Chapter Sixteen #2
Lexie comes flying into the parking lot. She gets out of her car and rushes toward me. “Oh, Jackson, I’m so sorry. This isn’t what your mom wanted.”
My head pulls back. “You knew?”
She stops dead in her tracks, her bottom lip slipping between her teeth.
“I’m not mad,” I say, holding up my hands. “Just confused.”
“She gave me the letters. They were supposed to be given out in order, but …”
“But now people are finding out out of order?”
Lexie nods sadly. “I’m sorry. I told her she should have picked someone else. I knew I would mess this up.”
I walk over and hug her. She stands stiff in my arms for a few minutes, but slowly she begins to relax. “You didn’t mess up,” I tell her. “Thank you for being there for my mother.”
I’m not one to get mad about things. My dad always taught me to keep a cool head. I guess that’s why I’m surprised he’s so angry.
“Since everything is coming out so quickly, I guess I better give everyone their letters.” She goes back to her car and pulls out a box.
I stare up at the sky again. Why didn’t you just tell us when you were here?
The two of us head inside, but before we make it through the door, Brody and my grandmother show up. My heart starts to beat faster because Grandma is going to lose her mind. I hadn’t even thought about how she might feel about this.
Lexie places her hand on my arm, seeing my panic. “She already knows.”
My head snaps her direction.
She doesn’t hesitate to tell me the truth. “Your mom sent Brody the first letter. She wanted to make sure Jenny was in a good place before putting you through all of this. The next one went to your grandmother, but that also didn’t go as planned. None of this is going as planned.”
I run my hands through my hair. “Yeah, well I don’t think we’re the ones in charge.”
She laughs sadly. “That’s true, but it always works out in the end, doesn’t it?”
“It does.” I pat her on the back, not waiting for my friend and grandmother. “Do you have one of those letters for my sister?”
“I do.” She sets the box on the coffee table once we’re inside. “She was next anyway.” Lexie hands it to me, and I give her a hug. “I’m going to call a club meeting. We’re going to rip the band-aid off real quick-like, but I want to talk to Lily first.”
She nods, wiping her eyes as I pull away from her.
“It’s all good, Lex. You did good. Mom would be proud.”
I find my sister and Dan in the kitchen helping Daisy clean up my uncle. I bend over at the waist in front of him. My head tips side to side, and I whistle. “Dad sure did get you good.”
He grunts.
“I’m calling a meeting,” I say, typing as I speak.
“Someone needs to follow Raffe,” Dirk finally says.
Dan raises his hand. “I’ll go.”
I look at him. “No.”
He folds his arms over his chest. That might have made me back down as a teenager, but I’m a man now. I stand to my full height, and then I nod my head toward Lily.
Dan gets my message, and his arms slip around my sister.
That’s what I thought.
“We’ll send some guys out after the meeting, but I don’t think we’re going to find him until he wants to be found.”
“He’ll be up at the cabin,” Dirk says confidently.
I shake my head. “Not this time.”
Dirk’s gaze meets mine. “It’s that bad?”
I hand Lily the letter my mom wrote to her.
She carefully unfolds it, and then her eyes quickly scan the page. It’s a good thing Dan is still hugging her from behind because her legs give out beneath her.
I pull out the chair beside Dirk. Dan lowers her into it.
My sister grabs my hand, squeezing it firmly. “Is this true?” She waves the letter in her hands. “Is Jenny really alive?”
Both Dirk and Dan say “What?” at the same time.
Grandma Maggie steps into the room, and we all turn her direction. “It’s true. I’ve seen her with my own eyes.”
Lily lets out a loud cry and doubles over. “Jenny. Oh, Jenny.”
I watch my grandmother lower herself into the chair beside my sister to comfort her, wondering why my reaction to this news is so different from theirs.
Maybe it’s because they knew her. They’ve talked to her.
They’ve seen her smile. They know what her voice sounds like. The exact color of her eyes …
Ray walks into the room and places his hand on my shoulder.
I’m so glad my grandma has him. Actually, we all have him. He’s a good man. You can tell by the way his son turned out. Big Dan and his dad are true salt of the earth type of men.
“Is she here?” my sister asks, struggling to calm herself enough to get the question out.
Grandma shakes her head. “No, dear. I tried to get her to come with me. She feels safe where she’s at, but it’s not far.”
“What do you mean it’s not far?” I ask.
