9. Bea
Shit, I was played by my sister once again. I should have known by the way she was acting that something was up, but the one thing that I did know was that this wasn't Phoenix's fault.
"So, um, welcome to your new home," I said, the words almost getting stuck in my throat.
My life was a mess right now but I was a survivor and I'd make it through this.
"Umm... so you'll have to take the couch for now and we can go apartment hunting soon to get you your own room.
I need to get to work. Drop what you don't need and we'll head out. "
She tucked her backpack on the far side of her new bed and gave me a nod.
"Great, do you like books?" I asked as I motioned for her to exit the door I was holding open for her.
"Meh, I’m not much of a reader," she muttered as she moved past me.
Well, maybe she'll change her mind when she sees where I work.
The pair of us descended the stairs and she waited for me at the bottom to show her which way to go. She was taking this far too well. It was unnerving.
"We’re within walking distance," I said as I took note of her worn out Converse. I mentally added new clothes and shoes to my ever-growing list.
Phoenix didn't say anything as I led her to the bookstore, but when we passed the diner I heard a gurgle from her stomach.
"I need to make a shopping list, is there anything that you do or don't like? Allergies?" I asked.
"Not really picky," was all she said.
The moment I had her settled in my office, I was going to run to the diner and get us both lunch. She was underweight and, clearly, needed something as soon as possible.
Another block and we were there. The silence between us seemed to only be awkward for me. That or she had every emotion locked down tight.
"This is where I work with my two best friends," I explained as we walked around to the back door, since it was closer to my office.
My niece didn't comment on anything as we moved through the back rooms. She seemed to be trying to fade into the background and that hurt my heart.
"We’re here," I announced when we stopped in front of my office door. "Would you like a tour of the bookstore?"
"Nah," she answered a little too quickly.
"No problem. Will you be okay in here while I meet with my partners then snag lunch?" I asked.
"Yep, I'm used to being alone," she said casually.
Another fucking red flag. I could kill my sister.
Old guilt was starting to surface. I could have prevented this, but I knew deep down I couldn’t blame myself. Phoenix wasn’t my responsibility back then.
If she was now, then I could more than make up for lost time.
"I won't be long," I promised as she opened the door and took a seat in the farthest corner of the room.
A tear threatened to drip but I wiped it before she could see. I turned away quickly, almost running to see Taryn and Dani.
I sent an SOS text to them both and told them to meet me in Taryn's office, veering in there and closing the door behind me. They would take a few minutes to come back here, and I took those precious minutes to collect myself.
"What's going on?" Dani asked breathlessly as she burst in.
"You okay?" Taryn asked as she took a seat behind her desk.
Dani moved towards me, and pulled into a hug as if she knew I needed it. The moment her arms wrapped around me, I broke.
Taryn hopped up and joined the hug. It was exactly what I needed at the moment.
"Okay, now that Dani's shoulder is snotty, I can talk," I laughed out through my tears. They wouldn’t seem to stop.
"Girl, it's no worse than baby spit up," she joked as they let me go.
The three of us took a seat and I dove right in, giving them every detail of the mindfuck that was my life now.
"Dee was here," I said. Taryn and Dani both gasped, knowing just what that meant for me.
"She told me that she needed someone to watch her daughter for a job interview.
I pushed back then she jumped up, said she forgot her purse, then bolted.
She's not coming back, she just dumped her daughter on me. "
"What do you need from us?" Taryn asked, not sounding surprised in the least.
"Well, I need a bigger place for one and everything a fourteen-year-old girl could want or need. She only has a small backpack of stuff," I explained.
"There’s a cabin right next to mine that’s open for rent," Dani said excitedly. "I’ve been meaning to tell you anyway. I'll call and get it for you. My guys can help with the heavy lifting to move you."
"That would be amazing. I need guardianship papers made up, too, but first I need to get her lunch. She looks malnourished. Once I have the papers signed by my sister I can get her into the doctor and get her checked over," I said, all the things going through my mind. “And enrolled in school.”
"Breathe," Taryn said gently. "I'll go to the diner and grab you both food."
There was a knock on Taryn's door before Ash walked in with both Liam and Gem in his arms.
He smiled at his mate but when he noticed the state I was in, it fell. “Who’s ass do I need to kick?"
I chuckled a little. "Do you fight girls?"
"Maybe, depends on what they did to you," he answered frankly. I wouldn’t put it past him, either. It was nice to have them in my corner, too. A reminder that I had a village now, I wasn’t on my own.
"My sister dumped her teenage daughter on me," I explained quickly. “Without telling either of us goodbye or even asking. She abandoned her.”
"That bitch," he said, looking at his babies. “I could never leave these two.”
