The Heart of a Girl (The Haven Series)

by Kaitlyn Oruska

  “What happened?” I asked, hoping that maybe this would be the time she finally decided to answer. Hannah seemed to consider it and then she nodded slowly.

  “I don’t know why my mom went to Raleigh. Whatever happened between her and Michael has pretty much stayed between them, so all I can tell you is why I’m here instead of with her and why she actually let me,” she said after a few minutes of silence.

  “Okay,” I said, waiting for her to continue. She took a deep breath.

  “Earlier this month I was awake after they’d both fallen asleep, so I snuck over to her purse to use her cell phone and call you. It was like three am or something so I figured you’d be up with Harper already anyway, with the three hour difference and all.”

  I continued to nod, wondering where this was going to go. She still looked hesitant about telling me, but I could understand that to an extent. If this were really Nora’s fault like she said, whatever came next probably wasn’t going to paint her mother in a good light. And despite the fact that they’d never been close I knew as well as anyone that you still love your parents, no matter what. I realized Hannah must have been hiding out because she was dealing with something she might not be sure anyone would understand.

  “What happened?” I asked when it seemed she needed a little extra urging to continue.

  “There were text messages, unopened, from this guy. His name was David, so I kind of assumed that maybe she was having an affair. I mean, I know that’s crazy because my mom would never really do anything like that, but she and Michael were arguing so much I figured anything was possible. So I opened them.”

  I raised my eyebrows. The fact that Hannah snooped through her mother’s stuff wasn’t all that surprising, but the fact that she’d read texts messages in her phone kind of was.

  “Was she having an affair?” I asked. Hannah shook her head, diverting her eyes away from me.

  “Nope. It’s so much worse than that.”

  “How?” I tried to imagine what could be worse than finding out your parent was having an affair, at least in this situation. Nothing came to mind. I fought back memories of finding my dad and Teagan locked in an embrace. I wondered, against my better judgment, what had ever become of her.

  “The texts were asking why the check hadn’t been cashed, so I messaged back pretending to be her and said I hadn’t gotten them. He responded and asked why I was using a difference excuse than all the other times.”

  I frowned. Who would be sending Nora checks?

  “I asked what he was talking about and I guess he kind of figured out that I wasn’t really my mom and he stopped answering. The next night, I went back to her phone again and there were more messages, saying he was going to take her to court if she didn’t start answering his questions and letting him in. I asked what for, and…” her voice trailed off, and I could see she was getting choked up.

  “What is it, Hannah? What’s wrong?”

  “It was my dad, Lainey,” she said, her voice so soft I could barely hear her. “It was my dad texting her. The check he sent? Apparently it was for child support. He’s been sending them all along and she’s been refusing to cash them.”

  “What?” I felt stunned. One MIA parent showing up this past year had seemed like enough, but now another? I almost didn’t know what to say.

  “I figured it out and told him it was me and we texted for a few hours. He didn’t say where he was living but since it was like three am in California, I’m assuming it has to be somewhere on the east coast. He told me he’d been trying to get into contact with me for years, but my mom wouldn’t allow it.”

  “I thought he gave up all his rights to you after the divorce?” I asked slowly. “I thought that was why Nora gave you her maiden name?”

  “I thought so too, but it turns out he was pretty much strong-armed into it. He stayed away for a few years after but when I was nine he started trying to get back into my life and my mom refused. And then she met Michael a few years later and moved and my dad didn’t know where to find us, but then he did, so he kept trying…” She shook her head. “I confronted her about it the next day, showed her all the messages, and of course she denied everything. She said he’s only been trying for the past few months, because he just got remarried and wants to make himself seem like a stand-up guy.” Her eyes filled with tears.

  “Oh Hannah, I’m so sorry,” I whispered, embracing her and holding her close as she began to cry. I understood her pain and I knew there was nothing I could say or do to ease it, even a little.

