Chapter 23
Henry stared at the message on his screen. Blood rushed to his face as he gasped. His hands went clammy and tingly all at once. He nearly dropped his phone, and he would have if he hadn’t glanced up and noticed Brielle had taken a seat beside Athena.
He’d wanted to check on her to assure her that he still cared about her. She needed to know that they were still just as strong as ever. From the looks of it, Brielle was doing a good job of helping Athena come to terms with what had happened earlier in the corral.
Now, he had even better news.
Athena had a sister.
Her name was Rachel.
Henry glanced up to find Athena alone. Her back faced him, making it difficult for him to gauge her current mood. At the moment, he thought this news might be just the thing that could turn everything around. Athena had a family—a sister who had been looking for her. She had someone she could call her own.
He took a step toward Athena and then hesitated, a memory coming at him like a swinging bat. She hadn’t wanted him to look for her family. He couldn’t remember the reason, but he did remember that she’d made him promise.
Yes, he’d gone against his promise, but that was because it had been ridiculous to keep it. They didn’t know if she even had family, so what was the harm in looking? If he’d found out that she was alone, he wouldn’t have said a thing.
But he’d found someone.
Surely Athena would want to know that she had a sister. She couldn’t be upset with him for breaking a promise when the outcome ended up being something so wonderful.
He nodded to himself. This was a good thing. It had to be. If he’d found out that his parents had actually wanted to be with their family, but something had kept them apart, he would have wanted the same thing.
Henry charged forward with determination. Finding Athena’s sister was a good thing. No one would be able to convince him otherwise. If she got upset, she only had to read the email he’d received. She’d have to admit that she was just scared that she wouldn’t find anyone who was related to her.
Or even worse, find someone that was related to her that didn’t care.
Athena didn’t move when he took a seat beside her. The thoughtful expression on her face said it all. She’d come out here to be alone. She didn’t even glance toward him when she spoke. “Have you ever felt like you didn’t belong?”
“You belong here, Athena,” he blurted.
A faint smile hid behind her stoic expression. “I wasn’t asking if you thought I belonged here. I was asking if you felt like you didn’t belong somewhere. That no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t seem to find a place where you fit. Like you were a square peg surrounded by round holes.”
He hated that he didn’t know where this was going. But more than that, he hated that he couldn’t understand what she was trying to express to him. If she thought she was an outcast, she couldn’t be more wrong. “You belong here, Athena,” he tried again, this time taking her hand in his. “I don’t want you to worry about that.”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter how many times you say that. It won’t make it true for me. I’m just… not like everyone here.”
“Neither is Harley.”
Athena snorted. “Harley isn’t a homeless street urchin who has run away from every situation she’s ever been in.”
Henry chuckled. “I don’t think you are allowed to make assumptions about Harley. From what I understand, she’s never really belonged with her family either.”
“I doubt that.” Athena let out a heavy sigh. “Even people like her who think they don’t fit with their family can be wrong.”
Oh, how he wished he could see into her head and know what this was all about. He’d thought he’d done right by her. He’d welcomed her into his home, into his heart. What more could he do?
Athena glanced at him and then looked away just as quickly. The frown on her brow deepened, and she pulled her hand from his. “It’s just that when I look around at everyone here, they all have their place. They all have someone who’s looking out for them.”
“I’m looking out for you.” Henry’s voice was getting desperate. He had to rein it in, but how could he do that when he felt like she was slipping through his fingers as they spoke? This wasn’t fair. He had to do something to stop her from leaving.
“It’s not the same.” She gave him a smile that could only be described as patronizing. “You’re sweet. You make me feel like there might be more to my future than just moving from town to town. But there would be nothing stopping you from walking away.”
“Walking away?” he sputtered. “Who says I’d walk away? I’m not the one who runs.”
She flinched, and he immediately regretted the words that had spewed from his lips. Shoot! This wasn’t going the way he wanted it to. “I didn’t mean that—”
“Yes, you did. And it’s okay. That’s my MO. I’m a runner. When things get hard, I run.”
“Are they hard now?”
She didn’t answer right away, which was all the answer he needed. They were getting difficult, but in what way he couldn’t be certain.
“What can I do?” he asked quietly.
