by Thomas, C. M
The moment came a little sooner than I hoped for. When I walked out the door, I saw Amy get out of her car. My best friend for so long, and Liam’s twin sister. I missed her. She hadn’t changed much over the years. She was taller than me, not much but a little. Other than that, our body structure was much alike, or at least it was before I got pregnant. I was a bit curvier now than I was before I had Alana. Amy had long, almost black hair, which like always was flowing around her face. She was the female version of Liam.
“Evie, is that really you?” She gasped and stood completely still, like she was frozen to the ground.
“Hi, Amy. Long time no see.” I smiled and tried to act cool. But all I really wanted to do was run over to her and give her a hug and cry. Cry for the time I’d lost without her. Without Liam. Cry for the time Alana had lost with the Camden family. With her father. But I didn’t do that. Instead, I walked over to my car and opened the trunk. I needed to get the rest of this inside, and to be with my daughter.
“What the fuck, Evie? Long time no see my ass. Where the hell have you been?” And there was the Amy I loved. She must have snapped out of her shock, because she came stomping over to me.
“Sorry, but I really need to get inside,” I said, and took as much from the trunk that I could.
“I will help,” she said, and took the rest. We walked inside the house, and Alana was sitting on the floor playing with her dolly. “You babysit?”
“Mommy.” Alana looked up and clapped her hands. She did that a lot lately, really all the time. It was like she just learned how to do it. Which she didn’t; she just started doing it all the time a couple of weeks ago. And in a lot of different situations. I heard Amy gasp behind me.
“I have a daughter.” I held a hand up before she could say anything. “I really don’t want to get into this when she is listening, okay?”
I could see Amy’s head was spinning. She raised her eyebrows and almost challenged me. She had a lot of questions for sure. But I couldn’t tell her anything before I talked to Liam. He had to be the first to know. Alana was, after all, his daughter. Amy might be Alana’s aunt, but I couldn’t tell her. I wanted to badly, but Liam had to know first. I owed him that.
“I don’t understand, Evie. You have a baby? Is that why you left?” Amy walked over to the table in the kitchen and sat down.
“I really can’t talk about this right now. Please understand that. I will tell you later. But I need to talk to someone else first.” I picked Alana up and walked over to the kitchen table and sat down.
Alana looked at Amy. “You nice?” she asked.
“This is mommy’s friend, Amy.” I looked over at Amy. She had tears in her eyes, just like me.
“What’s your name, pretty girl?” Amy asked, her voice trembling like she was trying her best not to cry. Her eyes were shiny, and I knew that if she started crying, I would too.
“Alana,” she answered with a big smile on her face. She didn’t know how much more complicated our lives just got. And thank God for that.
“That’s a pretty name.” Amy smiled.
“Me are hungry, Mommy.” I looked up at the clock on the wall. It was almost dinnertime.
“Okay, baby girl. Mommy will make some food really soon, okay?” I kissed her on the top of her head. The love I had for her was so powerful, and I would do everything I could to never see her hurt. I knew I couldn’t keep her from ever getting hurt, but I sure could try.
“Mmm, okay,” Alana answered, and tried to get down from my lap. I let her go, and she walked into the living room and sat down beside the couch and talked to her dolly.
“She’s Liam’s, right?” Amy asked as soon as Alana was gone.
“Please understand that I need to tell someone else first before I talk to you about this.” I let out a sigh and walked over and started putting all the food into the fridge, grateful that I stopped by the grocery store before we came here. I didn’t think I would have the energy to shop right now.
“Fine. But just so you know, he will be heartbroken when he finds out you kept her from him.” She turned around and walked out of the house.
I slid down on the floor and pulled my knees close to my chest. How did I get to this point? She was right, he would be heartbroken. And quite possibly he would never forgive me. I just hoped when he heard why I left, that he would come around. Mostly I just hoped he would be there for Alana. Who was I kidding? I knew he would be. He would never turn his back on her. What he, on the other hand, would do to me, I wasn’t so sure about.