  “She erased the messages and his number and got rid of that phone, so now I have no way of getting into contact with him,” she sobbed. “I hate her so much, Lainey. My dad actually cares and wants to know me, and she just can’t let that happen because she’s the worst person ever.”

  “I know,” I agreed, feeling a rage build up inside of me. Pushing me away, disowning me; everything Nora had done to me was bad enough, but this? Denying a father the right to know his daughter and leading her own daughter to believe her father didn’t love her or care? That was beyond reprehensible.

  “When she decided she was going to leave Michael, I absolutely refused to go with her. She tried to fight me on it but I told her I hated her and couldn’t stand to look at her after all this, so she said that was fine and left. I’m glad but now I have no way of trying to find out where my dad is or get into contact with him. I talked to Michael about it but she kept it a secret from him, too. I don’t know what to do, Lainey. I’m kind of scared I’ll never get to talk to him again.” Another wave of tears exploded from deep inside her and I held her close again, trying my best to comfort her.

  “We’ll figure it out,” I soothed her. “I’ll do whatever I can, okay?” I couldn’t remember a time I meant those words more.

  Chapter 9

  “Lainey! This is a surprise.” Ned Montgomery looked up from his office desk, staring at me as if he didn’t really know what else to say. I forced a smile.

  “I know. I’m sorry. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

  He piled a few pieces of paper together and shoved them in a drawer in his desk and smiled. “You’re the mother of my grandchild. That counts for a lot more than trying to get these drafts done a little early. Please, sit down.”

  I sat down on the chair across from his desk and took a deep breath. I knew it was unnecessary, coming to his office like this but for some reason I just couldn’t fathom talking to him at home. I hadn’t told Adam about anything Hannah told me and didn’t want to get Julia involved, either. I wasn’t sure I’d ever really had a one on one conversation with Ned save for the brief one in Harper’s nursery just before she was born. But if there was ever a time for it, that time was now.

  “What’s on your mind?” Ned asked. “And how did you get here. Julia?”

  I shook my head. “Mason drove me. He had some errands to do in town so I asked him to drive me in. Harper is with him.” That wasn’t exactly true. The only errand Mason had to do in town was drive me to Ned’s office and now he was out at the park with Harper. But Ned didn’t need to know that.

  “Well I hope everything is okay,” he said, starting to look a little concerned. “My son didn’t do anything wrong, did he?”

  “Oh no, Adam’s fine. This isn’t about him at all.”

  Ned nodded slowly. “Alright. Well, pardon me for wanting to get to the point, but I have a busy day ahead of me. What do you need, Lainey?”

  “Do you have any lawyer friends?” I blushed as I asked, feeling ridiculous. Here I was, sixteen years old, asking my someday father-in-law whether or not he had any lawyer friends. It felt bizarre.

  Ned frowned and nodded. “Yeah, I have a few. Why do you ask?”

  “Um, I, um…” I realized I had no idea of how to word this. It seemed like a great idea the night before when I thought of it, but now I just felt ridiculous.

  “Is this about emancipation?” He asked. “Julia and I were already discussin
g that possibility, but we decided not to bring it up to you since you’ll be legally emancipated from your parents once you and Adam marry next summer.”

  “No, it’s not that at all. It’s actually not about me.”

  Ned looked even more surprised. “Then what is this about?”

  I sighed, deciding I needed to just cut to the chase. Ned was incredibly busy, and I was just wasting his time.

  “My stepsister Hannah needs to find someone and she doesn’t know how to go about doing it since all she has is a name and well, it’s a pretty common name.”

  “Who does she need to find?” He asked, frowning. “Don’t tell me a boy she met on her vacation this summer.”

  I blushed as I realized it wouldn’t be beyond Hannah to actually attempt that. But surprisingly enough, her summer appeared to be virtually boy free.

  “No, it’s nothing like that at all. It’s her father.”

  “Her father?” He repeated.