“Nothing.” She swallowed and shot a smile in his direction. “This is something I have to work out on my own. There’s this emptiness inside that I can’t seem to shake, and it doesn’t matter that I’ve found a place that makes me feel safe. I thought that maybe it was finding someone who I could love.” Her smile deepened but then faded away. “I’ve even found a purpose… working with Beast. But there’s still this cavern inside me that I can’t fill.”
Henry straightened. This was it. Here was his moment to show her exactly what she was missing. “I know what it is.”
Her eyes cut to his, and the hopefulness there nearly shattered him.
“Family.”
The dim light he’d seen in her gaze went out. “Henry…” she started, but he cut her off.
“I know you said I shouldn’t go poking around, but—”
“Henry, you didn’t.” The edge in her voice returned. “You promised me you wouldn’t go digging up my past.”
“I know, but this was different.”
Athena shot to her feet and glowered down at him. “When I told you to leave it alone, I meant it.”
“But that hole—that emptiness, I know what it is. You feel like you don’t have anywhere you belong. Well, that’s because you never felt like you fit in with your foster families.”
Her face turned bright red, and her hands clenched at her sides. “I don’t want to know anyone who would have allowed me to spend my whole life living the way I had to live. Anyone who could stand by while I moved from foster family to foster family doesn’t deserve for me to turn to them and greet them with open arms.”
“I don’t think that’s what they want you to do. I think—”
“I don’t care what you think!” she yelled. “I told you I didn’t want to know about them. You promised me, Henry. You swore that you would drop this subject months ago.”
He scrambled to his feet, feeling his own anger bubbling to the surface. “Will you just listen to me? You had a rough life. I get it. But guess what? A lot of people go through the wringer these days before they get to win a few. My parents abandoned my whole family—all twelve of us. They knew exactly what they were doing when they left. They knew that my older siblings would have to figure things out or else we’d all get split up.”
“At least you had siblings who were willing to band together.” Athena pointed a finger toward the house. “At least you had people who would have done anything for you when you were little so you were able to learn what a real family should be like. I had nothing. No one wanted me. No one cared if I took off.”
“What if there is someone?”
She sneered at him. “It’s been twenty years, Henry. Anyone who’s finally figuring out how to get ahold of me isn’t someone I want to waste my time on. And if you knew me better, you would have known this was a terrible idea.”
“Aren’t you the least bit curious?” Henry moved closer to her, but she stepped back and held up both her hands to keep him distanced. He tried not to take it personally, but how could he not when he’d only been trying to help in the first place? He scowled at her, his voice lowering. “Don’t you want to know who I found? Wouldn’t it be interesting to finally get the truth about what happened when you were a kid? People don’t just leave children on the side of the road.”
Athena let out a sharp, painful bark of laughter. “Why wouldn’t they? People leave children at fire stations. The world is a harsh place, Henry. No one looked for me then. Why should I care if anyone is looking for me now?”
Henry couldn’t believe they were having this argument. There was nothing wrong with finding out more about where she came from. “You’re wrong,” he snapped, much harsher than he’d intended. “You’re wrong about people being inherently bad, and you’re wrong about your family.”
“My family?” Her brows shot up. “That’s rich. I don’t have a family, or do I have to remind you that I don’t even know my last name? I don’t know who my parents were, and frankly, I couldn’t care less.”
“You’re the one who said you felt like something was missing,” he accused. “You’re the one who said you didn’t know what it was you were looking for. Well, what if I figured it out?”
“So now you know more than me?” She laughed again, but it didn’t sound like a laugh he’d ever heard before. “You know what the problem is with you? You think you’re so much better than me just because you have a home and people who care. You think you’re God’s gift to the world because you took in a poor girl who didn’t have anything but the clothes on her back. Well, guess what? I’m done being your pet project. I’m not going to let you parade me around like you’ve made me a better person. News flash, we’re not playing out some My Fair Lady nonsense. I didn’t need you when I showed up, and I don’t need you now.” She stormed off toward the front of the house, leaving him to stand alone in the backyard.
Henry’s whole body felt like it was on fire. What was wrong with her? He hadn’t dated many women, so he didn’t have much to compare it to, but this didn’t feel right. Sure, he’d gone back on his promise, but it had been a ridiculous thing to make him agree to.
He stared off at where he’d last seen her, itching to chase after her and make her see reason. This time, he knew better. She needed to cool off. When she did, she’d see he was right.
But what if she didn’t?
No, Athena was smart. She’d realize he was trying to help. She had to.