“Did Nora come back?” I asked, ignoring any mention of my father. At least he had the common courtesy to stay away until I was ready. Or he hadn’t really felt like it anyway.
Hannah rolled her eyes. “Nope, she’s in Raleigh. Tried to make me go with her but that wasn’t happening, so she gave up. I’m staying with Michael until they figure out whatever’s going on, but it looks like they’re headed for divorce.”
“Wow,” I whispered, standing in the middle of the living room even after Hannah had taken a seat on the couch. She seemed surprisingly unaffected by the news she’d just sprung on me.
“It’s not that surprising, not after spending so much time with them. Seriously Lainey, they’re like the worst match ever. I don’t even know why they got married in the first place. Do you have any food? Michael went with the cheap airline and all we got was one pack of peanuts each and Michael didn’t even offer me his.”
“Yeah, of course.” I hurried to the kitchen and began scavenging for something Hannah could eat. I couldn’t seem to find anything but she came up behind me and held a bag of Doritos up.
“This should do.”
“I can make you something,” I offered, although I had no idea what I could make. I made a mental note to actually grocery shop next time I went to the market with Sylvia.
“I’ll live. I ate way too much on vacation, anyway. You wouldn’t believe how mad Mom got every time we went for fast food.”
“Why didn’t you go with her to Raleigh?” I asked, cutting to the chase. As happy as I was to see Hannah, it kept coming back to me how she could possibly be here instead of with her mother. If I knew Nora as well as I thought I did it made no sense.
“Can I see Harper first, at least?” Hannah asked and I wondered if she was avoiding the question or just honestly wanted to see her niece. I smiled and nodded yes.
“Yeah, of course you can. But be quiet, okay? I just put her down and if she wakes up now she’s going to be really miserable and not willing to go back to sleep for hours.”
“No problem,” Hannah said, putting the back of Doritos back on the kitchen counter and following me down the short hallway and into Harper’s nursery. She walked over to the crib and peered over, placing a hand over her mouth.
“Oh my God,” she whispered to me. “She’s gotten so big! And she’s so cute. She looks exactly like Adam,” she laughed. “He could never deny her!”
I shot her a quick glare but couldn’t help but smile, remembering back to when she first found out I was pregnant and actually asked if there were a chance it could be Scott’s.
“I love her,” Hannah announced quietly, reaching down and stroking Harper’s face with her forefinger. Harper moved slightly as if sensing someone new was around, but didn’t wake up.
“Me too,” I agreed. “More than anything.”
“I’m not going to school tomorrow, so I’ll come back here and see her when she’s awake and in action,” Hannah said. “Where’s Adam, anyway? I was kind of hoping I could catch a ride back to Bella Vista from him.”
“He’s out with some friends. Why don’t you stay here tonight? I have plenty of stuff so you don’t need a change of clothes or anything. I can ask Julia to take us over to Bella Vista tomorrow and I’ll help you unpack.”
“That sounds like a great idea,” Hannah agreed, yawning. “I’m way too tired to deal with any of that, anyway.”
“Do you have your cell back? You can use mine to call my dad and let him know, if you want.”
She shrugged. “Nah, but it doesn’t matter. He’ll figure it out when I don’t show up, if he even notices. You know how he gets and he’s been in his own little world more now than ever since my mom left.”
“Why did you stay with my dad?” I asked once again, but Hannah yawned, this time more exaggerated.
“Can we talk about it tomorrow?” She asked and I agreed simply because I was too happy to have her back to ask many questions as to why that was possible.
I got her some clothes to change into and a pillow and some blankets and within twenty minutes she was fast asleep on the couch. It was still early, but I had a feeling Harper would be up a lot that night so I changed into my own pajamas and climbed into bed to read for a little.
Adam got home an hour later and climbed into bed with me. “There’s a girl with purple hair asleep in our living room,” he said with a smile.
“Yeah, I think that’s Hannah but I can’t be too sure,” I smiled back.
