Page 40 of Dirty Crown
“Life and the future,” I said. “I can’t believe I still have a couple years here at Fincross, what are you going to do for that time? Do you want to enroll in school here?”
“Fuck now,” she said and shook her head. “I can’t handle the thought of changing schools. If I stay here with you, I’ll stick it out online.”
“What if you came back to Oakville with me?” Amara asked, sitting up and opening her eyes.
Nat and I were both stunned, neither one of us had ever considered this as an option.
“You mean to live with you?” Nat asked, her eyes brightening at the thought.
“Yes, if that’s okay with Everly,” Amara replied. She looked at me and raised her eyebrows.
“I mean, if you want to,” I stammered. “It would help out a lot, and then Nat could keep training and stay around her old friends. As long as she’s not around the bad influences, it would be great.”
“I don’t let bad influences stick around for too long,” Amara warned. “In fact, you’d have to agree to my rules if you wanted to live back in Oakville. I’d expect your grades to stay high and for you to take your life seriously. No drinking or smoking or partying with friends. And definitely no loser men hanging around. Or boys. No men or boys.”
“My boyfriend broke up with me, so there’s nobody else,” Nat replied evenly. “And I agree to the rest, I just want to make it through high school and get to college where I can figure out my life.”
I didn’t want to tell her that college didn’t exactly help with figuring things out, I was just as confused as ever. How could I? She was so happy to be going back to Oakville.
“And I guess best of all, you won’t have to live with us,” I laughed. “I know how much you hate it when you see me kiss any of them.”
“I mean, it’s kind of weird,” Nat said, screwing up her face. “Even you have to see that.”
“I do,” I replied. “And I understand which is why I keep our PDAs to a minimum when you’re here.”
“Well, when I’m gone you can do whatever you want, wherever you want,” she said, frowning as she continued. “Not that I even want to think about that. Gross.”
“Thanks,” I chuckled. “Okay, it looks like it will work. You can take her back to Oakville and get her set up. I think our mother is pretty much gone at this point, so if you need anything signed then let me know. I have legal guardianship of her at the moment.”
“Only for another couple of years,” Nat protested. “Then I can do what I want.”
“That’s also not quite how that works,” I laughed. “But we’ll cross that particular bridge when we get to it.”
We talked some more about the arrangement and Amara agreed to fly her out the next day.
I loved having Nat around, she was my little sister after all. But having her around the house really disrupted the energy of our lives. And worrying about her interrupted my schooling. All around, this was the best option for all.
* * *
They stayeda few more days just to get some shopping done and to get a few things wrapped up. When it came time to drive them to the airport to take our private jet back home, I was gripped with a strange feeling.
I knew everything was changing and it felt strange to me. The next time I saw Nat, she would be even more grown up. This visit might have been the last time she ran down the stairs or laughed loudly like a little kid. She was growing up fast that I couldn’t keep up.
I suddenly wanted to beg her to stay with me, and to stay little. I knew it wasn’t going to happen, and going with Amara was ultimately the best thing for her, but it still hurt to hug her goodbye.
“You look like you’re going to cry,” she said when we broke off our embrace.
“I feel like I’m losing my bratty little sister,” I said. “You’re already taller than me, the next time I see you you’re going to be as tall as a model.”
“I wish,” she said wistfully. “Maybe Ivan could help me with that. And before you say anything, i know, I know, he’s not my father but I love the way he treats you. I wish I had that.”
“I know, but you do. In a way, you do. He loves you because you’re my sister, and we’re all family even if we’re not related by blood. And my Kings, you know they see you as their sister. They’d do anything for you, just like me.”
I held her face in my hands and kissed her forehead before letting her go. She stepped back, flipped her long, blonde hair so much like our mother’s, and turned to walk towards the plane.
Amara gave me a mock salute, smiled at me and sent me a look of reassurance that quelled the nerves inside.
She would take care of Nat the brat, and I could finish my studies here, hopefully uninterrupted at this point.
