bit my bottom lip, hoping the searing burn of the tears would subside. It wasn’t just a hard spot he left me in. He left me with his two young teenage children. But, I was glad he did. I got the two kids who would finally have a parent in their lives who actually wanted them. “We will manage.”
“My dad said that you didn’t want anything to do with us and you wanted us to go away. How come you are doing—?”
“Sky, I never once said that. I was upset that he didn’t tell me about you two, but I wouldn’t have cared.” A lump filled in my throat, packing full of the anger Joe shed onto these kids. Determination thumped through my veins. We would make this work, no matter what. “I know what it’s like to have your dad walk out on you. Mine did, and there was three of us. I’m not going to walk out on you two. You’re stuck with me, so you better just get used to it.” Her arms wrapped around me as she rested her head on my shoulder. “I’m new at this whole thing, too, so you have to help me with what you want and need. Just don’t be afraid to come and talk to me.”
“I wish that you were my mom.”
If that wouldn’t have broken someone’s heart, I don’t know what would have. I wanted to just cry. I wanted to cry for her. What little girl should go through something like that?
I hope that I was doing the right thing by keeping them. Sending them away might have given them a better life, a better home, and more than what I could provide for them, but it could be worse, also. There were stories all the time about the mistreatment in foster homes and group homes. I couldn’t let them go through anything more than what they already had been through. I would never forgive myself.
Jordan came out of the locker room with his black backpack slung over his shoulder. His jaw was relaxed, dark circles shading around his eyes, and the exhaustion was pushing down on his shoulders. The practice was hard on him and wiped him out, but from what I noticed of Kane’s coaching, he was going to make the boys work. And Jordan was worked over more than just the little equipment duties he was limited to.
My heart fluttered, catching no sign of anger, but something new, something different inside of him. Almost as if he were … happy. Now I know that making the call to Kane was the first right thing I’d done since those two moved into the house.
Chapter 11
The day slammed into my body and my muscles sagged, refusing to work anymore than what they had to for me to change into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. My bed was chanting, calling me to crawl under the covers and allow my body to rest, but it was Friday night and I promised movies and pizza for Jordan’s congratulatory dinner. For his first hockey practice, I wanted him to know that he was doing something good for himself. Now, I just had to get them to choose a pizza and order so we could watch the two movies we rented.
I went around the corner of the dining area and put my clothing into the laundry room, taking notice of the growing clothing pile and the two seated at the kitchen table with their books spread out. Tomorrow was another day, and the laundry and homework could just wait until then. “What are you two doing?”
“Homework.” Jordan grumbled as he opened his notebook, hunching over it.
“My mom had this thing where Friday nights, there wasn’t any housework, homework, or anything except for family time.” I smiled as I checked over the soap, making sure that I had enough for the laundry. It was getting low, but I should have enough to take down the pile.
“Well, your mom isn’t here right now, is she?” He bit back as his brows pinched in the middle of his forehead as Sky was getting ready to pack up her stuff. “Start your homework.”
A pit opened in the bottom of my stomach, large enough for my heart to drop into without making a splash of any contents inside. No. My mom wasn’t here right now, and she never
“My dad said that you didn’t want anything to do with us and you wanted us to go away. How come you are doing—?”
“Sky, I never once said that. I was upset that he didn’t tell me about you two, but I wouldn’t have cared.” A lump filled in my throat, packing full of the anger Joe shed onto these kids. Determination thumped through my veins. We would make this work, no matter what. “I know what it’s like to have your dad walk out on you. Mine did, and there was three of us. I’m not going to walk out on you two. You’re stuck with me, so you better just get used to it.” Her arms wrapped around me as she rested her head on my shoulder. “I’m new at this whole thing, too, so you have to help me with what you want and need. Just don’t be afraid to come and talk to me.”
“I wish that you were my mom.”
If that wouldn’t have broken someone’s heart, I don’t know what would have. I wanted to just cry. I wanted to cry for her. What little girl should go through something like that?
I hope that I was doing the right thing by keeping them. Sending them away might have given them a better life, a better home, and more than what I could provide for them, but it could be worse, also. There were stories all the time about the mistreatment in foster homes and group homes. I couldn’t let them go through anything more than what they already had been through. I would never forgive myself.
Jordan came out of the locker room with his black backpack slung over his shoulder. His jaw was relaxed, dark circles shading around his eyes, and the exhaustion was pushing down on his shoulders. The practice was hard on him and wiped him out, but from what I noticed of Kane’s coaching, he was going to make the boys work. And Jordan was worked over more than just the little equipment duties he was limited to.
My heart fluttered, catching no sign of anger, but something new, something different inside of him. Almost as if he were … happy. Now I know that making the call to Kane was the first right thing I’d done since those two moved into the house.
Chapter 11
The day slammed into my body and my muscles sagged, refusing to work anymore than what they had to for me to change into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. My bed was chanting, calling me to crawl under the covers and allow my body to rest, but it was Friday night and I promised movies and pizza for Jordan’s congratulatory dinner. For his first hockey practice, I wanted him to know that he was doing something good for himself. Now, I just had to get them to choose a pizza and order so we could watch the two movies we rented.
I went around the corner of the dining area and put my clothing into the laundry room, taking notice of the growing clothing pile and the two seated at the kitchen table with their books spread out. Tomorrow was another day, and the laundry and homework could just wait until then. “What are you two doing?”
“Homework.” Jordan grumbled as he opened his notebook, hunching over it.
“My mom had this thing where Friday nights, there wasn’t any housework, homework, or anything except for family time.” I smiled as I checked over the soap, making sure that I had enough for the laundry. It was getting low, but I should have enough to take down the pile.
“Well, your mom isn’t here right now, is she?” He bit back as his brows pinched in the middle of his forehead as Sky was getting ready to pack up her stuff. “Start your homework.”
A pit opened in the bottom of my stomach, large enough for my heart to drop into without making a splash of any contents inside. No. My mom wasn’t here right now, and she never
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