“She’s the only person I can think of that can be gone for two months and come back and fall asleep on a couch right away, so I’m betting on it.”
“I’m glad she’s back,” I said.
“Me too,” Adam agreed and kissed me. For the briefest of moments it felt a little like it used to, his lips just lightly brushing mine, leaving me wanting more and not knowing how to ask for it. Adam would always have that effect on me.
“I love you, Adam Montgomery,” I told him suddenly as he got up and began to undress. He turned to me and smiled.
“I love you too, Lainey Winslow.”
I leaned back into the pillows and smiled, feeling sleep begin to come on. Everything in my world was starting to fall back in place. Adam was home and smiling at me in a way he hadn’t in a while, Harper was safe and sound just across the hall and Hannah was just a few feet away, asleep on our couch. Tomorrow, I’d find out exactly what this meant for our family, or at least the family I used to belong to. But for now I was content to just accept what I had in this moment because it felt like just enough.
Adam had into bed and I had just rested my head on his shoulder feeling sleep overcome me, when Harper began to cry. I opened my eyes and threw my feet over the side of the bed, halfway to the door before Adam could react. I didn’t mind. Sleep could wait.
Chapter 6
“I was going to bring you back something but you never like anything, so…” Hannah flashed me her signature grin and tore open yet another bag. It was Monday afternoon and we were in my old bedroom, unpacking her things while Harper looked on.
“That’s fine as long as you brought Harper a souvenir. A few years from now when she asks why you weren’t around the first few months of her life, you’re going to need to present pretty convincing evidence that it was necessary,” I replied.
“Oh, you’d better believe I brought her back some things,” Hannah announced, ripping a rainbow-colored stuffed bear out of the bag. It was excessively bright and easily bigger than Harper herself. But it was endearing with its ice blue eyes and matching bow tie.
“San Francisco,” she explained with a grin.
“She’ll love it, once she grows into it,” I said with a laugh.
Most of the contents of that particular bag ended up being presents Hannah brought back for Harper. A few outfits, most of which she’d have to grow into since Hannah didn’t know what size she’d be when she got home, a few more stuffed animals, and a snow globe she’d gotten from Disney Land.
“There’s enough here to keep her entertained forever,” I said, impressed once all the presents were out and strewn over the bed.
“I guess I got a little careless,” Hannah admitted. “But I was sad! I mean, I was there your entire pregnancy and so I kind of felt cheated, missing out on the actual baby for so long.”
“It’s okay. I know you would have been here if you’d had a choice. Did you have any fun at all?”
Hannah shrugged. “A little. L.A. was really cool but Mom kept trying to put a limit on everything I did, so that was pretty crappy. They were already fighting by then anyway, so Michael and I escaped a lot of nights when she was in the shower.”
“Why were they fighting?”
Hannah rolled her eyes. “Why weren’t they? Your dad wanted to go visit your mom when we were in San Francisco so naturally that started World War III. I don’t even think he meant anything by it – I think he just wanted to check in and let her know about Harper, since he figured she hadn’t c
hecked in with you at all, but no. My mom put her foot down and it was Hell after that.”
“I don’t think I’d believe him, either,” I admitted. “He doesn’t even know what Harper looks like, so why would he want to tell my mom about her?”
“I think he feels bad about that, honestly. I mean, he mentioned you a lot on the trip and said he wanted to plan another one for when Harper was a little older. Of course Mom had to ruin the moment and say by that time you’d probably have two or three more kids.”
“That’s mean,” I said, trying to hide the hurt in my voice.
“Well, my mom is mean,” Hannah reasoned.
“True. Was she mad you didn’t want to go back to Raleigh with her?” I asked, lifting Harper out of her car seat and rocking her as I walked around the room. It wasn’t the first time I’d tried to bring up the subject since we’d been there but I was hoping the more I asked, the more Hannah would get the hint and finally tell me what happened.
