40. Chapter 40
Erik
“Ugh, why am I more nervous than last time?” I mumble under my breath and drum my fingers against the dashboard. It’s time to collect the book I ordered and I’m a goddamn wreck.
“Because you care.” Kylie says it matter-of-factly and puts her hand on my bouncing knee. Thank God she’s driving, because I’m going insane here. “Take a deep breath, babe. We're almost there.”
I close my eyes, lean my head back against the headrest, and inhale.
“That’s it.” Her thumb draws a circle over my knee. “Now another one.” Her hand wanders from my knee up to my neck, fingers toying with the hair at the base. “Do you feel better?”
“A little,” I whisper, keeping my eyes closed and leaning into her touch. And then the car comes to a stop and my anxiety is back with full force.
“Hey.” I open my eyes, realizing she found a parking spot right in front of the store. Which doesn’t help with my anxiety in the least. I should’ve told her to park further away to give me a few more moments for emotional preparation.”
“Come on, let’s go inside.” She lets go of me, and I already miss her gentle fingers in my hair. “Like pulling off a Band-Aid. Let’s go!”
“Okay.” I clear my throat and wipe my clammy hands on my jeans. It’s raining, drops hitting the windshield in a lazy melody and then my head as I climb out of the car. “Let’s do it.”
Kylie wants to rush inside, but I stop her with my hand on her arm and pull the hood of her jacket over her head.
“Seriously? It’s like five steps to the entrance.”
“Don’t want you to catch a cold,” I mumble. And the soft look she shoots me makes my heart flutter. A temporary ease to my anxiety, at least.
“You’re so cute,” she mumbles with a grin that makes my heart melt and threads her fingers with mine. “Come on.”
She pulls on my arm and I force my legs to cooperate and move. One step, two, up the steps to the store’s entrance. And then the store’s entrance bell jingles and the door clicks shut behind us.
“Welcome. Oh!” The same older woman from last time greets us. She stops in her tracks, a stack of books in her arms and tilts her head, eyeing us from head to feet. “You’re back.”
“Hi?” I mumble. Kylie squeezes my hand. I’m not sure if that sounded enthusiastic.
“Maya?” she suddenly shouts through the store, making both Kylie and me jump at the sudden loudness.
“What is it?” I hear her steps approach, each one pulling the knot in my throat tighter. And then there she is.
“I am here to collect the book?”
Maya stops in her tracks and stares at me. And in this moment, I realize, she knows. Before my brain can comprehend what’s happening, she takes a step towards us. Then another one, then breaks into a full sprint and throws her arms around me.
“You’re him, right?” She suddenly freezes, then takes a step back, hands remaining on my arms. “You’re my brother, right?”
“Yes,” I confirm, throat tight. And she throws her arms around me again.
“Good. Fuck, that would’ve been awkward otherwise,” she mumbles.
Kylie nudges me with her elbow, and that’s when I realize I’m not even hugging her back. Time to rectify that.
“Oh my God,” she whispers and lets out a sobbing giggle.
“I’m sorry. I am sorry,” I keep whispering. God, I want to laugh and to cry, but all I can do is smile and force myself to breathe. “I should’ve told you the last time I was here, but I chickened out and—”
“Don’t worry.” She lets go of me and waves her hand through the air, then wipes her wet cheeks. “Francine, I’m taking a break.”
“You do that, dear. Let me know if you won’t make it back in after all. I’m sure you all have a lot to catch up with.”
“I think we do.” She smiles and then, for the first time, turns to Kylie. “Oh, I’m sorry, I’m Maya.”
“Kylie. Lovely to meet you, Maya.”
The two of them shake hands a little awkwardly.
“Come with me. I live right upstairs.”
Kylie slides her hand back into mine as we follow Maya up a flight of stairs, so steep I wouldn’t be surprised if my muscles are sore tomorrow, and into a small apartment.
It’s only one room, but it has everything you need.
A bed in the corner, hidden behind two bookshelves, a little kitchen with a small table to eat at, a couch, and one single door that I assume leads to the bathroom.
“Take a seat.” Maya motions to the couch. “Do you want a coffee? I’m sorry, my place is a mess. I didn’t think you’d be coming back today and—” She stops herself, stares out the window, and takes a deep breath. “Sorry. I’m rambling.”
“Don’t worry about it. Trust me, I’m as nervous as you are,” I mumble, taking a seat and play with Kylie’s fingers.
“I have so many questions.” Maya grabs one of the chairs from the kitchen and brings it over to the couch and takes a seat opposite us.
“So do I.” I rub my palm over my face. “I don’t even know where to start. How did you know about me?”
“My parents told me,” she explains, running her palm over her face. “I always knew I was adopted, but we never knew it wasn’t legit. Until a few days ago, when Frank reached out to them. They called me like an hour after you left the store.”
She clears her throat, fingers playing with the hem of her shirt.
“I thought Francine was overreacting when she mentioned how similar we looked the second you walked out of the door. But then my parents told me how a cop investigated their adoption agency and that I have a whole-ass family out there. Suddenly it all made sense.”
She wrings her hands. Kylie offers her a pillow. She takes it with a smile and hugs it to her chest.
“I’m sorry, Maya. That must be hard,” Kylie says gently and from the corner of my eyes I see her worried frown.
“It’s… surprising.” Maya shakes her head. “I was always an only child so I’m not sure what to think about it.”
