Page 113 of Cloudless
Now, someone threatens that responsibility. No, not a responsibility, but an honor. Because that’s what this is. It’s an honor to be trusted with something so special and monumental.
So, I’m going to fight like hell to keep it.
I just don’t know if I’m strong enough to win the fight.
Relief flows through me as Kam’s townhouse comes into view. The familiar cars piled in the driveway bring a smile to my face. Shades of pink and orange coat the front of the house as the sun sets.
Kam has barely put the car in park when I hear the twins' seatbelts click. Birdsong filters through their open doors before they slam them shut. Their heads bob over the rim of the hood as they disappear up the driveway without looking back. The Tahoe shakes as Kam’s door closes behind him.
Pink light flows into the house as Ellie swings the door open before the twins have even gotten there. Her smiling face greets them as they almost knock her over, trying to get a hug.
I nearly jump out of my seat as my door swings open. Kam’s outstretched hand brings a smile to my face. “You okay?” His fingers are warm against mine as he pulls me from the car.
A long breath throws my tension to the ground by my feet as Kam’s fingers tighten in mine.
I shake my head as my eyes follow the twins from the car. “No. I just found out my grandparents tried to force my mom into a marriage she didn’t wantandthey want to take the twins away from me. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be okay again…” I take a deep breath to calm my anxiety. “What am I going to do, Kam? How am I supposed to fight someone like that? With all their resources?”
His thumb rubs a soothing pattern on the back of my hand as the leaves crunch under our feet. “You are the strongest person I know, Sunshine. And you don’t have to fight them alone.”
My laugh is humorless as the sun warms our backs. “I don’tfeelvery strong right now.” I pinch my fingers until there’s barely a gap between them. “I feel like I’m this big.”
He pushes a stray strand of hair out of my face with gentle fingers. “People like them are used to playing dirty and getting their way.” The hair falls from his fingers as determination takes over his eyes. “So we need to think like them. Prepare for their dirty tactics and meet with evidence they can’t dispute.”
I swallow thickly as I clench my jaw. “How do we do that?”
A small smirk pulls at his lips. “Do you trust me?”
I speak without hesitation. “Yes.” My eyes trace the curve of his lips. They follow the sharp angle of his jaw to his thick brows before landing on his chocolate eyes. His eyes pierce to the very center of my soul. “I trust you.”
His smile is blinding as his fingers dig into my hip to pull me closer. “Can we just agree on one thing?” I nod my head for him to keep going. “Can it just be the four of us for Thanksgiving next year? I don’t know how much more of this I can take.” His eyes crinkle in the corners from the magnitude of his smile. “Why are you smiling like that?”
I slip my fingers in his belt loop to close the last few inches between us. “Cause, Trouble, that means you still expect there to be an ‘us’ this time next year.”
His smile turns to a smirk. “Well, obviously. You say that like there’s another option.” Silence fills the space between us until the breeze is our only companion.
The wind carries Jasper's voice to us from where he stands on the porch. “Come on, you two! Mace says dinner is ready!”
That’s exactly what I need. Dinner with mychosenfamily.
I was never a believer in the sayingblood is thicker than water. As I walk through the doors to a home filled with love and laughter, I know that now more than ever,family is a choice.
LILA’S JOURNAL
Hi, Mom
Happy Thanksgiving.
I’m sorry you felt like you couldn’t tell me what they did to you. About how they tried to keep you and Dad apart.
There’s a part of me that’s mad at you. I know that’s not fair, and I’m sorry. But how could you not tell me? I never would have sought them out had I known what type of people they were. I never would have brought them into Jasper and Posey’s lives had I known they were monsters.
I thought I was doing the right thing, Mom. I really did.
Kam says he has a plan. That I need to trust him. And I do. I really do.
I just don’t trust them. Why do they want custody? What could they possibly gain?
I wish you and Dad were here, Mom.
