Chapter 22 #2
Her cheeks have filled out, and she no longer looks so thin.
She’s probably not one hundred percent yet, but the change is very noticeable to me after almost a year of seeing her all but wasting away.
She’s in an adorable little sundress that has rainbows all over it.
It fits her personality so well that I can’t help but smile.
Charlotte’s always loved all the bright colors and magical things.
When she had a nightmare or trouble sleeping, I would tell her stories about rainbows and unicorns and all the magical things to calm her down.
But the one thing I can’t get over is how happy she looks.
Freedom suits her so well, and I have to fight against the lump in my throat as I remember all the shit she had to deal with, everything I couldn’t save this innocent child from.
“Jade?” Her voice startles me out of my thoughts, and I realize I zoned out for a minute there.
“Sorry, Char. What did you say?”
She smiles at me before she shakes her head as if I’m the child, and it almost makes me laugh. She was always more mature than her years.
“I was telling you that your hair is amazing.” I reach up to play with a few strands that lay over my shoulder, spinning them around my finger with a smile.
“Thanks, I really like it too,” I say simply because I still don’t know how to respond to compliments, not even from her.
“When I get older, I want my hair colorful too. I’m going to ask Mrs. Sandra and see how old I have to be,” she says right before a waiter appears beside us.
The waiter sets down a plate of mac and cheese in front of Charlotte, and I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but her smile grows even bigger when she sees it. They also set down a plate in front of me, and I realize I didn’t even order.
Zander catches my eye from his seat a few tables over and winks at me.
The plate is piled high with more lasagna than I could ever hope to eat. The moment the waiter sets it down, they’re gone again. The smell of the food hits me, and I can't help but smile. Charlotte and I share a look, and without saying another word, we both dig into our food.
The flavor explodes on my tongue, and I can’t even make myself care about the sounds I know I’m probably making right now. This is easily one of the best things I have ever had in my life.
After a few bites, I look back up at Zander.
I know he ordered this for me. The other day, we made pasta, and I loved it.
He commented about having me try lasagna sometime, but we hadn’t had the chance to ask Roderick about it, and it wasn’t something that Zander knew how to make.
But, he told me he was sure I would love it, and damn, was he right.
Our eyes connect across the small space, and I realize he must have been watching me.
His eyes heat, and I feel my cheeks heat to match them.
Apparently, my sounds were louder than I realized.
I’m going to have to learn how to eat without making so much noise unless I want Zander to keep looking at me like I’m going to be his next meal.
On second thought, maybe I should be louder.
At the thought, I can feel my smile grow into something more flirty. Then, as if he could read my mind, he shakes his head at me with a smile, looking back down at his plate.
Before I can do the same, my eyes catch someone else watching me. Now that Zander’s turned his attention back to his food, I see Spencer where he sits at the end of the table farthest from us. His gaze has the opposite effect of Zander’s.
While Zander’s gaze makes me feel happy and light, Spencer’s makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. He watches me like he’s waiting for me to lash out or make a mistake. I roll my eyes at him, but he doesn't react, and I don’t look away.
I hold his gaze, and after a minute, I notice something. While his face screams annoyance and distrust, his eyes don’t really match that. Just like Zander’s, his pupils are wider than usual. He might not like me, but he can’t control how he reacts to me.
I give him the same flirty smile I gave Zander and watch his eyes widen before he quickly looks away.
I turn back to Charlotte, who’s too happy inhaling her mac and cheese to have noticed our exchange, and shove a bit of my own meal in my mouth to stop from breaking into a fit of laughter at Spencer’s reaction.
Serves him right.
After we finish eating as much of our food as possible, Charlotte quickly launches right back into telling me everything.
She’s apparently also starting school this Monday and is so excited.
She loved school in her life before the ring, and this school is ‘a thousand times better,’ her words, not mine.
We sit for a few hours, and while I don’t get to do much of my own talking, I’m happy to listen to her rants and stories.
Eventually, Mrs. Thompson walks over to our table to let Charlotte know they are about to head out for the night. She gives me a polite smile but doesn’t say anything before heading back to her seat.