“Mommy, are you sad?” Alana came running over to me and hugged me. She wrapped her tiny arms around my neck and rested her head on my chest.
“Just a little, baby girl. Let’s make some food, yeah?” I pulled myself together and got up. I didn’t have time right now to feel sorry for myself. I lifted Alana up and sat her on the kitchen table. She liked to sit there while I cooked. Even though back at Crossroads we didn’t have much room in our little kitchen, this was something we always did. Really, the kitchen back there was just a counter with two hotplates, a sink, and a small microwave. There were three small cabinets under the counter, and that was it.
Two hours later, I sat on the couch and looked out the window. Alana was sleeping. It had been a long day for her. I could hear the music playing softly in her room. Deep C music. She loved their music. I thought she might be their youngest fan. For some reason their music calmed her down, and she couldn’t fall asleep if she wasn’t listening to Deep C music.
I could see the Camden ranch from the couch. Liam’s home. Where my parents’ property—well, mine now—stopped, Liam’s parents’ ranch started. I didn’t even know how many times we had run over that piece of land.
I stood up and walked over to the windows and really looked over at the ranch. There were some new houses on the Camden ranch. My guess was that it was the boys who had their own homes now. The Camden ranch was big, around 2500 acres. Maybe bigger. There were a lot of grasslands, and Brent and Coleen, Liam’s parents, leased some of the land to other ranchers, since they didn’t have any animals other than their dogs and Coleen’s horses. But the horses were on the other site of the ranch, so I couldn’t see them from here. I knew Alana would love Coleen’s horses. That was one of the only things I liked about Crossroads, the animals.
I always loved going over to Liam and Amy’s house. There was so much love and freedom. Their childhood home was full of love, and children were allowed to make a mess without someone walking right behind them to clean. I wouldn’t say my childhood was bad, but it was just so different from the Camden children’s. Coleen and Brent let us do so much more than I ever got to do at home.
We got to watch television all night if we wanted to or run around the house playing all sorts of games. Here at home with my parents, television was not something we spent an awful lot of time watching, and there was no way I would ever get permission to run around in the house. The big television hanging on the wall in front of the couch was a surprise. But I guessed things were different than when I left.
This was all mine now, this house, my childhood home. Thinking back to the conversation I had with my parents’ lawyer, I still didn’t get how much my life had changed during the last few weeks.
“First of all, I’m so sorry for your loss, Evie. Your parents were good people,” my parents’ lawyer says.
I look up at the man sitting in front of me. Right, good people who sent their daughter away. And kept her and their grandchild hidden.
“Thank you. What do you want to talk about? I need to get back to my daughter.” I really didn’t like to leave Alana alone with anyone around here.
“Your parents’ home in Hoover Ridge is yours now. Along with that, all their savings. And they both had some insurance in case that something like this happened. All that is yours now.”
I look at him. My only questio
n is, “When can I leave this place?”
“Next week. Your father has paid for you to stay here until next week. And unless you’d like to keep paying to stay here, you are free to go.”
“Just like that?” I don’t believe him.
“Yes, Evie. No one will keep you here against your will.”
“But they already did. I never wanted to come here,” I yell.
“I understand. But that’s not what your father said. You can leave in a week.” He stands up and gives me a bunch of papers. “Here is all the paperwork. The money your parents had will be in your account before you leave here. And here is the key to the house.” I take the key. One week. Then I have my freedom back.
“Thank you for everything, and I’m sorry I yelled at you. it’s not your fault my dad was an ass,” I say, and walk out of the door.
“Let me know if I can help with anything else,” he says just before I leave the room.
“Will do,” I say, but what I really wanted to say is: Don’t count on it. If I ever need a lawyer, I will never use one of my dad’s old friends.