“Livid is more like it. But there was nothing she could do about it.”
“There wasn’t? But my dad doesn’t have rights to you or anything, and you’re still just sixteen,” I pointed out unnecessarily.
“Yeah, I mean there’s stuff she could do legally about it, but after what she did…” her voice trailed off and her face grew steely.
“What happened?” I asked, stopping in my tracks. Harper made a small protesting sound.
“Let’s just say she’s been keeping some secrets and I found out and there’s nothing she can do or say that is ever going to make me forgive her,” Hannah said and by the tone of her voice, I decided against prying. She would tell me when she was ready.
“I’m sorry, Han,” I said softly. She looked up at me and smiled so brightly it was almost like the past few minutes hadn’t happened.
“Don’t be. You know she’s a witch as much as I do. I’m just glad I’m back and away from her.” She pulled some clothes out of another bag and held a top up to her.
“Do you like this?” She asked, changing the topic so smoothly I almost forgot what we were supposed to be talking about.
“It’s okay,” I said. “But I’m probably the last person you want to talk to about fashion. Anymore I just try to wear whatever I don’t mind Harper spitting up on.”
Hannah laughed and shook her head. “You’re like a thirty year-old now,” she said. “It’s kind of bizarre.”
“I guess that’s what having a kid does to a person,” I said ruefully.
“Yeah, I guess so. Good thing I’m not planning on doing that anytime soon.”
“Did you get to talk to Nolan at all?” I asked, even though I knew I probably shouldn’t. Something flashed across Hannah’s face but it disappeared so quickly I didn’t have time to try and decipher it.
“Nope. When did he leave?”
“Sometime in August, I think. He and Adam kind of stopped talking back in July.”
“Really? Why?”
I shrugged. “I don’t really know. They were hanging out a little bit right after you left but then they stopped. Adam started hanging out with the guys from work a lot more, so I guess that’s why.”
“Maybe,” Hannah agreed. “Nolan was afraid that he and Adam would lose touch after the baby got here.”
I was surprised, to say the least. I knew Nolan and Adam were close, that they had been for years but I guess I never really saw Nolan as being the type of person that worried too much over losing friends, even the close ones. He’d claimed he loved Hannah to me but hadn’t reacted much after she’d left.
“I guess it was inevitable,” I agreed. “That won’t happen to us though, right?”
“Of course not. Don’t be silly. We’re family, Lainey. No matter what. Got it?”
I smiled. “Got it.”
She sat down on the edge of the bed and reached for Harper. “Give me my niece. We need to be reacquainted. She is partially named after me, you know.”
“I have a feeling you’ll never let me forget.”
Harper settled quickly into Hannah’s arms and Hannah sighed happily. “This is pretty cool, a lot cooler than I thought it would be,” she told me. “I was kind of worried she’d be all red faced and screaming all the time.”
“Nah, she got over that phase. She’s a pretty calm baby, from what I’ve been reading online.”
“Oh I bet. So why aren’t you in school today?”
I winced. I hadn’t mentioned to Hannah that I was homeschooling yet and she’d probably assumed I stayed home today in order to be with her.
“I’m getting my assignments either later or tomorrow, depending. I’m going to homeschool, at least for this year.”
Hannah’s eyes widened. “Seriously? You’re lucky.”
I shrugged. “I guess so. Adam isn’t all that happy about it but it didn’t seem right, going back to school and leaving Harper with Julia all day.”
“School is overrated, anyway. I’m not looking forward to going back and I could probably get away with skipping this entire week but if my mom found out she’d probably try to get lawyers involved.” She made a face. “Not worth the risk.”
Again, I was tempted to ask exactly what it was that Nora had done to Hannah. It wasn’t like her to keep things to herself.
“Have you talked to Scott yet?” I asked.
“Nope, not yet. I’ll probably call him later to let him know I’m back in town and all. Michael promised to get me a new cell phone today, one that my mom can’t get access to or take away.”