“So your adoptive parents, they’re nice?”
“They’re honestly the best.” Her face lights up. “Angie and Stefan. I’ll have to introduce you to them some time.”
“How are they dealing with all of this?” I make a vague hand gesture. This must come out of nowhere for them.
“They’re in shock.” A sad smile tugs at her lips. “They’re devastated, feeling guilty they took someone’s little girl away. And even more guilty because they wouldn’t change it for the world. Which kind of brings me to my question.” She hugs the pillow tighter. “What happened?”
“It’s a long story.” I squeeze Kylie’s hand.
“The short version is… our mother, she got caught embezzling money and bribing politicians. She went to jail for a few years, so our dad raised us by himself. And he struggled.” I clear my throat and squeeze Kylie’s hand.
“He did something dumb. And now he’s also in jail. ”
Her eyes widen and her hand flies to her mouth. “Did he kill anyone?”
“No, no.” I quickly shake my head. “In a moment of desperation, he robbed a bank. Obviously, not very successfully. But since he fired a warning shot into the ground, it became quite a hefty sentence. He was our only guardian, so we were sent to a foster home, until our aunt could come to collect us, only you-” I shrug. “Disappeared, I guess?”
“Oh no.” She clutches her shirt right above her heart. “So where are they now? Your—our father, he’s still in jail?”
“Yes. He’s got around three more years left of his sentence.”
“Oh wow.” She crosses her arms in front of her chest and leans back. “And our…
“Mother?” I take the word out of her mouth and shake my head. “She filed for divorce the second she got out. I haven’t heard from her since.”
“Okay.” She nods slowly. I can almost see all the thoughts running through her head. “And you? I want to know everything. Tell me about your life.”
“Well, I’m Erik.” I chuckle. Her eyes widen once she realizes I never even got to introduce myself. “And I’m your little brother by two years. I’m an officer with the RCMP and live in the town our aunt raised me in. Our dad also grew up there. It’s called Wayward Hollow.”
“I’ve heard of it.” She nods slowly and nervously brushes a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Molly,” I quickly clarify. “Our aunt’s name’s Molly. She’d love to meet you.”
“Me too.” She sounds a little uncertain, though. “One day. I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything.”
“Yes, of course.” I clear my throat. “I’m happy to answer any questions you might have, if I can.”
“What’s my name?” she mumbles. “Mom and Dad didn’t think to ask.”
“Lilith,” I reveal and try to clear all the pesky emotions out of my throat.
Pain flashes across her face. “Lilith,” she repeats in a whisper and nods. “I like it.”
“Maya suits you too, though.”
“Thank you.” A shy smile tugs at her lips. “And you’re the girlfriend?” She turns to Kylie. “The one who loves true crime?”
“Yes. That’s me.” Kylie’s face lights up and the mood quickly lifts. Gone is the air almost too thick to breathe.
“I bet you’ll love the book we ordered for you.” Maya breaks into a ramble about the author.
This is where the family reunion ends. Maya has a lot to take in. But sooner rather than later, an awkward silence settles once more.
First Kylie’s lips turn into a smile. Then she’s the first to let out a nervous laugh. Before I know it, the three of us are giggling.
“Oh man.” Maya leans back in her chair and stares at the ceiling. “Funny what life throws at you.”
I don’t really have a reply to that apart from a nod.
“It’s a lot for one day,” Kylie declares and gets up, pulling me with her. “Erik, how about you leave her your number so she can reach out once she’s ready?”
Damn, I’m so glad she tagged along. I would have forgotten.
“Of course.” I glance around the room for a pen and paper and find some on the kitchen counter. My fingers are trembling. Still, I make painfully sure every number is legible.
“Just to be clear,” she asks just as we’re about to walk out the door. I freeze and slowly turn around. “Do you want to keep in contact? I mean, this must be so weird for you too.”
“Maya, I spent years searching for you. We thought you were dead. So yes, I’d love to keep in touch and get to know my older sister.” Her eyes turn glassy and she snakes her arms around herself.
“I’d like that too. I can’t even remember being a sister.”
“And I barely remember being a brother. We’ll figure it out. And when or if you’re ever ready, I’d love to introduce you to aunt Molly and Dad. They’ve missed you a lot.”
“I can’t even imagine.” She shakes her head and then throws her arms around me again. “Thank you for finding me.”
“Thank you for not freaking out,” I chuckle and hug her back.
Maya shakes her head against my chest. “Trust me, I did. You weren’t here to see it happen is all.” She breaks the hug and takes a step back.
“Get home safely, you guys. I’ll be in touch.”
“Can’t wait to hear from you,” I mumble and sneak my hand into Kylie’s again.
The light rain has turned into a nasty downpour by the time we’re back downstairs. As we leave the store, I pull her jacket’s hood over her head and tuck the book I got for her under my jacket.
“I’m driving,” I declare and walk right ahead to open the door for her so she can jump into the car.
“Do you feel better now?” Kylie asks once I’m behind the steering wheel, her hand on my knee.
“So much better.” I lean over the console, grab her chin, and pull her into a quick kiss. “Thank you.”
“I didn’t even do much,” she mumbles against my lips, her pupils darting from my left to right eye.
“You were there,” I whisper and wipe a lone raindrop off her forehead. “And that meant everything.”