So here I was. In my childhood home, with my beautiful daughter. Looking at the home where her dad lived. He would be home tomorrow. And I knew Amy would tell him I was home. But what then, would he come over here? Did I have to go to him? Would he ever forgive me? Would he be the father Alana deserved?
I guessed only time would tell. One thing was for sure: I loved my daughter and I loved her dad.
Chapter 2:
Liam
“One hour, then you guys are home,” Anna said, smiling. She was our new PA and Zane’s girlfriend. I still couldn’t believe he had a girlfriend. Zane was my big brother, and so was Caleb. Both my brothers had the same black hair as I did, but they were both bigger than me, both in height and their bodies. Not that I wasn’t as fit as them, but their body structure was just bigger and even more muscular than me. Cole, our last band member, was Zane’s best friend. Cole looked a lot like Zane in body structure, but his dirty blond hair made him stand out from the rest of us. Together, we were Deep C.
Zane had always been one big flirt, so that’s why it was so surprising that he now had a girlfriend. Some might even have called him a man-whore. Who was I kidding? Before Anna, he was a man-whore. But the moment Anna entered our lives two months ago, he changed.
I couldn’t help but smile. It was nice to know that someone could get the man to settle down. Even just a little bit. Anna had blonde hair and blue eyes, but she was not the stereotypical blonde. She was smart, had a college degree, and was not afraid to talk back to us, and she had Zane wrapped around her little finger.
For the last three months, we’d been on the road, and I thought we all just really needed this break. Not just from touring, but also from the press, screaming fans, and endless hotel rooms. Not that I didn’t appreciate and know how lucky we were, that we made it. Our big dream came true, even more than we could have ever hoped for. The last three years had been both amazing and terrifying. It had been a roller-coaster ride, and we were still going strong. But we needed a break, which was why we were spending our summer at home in Hoover Ridge.
“I’m so ready to go home. I miss Mom’s cooking,” Caleb said. I looked over at him and smiled. I agreed with him. Nothing would ever beat a home-cooked meal. I never thought I would miss that, but I did. Take-out and eating at restaurants all the time was not something I would ever get used to. I loved going out and eating sometimes, but when you did it every night, it quickly got old.
“Me too. And I miss the fresh air. I really need to get out on a horse tomorrow,” Zane added.
“You ride?” Anna sounded surprised. Just how much has my brother told her about our home and what we do to relax? Guess not a whole lot. Our mom and our sisters, Gia and Amy, had a lot of horses, around twenty, and we all rode sometimes, though mostly Gia and Amy.
“I do. Get ready, baby, tomorrow you and I are going riding,” Zane answered, and kissed Anna on her cheek.
“She doesn’t have to wait until tomorrow to ride, does she, bro?” Cole laughed as he said that. He always did have a dirty mind. Just like Zane. Maybe that was why they were best friends, and always had been.
“Shut up, Cole,” Anna said, blushing.
I put my headphones on and tried to relax. Soon we would be home. I needed that. Needed to get some time to relax and to recharge the batteries, so that I was ready to do the rest of the tour.
The closer we came to our hometown, Hoover Ridge, the more I seemed to relax. I never loved traveling, like Zane and Caleb. I loved my home more. The first year when we were recording and touring, I was homesick more times than I could count.
Just before we arrived home, Zane came over and tapped me on the shoulder. I took off the headphones and looked at him.
“Looks like someone is at Evie’s parents’ house.” He pointed at the house just as we drove by. And he was right, someone was walking around inside the house. It can’t be her, can it?
“You think she is back?” I whispered. I could feel my heartbeat racing just at the thought of her being back. This couldn’t be happening. I needed time to relax, not more drama.
“I don’t know, man. Only one way to find out. Let’s go over there tomorrow?”
“Okay. But I’m sure it’s just the realtor. She probably just wants to sell the house.” I closed my eyes. She can’t be home, can she? It’s been over three years since I last saw her.