This time the twins laughed at his silly face, or maybe his curse.
"Ash, language," Taryn scolded him but was fighting her own smile.
He gave her a smirk before turning back to me. "What do you need? I have a client, but when that’s done, I’ll do what I can to help."
"Dani's got a line on a cabin and Taryn is getting lunch. She has nothing. So, I need… everything?" I answered with a shrug.
"Okay, let me go finish up this consult, it should be quick. Then I’ll round up the guys and we’ll get some stuff to get you started," he promised before he handed over the twins to me.
"Thanks, I'll take these guys to meet her and they can hang with us for a bit. Maybe they’ll help her open up. Do you want to meet her?" I asked the others, realizing I hadn’t considered all that.
"Let's start with the twins. We don't want to overwhelm her too much," Ash said gently. Fuck, he was right. Thank god they were all thinking straight.
"How did I get so lucky with you guys?" I asked, pulling the twins closer to me and giving them a snuggle. They smelled like baby lotion and I swear it did miracles for my nerves. They wiggled in my grip but accepted their fate when I stood up.
"Okay, team, let's get this going," Ash said before he gave Taryn a kiss and disappeared.
"You guys are lifesavers," I whispered to my friends, barely keeping fresh tears at bay.
"We’re family, that's what we do," Dani said. It was said so simply, as if it were a fact, and I was finally starting to see that.
"I'm glad to be part of this family."
"Get your cute ass back to your office before we are all blubbering like babies," Taryn ordered with a huff, swiping at her own watery eyes.
"Love you, bitches," I said before securing a twin on each hip.
Liam and Gem started their little twin jabbering as I navigated the hallway with them.
I knocked on the door with my foot and Phoenix opened it with a look of surprise on her face at the sight of the toddlers. She moved back to her corner and I set the twins down and introduced her to them.
"Phoenix, these are my best friend Taryn's twins, Liam and Gem. Are you good with them pestering us for a little bit?" I asked as Gem stepped closer to her.
"I guess," she shrugged and eyed the little girl carefully. I had a feeling she wasn’t used to little ones.
"I’m here, too,” I promised. “I just have to check some emails. If they bother you too much, or you need distance, just tell me. I prefer honesty.” She eyed me but nodded as I dragged out a box of toys I had in here.
With the toys out, their attention shifted. I took the opportunity to sit at my computer and pull up our inbox. There was a hefty backlog and I started to click through them.
Giggles drew my attention to the twins and I bit back a laugh as they started climbing on Phoenix. She was being so gentle with them and already smiling.
“You alright?” I asked. “If you want quiet I can sit down with them.”
“No, they’re cute,” she said quickly, tickling Gem’s toes when she stuck a foot in her face. More laughter was mixed with Phoenix’s this time.
I took a breath, letting it out along with some of my nerves, and rushed back into the emails, hoping to knock out as many as I could while they were distracted.
After about twenty minutes, a knock on the door interrupted us. Taryn opened it, her hands full of food. The scent of greasy goodness filled my office, making my stomach rumble this time.
"Did someone order lunch?" she asked, flashing a smile at me and then towards Phoenix who had snoring twins in her lap as she read softly to them. I guess she wore them out. "Oh. Maybe we found a future babysitter for the twins?"
“What?" Phoenix questioned, glancing up at my friend. It was a joke, but she seemed to be torn between worry and curiosity.
"Well, only if you want to. I'd pay you, of course," Taryn offered. “It wouldn’t be too often, I promise.”
My niece's eyes lit up at that. "I get the choice? And pay?"
"Of course. The twins are a good judge of character and them sleeping on you sold me," she explained. “Plus, we’d always give you a choice. Your opinions matter here, kiddo.”
"I'd like to give it a try," she decided. “Having some money of my own would be nice.”
"It will be after school," I interjected, making sure she knew that would happen, too.
"Of course," Taryn agreed as she set the food down on the corner of my desk. "Let me lay them down and you both eat. I'll check with Bea when they are up if you want more time with them."
"I'd love it," she said without hesitation this time. Being given a choice seemed to shift something in her. I hoped that worry would continue to ease the more time she spent with me.
"Welcome to our little family," Taryn said, carefully picking up Liam. Phoenix looked startled, but I didn’t miss the small spark of hope that lit up her eyes. Maybe she needed us as much as I wanted her here.
Pushing away from my desk, I grabbed Gem from her lap, too. "Eat whatever you want."
"I can wait for you," she said, looking unsure now.
"How about you open what Taryn brought and decide on what you want. I promise to just be gone for a minute or two," I explained gently.
I wasn't sure what my sister put her through but I didn't want her to think that I would do the same thing. We didn't have trust yet, but I would prove that I wasn't anything like my sister.