Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
RORY
The past month and a half had been complete bliss. Actually it had been better than bliss, but seeing as I couldn’t find an adequate word to describe the insane happiness I felt each morning when I woke up, bliss would have to do.
Cord and I were totally and completely in love.
It wasn’t a happy, head-in-the-clouds fairy tale, mainly because those didn’t exist outside of princess movies.
We argued… a lot, and we did it passionately.
He was a bossy pain in the ass, and I was, in his words, too damn stubborn for my own good.
But each argument ended with a heated kiss that made Zach visibly retch, and once we were alone together at night, we made up in other ways.
Another thing that made my life so freaking blissful was that after that episode at the school, the bullying had stopped.
Zach was no longer suffering through it in silence, he was thriving.
He was happy. And because of that, those walls had lowered even more.
He wasn’t openly affectionate, though he didn’t mind when I was—or if he did, he kept it to himself—but he let me know in his own ways that he liked his life here with Cord and me.
My boy was finally living the life he deserved.
The foundation Cord and I had discussed that night at the Groves weeks ago was finally coming to fruition.
Thanks to the hard work of my mom and my girls who’d spent countless hours working alongside me, the plans to open Hope House, a home for children, was no longer just a dream but a real thing, and I couldn’t freaking wait.
Something else that made me happy was the fact that the Caswells had finally been tried and convicted of their crimes and were currently enjoying their stay in prison where they rightfully belonged.
And Miriam Weathers was also going to be held accountable for her part in the scheme, facing a conviction for fraud among a litany of other charges that would undoubtedly lead to jail time.
Principal Jefferies was currently spending his time on unpaid leave while the school board conducted an investigation into his behavior, and while that was happening, the vice principal, a woman I very much liked and who not only enjoyed her job but was in it because she cared about children, had been moved into his position.
But the thing that made me the happiest was the fact that as of the day before, I was officially a certified foster parent.
I’d completed all my classes, my application had been approved, and the new welfare officer assigned to Zach and me had come for the final home inspection before giving me the stamp of approval.
Cord and I hadn’t told Zach yet. We wanted to make it special, so we were planning a surprise dinner that night at the Groves with my mom and dad to celebrate.
Needless to say, it had been an insanely busy time in my life, but even with all that was going on, I felt alive and energized. I had the people I loved surrounding me, helping out wherever and whenever they could. My life was so full of blessings that I’d actually managed to lose count.
I was so consumed in my bliss as I stared out the window over my kitchen sink that I didn’t hear Cord come up behind me until his arms snaked around my waist and the heat of his chest came to rest against my back.
“Mornin’, dollface,” he murmured in my ear, the scruff on his cheeks scratching along my neck, causing me to laugh at the tickling sensation.
“Morning,” I returned, placing the hand not holding my coffee mug on his forearm that was resting against my belly. I twisted my neck to look at him over my shoulder and whispered, “You sleep good?”
“Of course. Sleep good every night I’m beside you.” His arms tightened, pulling me closer to him. He leaned down to place a kiss on my lips before lifting his head.
I slept good every night he was beside me as well, which was another reason I was so happy to be a full-fledged foster parent, because now, after being approved by our case officer, Cord was officially moving in with me and Zach.
Not that he wasn’t there all the time anyway, but still.
It would be nice for him to finally be able to call this place home.
“Well, then it’s a good thing, after tonight’s celebration, you’re moving in, huh?”
He pressed his lips to my shoulder, kissing me through the satin of my robe. “Abso-fuckin’-lutely. I can’t wait.”
Setting my coffee mug on the counter, I turned in his arms and looped both of mine over his shoulders while lifting up on my tiptoes. “I can’t wait either.”
“And pretty soon, you’ll have my ring on your finger and be carryin’ my last name,” Cord stated, his tone casual as his words knocked the wind out of me.
“Is that right?” I managed to ask after pulling air back into my lungs.
“It is. And I’m hoping shortly after that, you’ll want to be carrying something else of mine as well.” One of his arms came from around me, and his palm settled over my belly.
“You… you want to have kids?”
His expression grew serious, those dark green eyes glittering as he said, “If that’s something you think you’d want. As long as I have you, baby, I’ll be happy no matter what. But I can’t stop picturin’ what our little girl would look like. A stunning beauty just like her mama.”
My vision blurred as another blessing fell down on me and I whispered, “Or a handsome little boy just like his daddy.”
A flash of excitement drifted across his face. “So is that a yes? You wanna have kids?”
I nodded. “Yeah, Cord,” I said on a bright laugh. “I want to have kids. This is something I’ve wanted my whole life. A big family filling this house. A bunch of grandkids for my parents to spoil. But I’m not exactly young, so if it’s something you want too, we probably need to start soon.”
“Christ, baby,” he grunted, burying his face in my neck and squeezing me so tight I couldn’t breathe.
“You have no goddamn clue how happy that makes me.” His hold loosened and his head came up several seconds later, love shining bold and bright in his eyes as he looked down at me.
“And as soon as we’re able, we’ll make it official, make Zach our own in the only way that’s left, and he’ll have my last name as well. ”
God, I loved this man. “I think he’ll love that. He’ll make a great big brother, won’t he?”
Cord’s lips curled into a blinding smile as he repeated, “Abso-fuckin’-lutely.”
And there it was. Pure bliss.
