Page 13 of No Turning Back
Aiden nods. “It might be temporary, but it’s still a commitment. Are you ready for that?”
“Yeah,” I say softly, feeling something inside me shift. “I’ve been feeling kind of... redundant lately. Like everything I was built forisn’t needed anymore. But this, this could be my way of doing something that matters again.”
Just then, the front door swings open.
“Heyyy,” Kate says cautiously as she steps into the kitchen.
I purse my lips. “We made up,” I say before she has a chance to ask.
She exhales dramatically. “ThankGod.It was weird not having you here.”
“Hey,” I say, raising a brow. “I’m not herethatoften.”
They both just stare at me.
“Fine, whatever,” I mutter.
“I’m gonna sign up… or apply…” I trail off, suddenly unsure how to phrase it. “I’m gonna be a foster mom.”
Aiden, ever unhelpful, adds, “Of humans.”
I roll my eyes at him while Kate’s face lights up. “That’samazing!”
I smile. “I think so.”
Kate sets down her bag. “So… I’m guessing the will reading went okay?”
I pause, then tell her everything, about the letter, the weird thirty-day delay, the look Luis gave Mom.
When I’m done, she frowns thoughtfully. “Maybe your dad knew. About… the kid.”
I shake my head. “No. If he had, he would’ve mentioned her in the will. Either given her something or not. But she’s not in there at all.”
Aiden shrugs. “Maybe he wasn’t your dad.”
I stare at him. “And just like that, you’re obnoxious again.”
He grins, holding up his hands. “Just saying, stranger things have happened.”
“Yeah, like you becoming emotionally intelligent,” I deadpan.
Kate snorts and gives him an innocent look when he stares at her, all wide eyes and fake confusion.
I smile, a small but real one. “It’s nice,” I say, glancing around the kitchen. “Being back here again.”
Aiden nudges my mug toward me. “Told you. No one stays mad at me forever.”
Kate rolls her eyes. “You just wear people down.”
“Same thing,” he says, grinning.
And just like that, the tension slips away a little. The grief’s still there, sitting heavy in my chest, but so is this, this messy, imperfect comfort of people who love me even when I fall apart.
Chapter Four
Quinn
“Well, this is a little fast,” I say, trailing the social worker as she walks through the house she’s already inspected several times this past month.