  “Yeah, her parents are divorced and he’s never been around. She thought that was because he didn’t want to be but she found out this summer that he’s actually been trying and Nora’s been blocking it.”

  “And she needs a lawyer to intervene so that her mother can’t do that anymore?”

  I hesitated. “Not exactly. See, her father gave up all rights to her when they got divorced. That’s why Hannah has her mother’s maiden name and all. But apparently Nora’s parents strong-armed him into it and Hannah wants to try and find him so they can fight it.”

  “Why doesn’t she just talk to her mother? Surely there must be a reason Nora didn’t want her around their child.”

  “She tried and Nora won’t budge. Her dad has been trying to send child support checks for the past few years and Nora won’t cash them. I think it’s more stubbornness on her part than anything else. I don’t think Hannah’s dad was really bad or anything, just not in love with Nora.”

  Ned stroked his chin, contemplating this. “I don’t know what to tell you, Lainey. I understand what you’re saying and I certainly sympathize with Hannah, but I just can’t imagine how I or even one of my lawyer friends can really be of service. The only thing I can suggest is having Hannah try to get a lawyer on her own, maybe with the help of your dad. Is he a legal guardian?”

  I shook my head. “No, my dad and Nora never went through anything to try and get legal custody of either of us. And now that they might be getting a divorce, she really wants to find her dad. I mean, if there are legal things that need to be done I’m sure he’d be willing to do it. She just needs a way to get into contact with him. There’s no way you can try and track him down?”

  Ned was quiet for a few minutes before slowly nodding. “I can try. Give me a name, please?”

  “David Johnson.”

  He chuckled. “You weren’t kidding when you said that was a common name. But I’ll get into contact with one of my friends and see if there’s anything he can dig up. A current address, at least.”

  “How?” I asked, realizing that although I’d been the one to come up with this idea, I hadn’t really thought much about how Ned would make it happen. He just seemed like the obvious choice because he was someone I knew I could trust and he wore a suit to a fancy office in downtime Haven. Sometimes I amazed myself with my naivety.

  “Well, I’ll have him see if he can dig up a marriage certificate between Nora and David and go from there. Were they married in this state?”

  “I think so,” I said. “Probably Raleigh. That’s where they lived when they were married but Hannah knows he didn’t stay in the area after the divorce.”

  “Alright, well I’ll call my friend as soon as you leave and I’ll get back to you as soon as I find something out. Okay?”

  I smiled and stood up. “Thanks, Ned. You have no idea how much this is going to mean to her.”

  “Don’t thank me yet,” he warned. “I’m going to ask but there’s no guarantee he’ll be able to find anything or that he’ll even try to dig anything up. But I’ll let you know either way as soon as I hear something.”

  “Thank you,” I repeated.

  He smiled. “That’s what family is for, Lainey.”

  I left the office and got into the elevator, finding Mason and Harper waiting in the lobby for me. “The walk didn’t turn out so well?” I asked, reaching for my baby.

  “Nope, Harper wasn’t having any of that.”

  “She’s probably hungry.” I snuggled her close and kissed the top her head. I wondered if Nora had ever been this overwhelmed with love for Hannah. She’d never been the affectionate type so it was kind of hard to imagine.

  “How did it go?” Mason asked.

  “I think it went okay. He didn’t ask why I came here instead of just talking to him at home, so that’s good.”

  “Why did you?” He asked, tilting his head to the side and studying me. Sometimes I wondered to myself if Mason had expected any of this when he agreed to come to Haven for the summer. Surely he hadn’t anticipated being thrown headfirst into the live action drama that tended to be my life since meeting Adam.

  “I have no idea. I guess I just didn’t want to get more people involved in this than there needed to be.”

  “Not even Adam?” He seemed a little surprised by that, but I didn’t think too much into it. I just shook my head.

  “Not even Adam.”