She looks at me, and I know. My biological mother has been under my nose this entire time.
“Fuck,” I say, running my hands through my hair.
Daisy washes her hands in the sink after finally getting Dirk’s nose to stop bleeding. Brody steps up beside her, and they begin to whisper. She shakes her head and points out the window.
He leaves her side and comes back in with her purse. She reaches in and pulls out another envelope, handing it to him.
His eyes meet mine as he walks toward me. I back away a step, and he shakes his head to stop me.
“Is that from her?” I ask.
He nods, handing it to me.
I stare at it as the room goes silent.
My heart beats fast.
“Yeah, okay, thanks,” I say, leaving the room. I pause on the threshold. “I’ll see you guys in a few. Everyone should be here soon.”
As soon as I’m up in my old room at the warehouse, I plop down on the bed and rip it open.
Jackson,
I don’t know where to begin. I’m sorry in so many ways, but first I’m sorry you lost your mom. Although I didn’t know her well, I know she was good. Please don’t blame her for any of this.
I have to stop and laugh. They’ve both taken the blame for this secret, each not wanting me to be angry with the other.
I begged her to keep my secret. I told her that your life depended on it.
At the time I truly believed that. There was no way I was going to risk your safety just so I could exist in this world.
So, we came up with a plan to make it look like I was gone for good.
I know you might not understand now, but maybe someday it will all make sense.
I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough to keep you in my arms. They’ve ached for you ever since you were born.
I know your mother and I have made this decision on your behalf, but from here on out it is yours and yours alone. I will not hide from you. Please don’t feel pressure either way.
I love you, Jackson.
Jenny
My mind goes back to the day we realized the man who had trafficked my mom was the grandfather of the man who kidnapped Willow. He’s been gone for years. Why didn’t my mom say something? She knew the threat had been eliminated. She could have told me then.
I open the letter from my other mom again. She said she had reasons she wasn’t proud of. What does that mean? Did she worry I wouldn’t love her as much as I would my biological mom? Did she think she’d lose me?
My gaze goes to the photo on my dresser of my parents. My heart slows as I stand to pick it up. They look so happy. Mom is staring at Dad with so much love in her eyes; you can see it plain as day.
Was my dad angry because he feels betrayed, or is there something more to his outburst? My dad was friends with my biological mom. They ran away together …
There’s a soft knock on the door before it opens, and my little daughter runs through. “Daddy!” she squeals. I scoop her up in one arm, still holding the photo in the other.
Aspen points to it. “Papa,” she says, pointing to my dad.
“Yep, that’s Grandpa and Grandma,” I tell her, my eyes catching on the little dragonfly hanging around her neck.
My heart falls fast. My mom wasn’t afraid of just losing me. Could it have been she was afraid of losing him too?
Willow hurries in. “Oh, there you are.” She places her hand over her heart. “I just got here, and she ran off,” she explains. “I don’t know how she knew you were up here.”
The look on my face has her rushing to my side. “What is it, baby?” she asks, brushing her soft fingers across my cheek.
I bury my face in the crook of her neck while still holding our daughter. She hugs both of us tight and I finally let my emotions go, because I’m safe in my little family’s arms.
Aspen pats my back. “Daddy’s sad,” she tells my wife.
I lift my head, and she raises her little hands to wipe my tears.
“It’s okay, Daddy.”
Willow blinks back emotion as she watches the two of us together.
It takes everything in me, but I muster the brightest smile I can. “Thank you, baby. I’m feeling much better now that I’ve got you and Mommy here.” I give her a kiss on the cheek.
Willow stares at me, waiting for an explanation.
“My mom’s alive,” I say quietly. It still sounds so strange to say out loud.
Her brows furrow a few seconds before she realizes who I’m talking about, and then they jump in surprise. “Jenny?”
I nod, and she pulls us back into a tight hug.
“I need to go down and tell the club,” I tell her.
“Does your dad know?”
“He ran out …” I pause, because fuck, I don’t know if he’ll ever come back.
Willow places her hand on the side of my face. “He’ll be back,” she says sternly, then she looks at Aspen. “He won’t leave her.”
“I don’t know. He was angrier than I’ve ever seen him.”
“He’s in shock, but I know he’ll be back. He won’t abandon you, Jackson. I have faith in that. He loves you and Aspen more than anything in this world.”
“And you,” I say quietly.
She smiles. “And me. He’ll be back.”
I hope so, because I need him now more than ever.