Charlotte is quiet for the first time all night, and her smile isn’t as bright. It instantly puts me on edge because I’m not sure what happened to cause her mood to dim, but I don’t like it.
“What’s wrong, Charlotte?” I ask her after a moment of her being silent.
Maybe she doesn’t want to go back? I don’t understand why she wouldn’t after she’s spent the night telling me nothing but good things about her new home and life, but if that’s the case, I won’t make her. I just need her to tell me.
It takes her a moment, but I don’t push her.
“I miss you, Jade,” she finally says, her voice low and sad. “The Thompsons are great, but..” she trails off as a tear slips down her cheek.
“Hey, now, none of that,” I tell her, turning in my chair and opening my arms for her. She doesn’t hesitate, jumping up from her seat to run around the table and collapse into my arms. She buries her face in the crook of my neck and takes a few deep breaths while I rub her back.
“I’m not going anywhere, kiddo. I’ll be here as long as you need me, okay?” I tell her, and I feel her nod against my shoulder before she pulls back to look at me.
“You promise?” she asks, and for the first time since I walked in the door tonight, I see the scared little girl that she used to be.
I hate it. I never want her to be that girl again.
“I promise,” I tell her simply before I wrap her back in my arms and gently rock her like I used to.
Her body relaxes after a moment, and I know she's asleep, but I can’t make myself move before I have to. So, instead, I sit and rock her, content to be whatever she needs me to be.
A few minutes later, Mrs. Thompson returns to the table, stopping a few steps away from me.
“Charlotte, honey, we have to get going now,” she says in a sweet voice, and I find myself liking her more for how gentle she is with her.
I offer her a small smile. “She’s asleep,” I whisper, even as I continue to rock.
Mrs. Thompson rests her hand on her chest and smiles down at me. “Oh dear, I’m so sorry. If I had known, I would have had Tim come and grab her from you. You didn’t have to hold her this whole time, sweetie,” she says, waving her husband over.
“It’s not an issue. I used to do this for her all the time,” I explain as Tim comes up to stand beside her.
She asks him to take Charlotte to the car.
Tim smiles at me as well, and again, I can’t help but be happy that these are the people Charlotte got placed with.
She deserves so much love, and they seem to be more than prepared to give it to her.
If her happy outlook on life wasn’t proof enough, I can see it in their eyes as they both stand before me, looking at her like she’s the reason the sun rises.
“Yes, Charlotte’s told us all about how amazing you are, Jade.
Honestly, she can’t stop talking about you.
We couldn’t be happier that you were around to watch over her and let us bring her into our home.
Thank you,” Mr. Thompson says to me, reaching for his wife's hand and squeezing it while she nods along with every word he says.
“Um, thank you,” I say, a bit thrown that they seem to think I’m someone worth praising. “But it wasn’t up to me if she went with you, and it was my responsibility to keep all the girls safe. So you don’t have to thank me for that.”
“The boys were right about her,” she tells her husband before addressing me again.
“Sweetie, Charlotte would never have come to us if you hadn’t thought it was a good idea.
Heck, she might not have made it out if not for you.
Those girls were lucky to have you watching out for them.
Our thanks will never be enough. Charlotte is an amazing little girl who brings joy to our lives, a joy we thought we would be forever without.
You did that for her and us whether you see it or not,” she tells me in a stern but sweet voice as if it’s merely a fact of life that can’t be disputed.
I’d never really thought about it like that, and while I see what they mean, helping the girls wasn’t ever a choice I made. I just did it. But I can tell they won’t see it that way, so I simply nod instead of arguing.
“Since we have you here, we were wondering if we could ask you a question real quick. You don’t have to answer now, but we figured it wouldn’t hurt to talk about it,” Mr. Thompson asks me after a moment.
“We had intended to meet you alone about it later as we didn’t want to discuss it in front of Charlotte yet, but seeing as she’s asleep, I don’t see the harm in handling it now. ”
Again, I nod.
“We were wondering if you would be okay with us adopting Charlotte someday,” Mrs. Thompson asks me before quickly continuing.
“We know there is a case, and they have to look into her background and try and find her family, but if nothing ever comes from that, we would be more than happy to have her be our daughter.”