitchen.
“Michelle, how are you?” Her father gave her a hint of a polite smile, but it didn’t appear sincere.
“Not great, Dad.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I hope your sister hasn’t done anything to upset you. She’s getting to be a bit of a handful for us.” He rubbed his palm against his black hair, which Michelle noticed had quite a bit of grey to it now.
Until Then (Cornerstone Book 2) Page 23