Rescued by My Best Friend's Brother by Elkins A.L

Author:Elkins, A.L.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: A.L. Elkins
Published: 2023-06-18T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Elena

Lily toys with her vegetables. She has barely touched any of her food and seems to be thinking about something. Probably the fact that her dad bailed on her once again. The way her face fell when I told her he wouldn’t be coming home until late tonight reminded me of the constant promises that were broken when I was a child. I stopped believing in promises made by the adults in my life, at least until Bradley came around.

I glance at Sheri to see if she knows what to do, but she is too busy cleaning up the kitchen, readying herself to leave. I sigh. I had been good with kids when I worked at one of those trampoline parks in high school, but that had been so long ago. I knew how to keep kids alive from babysitting my foster siblings, but I don’t know how to really connect with a child.

I lean forward and say, “Veggies not your thing?”

She straightens her posture, as if noticing me for the first time since we started eating. “Oh. No. I just…” she trails off.

“You miss your dad?”

She nods and sets her fork down. “He’s been so busy. I don’t get to see him.”

I understand her completely. Even though my parents were terrible people, losing custody of me in middle school due to their many flaws and, of course, their addiction to alcohol and heroin, I still longed for them to be in my life. I even tried to maintain contact with my mother, but her influence wrecked my mental health. I eventually cut her off, and now, I have no idea where she could be.

“Yeah. It sucks that you can’t hang out with your dad. But the weekend is coming up, hopefully you can spend time with him then.”

She gives a non-committal half-shrug. “Yeah. I guess.”

I reach forward and touch her hand. “Listen, I know your dad misses you just as much as you miss him.”

“He says that about Mommy too. She’s not here,” she mumbles, her eyes cast down at her plate.

I lean a little closer and lower my voice, not wanting Sheri to overhear my next question. “What happened to your mommy?” I have yet to get a real answer out of anyone, even Josie doesn’t have much to say. It has become a mystery that nags at me, more out of curiosity than anything else. I remember the few times I heard Jasper talk about her, and the last couple of times I saw him, they had been fresh in their relationship. I had never seen him so bright and happy. He’d finally found someone he loved and who loved him. I wonder if reality destroyed that relationship too, just like it destroyed mine.

She shrugs the same shrug as before. “She used to visit sometimes.” Her face brightens at a distant memory, but then it fades quickly as she continues, “But then she stopped coming.”

I rub her hand for reassurance. It is jarring to have a parent just leave you.

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