“That’s good. It was horrible not being able to talk to you for so long.”
“Yeah, but at least you had Adam and Harper to keep you occupied. All I had was Mr. and Mrs. Jekyll and Hyde. How is Lover Boy, anyway? I don’t think I saw him last night or this morning.”
“Yeah, he got ready in the bedroom and took his breakfast with him so he wouldn’t wake you. He’s good.”
“Yeah?” She raised her eyebrows like she didn’t quite believe me. “And how are you two, like, couple-wise?”
“Fine,” I replied, because it seemed like the most appropriate response. No matter what, Adam and I would always be fine. I was going to make sure of that.
The same look as before crossed Hannah’s face, but once again it happened too quickly to decipher. She smiled softly and kissed the top of Harper’s head, an almost dreamy look forming on her face.
“Good,” she said. “You need to stay that way for Harper’s sake. She deserves to know her parents love each other enough to make it work, no matter what.”
There was something strange about the way she said that, but I didn’t press it. Hannah would tell me when she was ready and we’d get through it together the way we always did.
Chapter 7
The rest of the week went by quickly, and Harper and I settled into a new routine. Ms. Freeman dropped my assignments off on Tuesday and fortunately there weren’t very many. Since Harper wasn’t really on a set sleep schedule yet I did what I could whenever I could but she remained my top priority.
Adam still didn’t seem happy about the fact that a week of homeschooling hadn’t changed my mind, but he’d given up trying to convince me to go back to school. Hannah started on Wednesday and called me after to let me know nothing had changed and I was the luckiest person she knew.
Mason was supposed to leave on Friday but then Friday came and went and he didn’t. I didn’t know the details, but apparently Nora was still refusing to come back to Haven and my dad didn’t have a clue how to run Bella Vista on his own. I felt selfish and a guilty for being relieved by this. As happy as I was to finally have Hannah home, I didn’t think it made me any more ready to say goodbye to Mason.
Adam had a three day weekend and the Montgomery’s were throwing their annual Labor Day party and invited Hannah, Mason, and my dad. They knew all that I did about Nora leaving and refusing to come back and neither of them seemed any more surprised than I’d been. Julia made a remark that maybe this could be th
e start of a true reconciliation between my father and me, and Ned muttered something that sounded like “good riddance.” I still wasn’t sure how I felt about the situation.
Mason came over early Monday afternoon, looking more exhausted than I’d seen him all summer and maybe even a little depressed. He slumped into a chair at the kitchen table, head in hands. I sat across from him and reached for his hand. Harper was taking her nap in the nursery and Adam had gone over to help his dad get food ready to be grilled. Guests were already arriving and I could hear the sounds of them faintly through the front door and windows.
“What’s wrong?” I asked my older brother sympathetically. I was pretty sure whatever it was could be directly tied to the situation at Bella Vista.
“I’m staying,” Mason answered, surprising me.
“Staying?” I repeated. “What do you mean?”
He lifted his head up and looked me directly in the eye and I wasn’t really sure what emotion I saw in there. “I mean I’m staying indefinitely. I have no idea when I’m going to get back to Delaware.”
“Why?” I asked. “What about Cynthia? What about your job?”
Mason shrugged. “I don’t know. I haven’t told her yet but she’s probably already figured it out since Dad’s been home a week and I haven’t made plans to get home yet. And that job, I don’t care. I’ll tell Neil to go ahead and hire someone new to take over for me. I’ll just find something else once I go back. If I go back.” He sighed and closed his eyes.
“Mason, why are you doing this?” I asked. “Have you even thought about it?”
“No,” he admitted with a small laugh. “I haven’t really thought about it at all. But what else am I supposed to do? Dad doesn’t know the first thing about running Bella Vista. I can’t figure out, for the life of me how it’s managed to stay afloat with him as the owner for this long, unless Nora is more amazing than I ever gave her credit for.”
The Heart of a Girl (The Haven Series) Page 4