Evie, the love of my life. The girl that broke my heart. My heart was still broken, and just the thought of her being back here was breaking it even more. I needed answers, so if she was back, she was going to talk. At some point, she had to. She had to explain how the hell she could just leave. From one day to another she was just gone. I asked her parents multiple times, so did Amy. They said they didn’t know where she had gone to. They just came home and then she was gone. I didn’t trust her parents very much, so that’s why I asked Amy to ask them. They told her the same thing. What happened to her? Did someone hurt her, was that why she left? Did she not love me? Question after question popped up in my head, just like they had so many times before.
“You are home!” My mom came running out from the house the moment we stepped out of the bus. You would think she hadn’t seen us in months. When you looked at her, you would never guess she had given birth to five children. She had light brown hair and brown eyes. Her body was fit; she rode a lot, and that really kept her body in shape. Maybe because she spent a lot of hours a week in the stables, tending to the horses.
“Mom, you saw us three days ago,” Caleb said, and gave her a hug.
“I know, but I missed all my boys. Including you,” she answered Cole while she gave him a hug. He always had been a part of the family. Our home had been his safe haven since the first day he stepped inside. Cole hasn’t had the best childhood; his father was abusive, which was probably why he spent all the time he could here instead of at his father’s house.
“We missed you too, Mom,” Zane told her when he hugged her.
“And there is my baby boy.” She came over to me and gave me a hug. “You okay?” she whispered so only I could hear her.
“I think so.” I swallowed hard. I didn’t want to talk about the possibility that Evie was back right now.
“And my beautiful daughter-in-law.” My mom walked over to Anna, who was the last to walk out of the bus.
“Mom, give her a break, will you?” Zane came over and tried to save Anna from our mom.
“Shush. I’m just so happy that you’re all here. Now come on in, dinner is almost ready.” Mom took Anna’s hand and walked inside the house. Once we were inside, we were greeted by Dad, Amy, and Gia. Amy was my twin, and we really looked a lot alike. We both had the same black hair, hers was just long and flowed around her face. Our green eyes looked so much alike that it was almost freaky.
&nb
sp; Gia was the only one of us kids who didn’t have black hair like our dad. She had light brown hair like our mom, and the same brown eyes as our mom too. And last but not least, my parents’ two dogs, Buddy and Bear.
Yes, I know. Gia was fourteen when we got the dogs, and she got to decide what their names should be. The two Bernese mountain dogs were the most amazing dogs you could ever hope for. They were so family friendly and caring, and no matter what, they always made me smile. They helped me through the worst times just after Evie left.
Especially Bear. He always followed me around. Buddy was Zane’s dog. Or so he thought. Mom told us that every time Zane wasn’t home, the first two or three nights Buddy would sleep on the porch at Zane’s house, waiting for him. It was after we had been gone a couple of days that he gave up and came to the main house to sleep.
I looked over at Anna. She looked a little terrified of Buddy. But she had to get used to him, because he would be right where Zane was.
“Baby, he doesn’t bite. Just talk to him,” Zane said with a big smile on his face. He looked amused over Anna’s reaction to our dogs.
“Shut up. I’ve never seen a dog this big. At least not so close to me.” She moved over to Zane and sat on his lap. Buddy rested his head in her lap.
“He loves you, just like I do.” Zane gave her a kiss.
“Is anyone hungry?” my mom asked.
We all walked over to the table. There just wasn’t anything like mom’s home-cooked food.
We ate and talked. I tried to make eye contact with Amy multiple times, but she just looked away and talked to Gia. She was avoiding me, but why?
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I snapped at her.
“Language, Liam!” my dad barked. You wouldn’t know he would turn sixty years next year just from looking at him. He had black hair. There were some gray hairs, but not many. He kept his body fit, mostly from work. He worked as a contractor and had grown his company over the years, and it was now one of the biggest around here. He wanted us boys to join the company, but we had another dream, and he had been our biggest supporter all the way.