Zach
“Well, then it’s a good thing, after tonight’s celebration, you’re moving in, huh?”
At Rory’s words, I stopped at the edge of the hall and pressed my back against the wall.
I didn’t know we were celebrating anything tonight, and I didn’t know that Cord was moving in, but I was glad.
He made Rory super happy, and she deserved to be happy.
I’d never met a lady as nice as her, and the longer I knew her, the nicer she got, which I didn’t think was even possible.
But I was also glad Cord was moving in because I liked him too. He was funny and cool and smart, and whenever I was having a bad day, he’d come in my room and talk to me in a quiet voice that made me feel like everything was going to be all right.
Rory thought of me as her son, something that made my chest feel tight and funny every time I thought about how she’d said that to that asshole Jefferies.
She was the closest thing I’d ever had to a mom.
A mom was supposed to protect you and keep you safe.
Stand up for you when someone was messing with you and get on your case when you were screwing up.
Rory did all those things, but even when she was getting on my case, she did it in a way that not once in the time I’d been living here had I felt scared.
The truth was, I already thought of her as my mom. I hadn’t said it to her yet, but I loved her, and I wanted to stay here forever.
And with Cord living with us, maybe we could actually be a family. Something I’d never had.
“Abso-fuckin’-lutely. I can’t wait,” I heard Cord say back in that weird growly voice he sometimes used when he was talking soft to Rory.
“I can’t wait either.”
I pressed my back harder against the wall and strained to hear everything they were saying.
“And pretty soon, you’ll have my ring on your finger and be carrying my last name.”
“Is that right?”
“It is. And I’m hoping shortly after that, you’ll want to be carrying something else of mine as well.”
My eyebrows dipped at that, not understanding what he was talking about. But then I heard Rory’s voice, and what she said made me feel like I’d just been punched in the stomach.
“You… you want to have kids?”
“If that’s something you think you’d want. As long as I have you, baby, I’ll be happy no matter what. But I can’t stop picturin’ what our little girl would look like. A stunning beauty just like her mama.”
“Or a handsome little boy just like his daddy.”
All of a sudden I was having trouble breathing. My vision got cloudy and wet, and I had to squeeze my eyes closed to keep from crying like a little baby.
“So is that a yes? You wanna have kids?”
“Yeah, Cord.” Rory laughed. “I want to have kids. This is something I’ve wanted my whole life. A big family filling this house. A bunch of grandkids for my parents to spoil.”
“Christ, baby,” Cord grunted. “You have no goddamn clue how happy that makes me.”
They wanted to have babies. They wanted to get married and have a whole bunch of babies, and when they did, they wouldn’t have room for me anymore. I’d be in the way, so they’d ship me off to another group home while they made kids of their own.
My hands clenched into fists and my throat felt like someone was squeezing it.
I should’ve known better than to think they’d want to keep me around. It was stupid to think we could be a family. All my life I’d been nothing but a burden on everyone I met, and soon Cord and Rory would feel the same way. And once they did, they’d kick me out.
Unless I left first.
I quit listening to their whispered conversation and spun around, slowly tiptoeing back to my bedroom so they wouldn’t hear me.
When I got inside, I stopped and looked around.
For the first time in my life, I’d had a room that was all my own.
It was painted a color I’d picked out myself.
The covers and comforter were chosen by me.
My eyes began to sting as I thought back to the day we’d gone to pick everything out, how Rory just stood there with a smile on her face as she waited patiently for me to make decisions.
I’d never been shopping before, and I worried I might screw up, pick something stupid, but she just smiled and told me to take my time.
And in the end, it was the best bedroom any kid ever had.
I shook my head hard to try and clear it of those memories as I hurried to where I’d kept my backpack hooked on the back of my chair.
I opened it up and dumped all the school stuff out; I wasn’t going to need it anymore anyway.
I shoved all that stuff under the bed so Rory or Cord wouldn't see it. They weren’t going to want me anymore, but there was no way in hell I was going back to that shitty group home. I’d rather live on the streets.
In a hurry to get this done, I rushed over to the dresser and started stuffing clothes into my now-empty backpack. Rory always packed me a big lunch, so at least I’d have food for a little while.
While I packed, I planned. I’d tell them I wanted to take the bus to school instead of them driving me; that way I could take off from there and they’d have no idea I was even gone.
I’d walk for as long as it took to get me out of this stupid, shitty town. I wouldn’t eat a lot, only small bits at a time to make the food last. And I’d change my clothes when they started looking worn out so no one would suspect anything was up.
“Hey, honey. Here’s your lunch,” Rory said with a big smile as she handed me my lunch kit.
“Thanks,” I mumbled, grabbing it off the counter before looking at her eyes. “You think I could get a few bucks? For some ice cream or somethin’?”
She didn’t even blink before saying, “Sure,” and moving to her purse. She came back and handed me a five-dollar bill. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.
I stuffed it in my pocket and started toward the front door when Cord spoke up. “You want me to drive you today, bud?”
“No thanks,” I said without looking back. “I’m gonna take the bus.” Then I pushed out the front door and jumped down the steps onto the rocky driveway.
I’d lived in worse situations before, and I’d done just fine on my own. I didn’t need a grown-up looking out for me.
I could take care of myself. I didn’t need anyone else to do it. And I made myself a promise that I would never forget that ever again.
As I walked down the long lane that led out to the road, I kept my eyes forward, refusing to look back.