  “Well, hopefully they’ll be able to find David. Hannah deserves to know her father,” Mason commented. I felt a sinking sensation in my gut as he spoke those words. Sure she deserved to know, but was she going to be happy with what she found?

  “Yeah,” I smiled sadly. “She definitely does. I just hope he doesn’t disappoint her. She’s already stuck with one crappy parent.”

  “You can say that again,” Mason agreed and we shared a laugh. “Want to grab some ice cream before we head home?”

  “Nothing sounds better,” I replied.

  Chapter 10

  Tuesday night found me sitting cross-legged on the couch pouring over a book I had to write a report on before Friday. Adam sat next to me, Harper on his lap and by the way she was giggling and the couch was shaking every few minutes I assumed he was tickling her.

  “Want me to put her to bed when she’s ready?” He asked, interrupting my train of thought.

  “Hm?” I asked, slowly taking my eyes off the pages and turning to him.

  “I asked if you wanted me to put her to bed tonight so you could keep working on whatever it is you’re working on.”

  “If you want to, but I think I’m about done.” With a sigh, I closed the book and tossed it onto the coffee table. I could feel Adam still looking at me and I sensed his disapproval. “What?”

  “I told you this was going to happen.”

  “What is happening?”

  “You can’t concentrate on your schoolwork. It’s why I wanted you to go back full time.”

  I closed my eyes and rested my head against the back of the couch. I couldn’t get mad at Adam. I still hadn’t told him about Hannah’s discovery and my trip to his father’s office earlier that day. He had no idea everything that was going on in my mind. Come to think of it, I was pretty sure I hadn’t even gotten a chance to mention the fact that Mason was staying in Haven.

  “I’ll get better,” I told him instead. “Once things settle down a bit.”

  “Lainey, you know that isn’t going to happen. This is the easy part right now. In a few months Harper’s going to be more mobile and before you know it she’s going to be walking and talking and not sleeping nearly as much as she does now.”

  “I know but there’s nothing I can do to prevent all of that so I’ll just deal with it when it happens.”

  “How? How are you going to get anything done with a baby that requires nonstop attention?”

  “Can we not talk about this right now?” I pleaded with him. “I get what you’re saying and I know you’re worried but now is not the time.”

  “Fine,” he said
and must have decided that Harper was ready for bed because he got up and headed back towards her nursery. I sighed and shook my head. I couldn’t wait until I could honestly feel like Adam and I were back on the right track. As much as I loved him there just seemed to be something missing lately and I couldn’t quite pinpoint it.

  There was a light knocking on the door and assuming it was either Mason or Hannah I got up from the couch and opened it without checking first. To my surprise, Ned Montgomery stood there, still dressed in his suit from work and looking tired.

  “Hey, Lainey,” he greeted me with a smile. “I got some information and I figured I might as well drop it off to you tonight before heading over to my part of the property.”

  “Oh wow. That was fast,” I said, stepping aside and letting him in.

  “Yeah, well my lawyer friend works pretty fast. I don’t know if this is everything you need, but here’s what he got.” He handed me a manila envelope with a few papers inside.

  “I had him do a background check too, just in case. Nothing more than a few traffic violations. Does Hannah know why her mother didn’t allow him in her life?”

  I shook my head. “Nora always said he chose to party and be irresponsible instead of settling down and being a husband and father, so we both always assumed that was why.”

  “There’s nothing on his record to back that up, but you never know. There’s a current address in there. He’s not in state anymore, but he isn’t far.”

  “Thank you so much.”

  Ned smiled. “It wasn’t a problem.”

  “Dad?” Adam appeared from the hallway, looking surprised. “What are you doing over here?”

  “Just dropping off some papers for Lainey, son. But I’d better get home before your mom starts to worry about me. I stayed way too late at the office again.” He sighed and shook his head. “You know, you might be the smart one after all, not following in your dad’s footsteps.” He patted Adam on the back and gave me another smile before leaving, closing the door behind him.

  “What papers did he give you?” Adam demanded.