“Can you leave the light on?”
“Really?” I grunt. “You couldn’t possibly sleep with the light on. How about I leave the door open and turn the hallway light on so you can still see, but it’s not too bright to keep you up? That way you can call out to me if you need anything.”
She nods her little head again and I squeeze her hand. “We’re going to figure this out, alright. I know it must be scary.”
Tears pool in her eyes and it breaks my heart. “Is my mommy ever coming back?”
I consider lying and letting her know that everything is going to be fine, but I have a feeling that this little girl has had to do some growing up over her short five years, and I have a feeling that lying isn’t really going to help her. She needs the truth.
I sit down on the edge of my bed and hold her hand. “I don’t know, Aria, but my dad and I are going to sort it out, ok? All you need to know is that you’re safe here. I’m going to take care of you. You and me, we’re going to be best friends. We’re going to be sisters.”
“Promise?”
“I promise, Aria,” I tell her. “Now, you need to get yourself to sleep. Do you want me to go or do you want me to wait until you fall asleep?”
“Can you stay?”
“Sure thing, sweet girl.”
———-
After waiting nearly an hour for Aria to fall asleep, I took myself into dad’s room and crashed in his bed. I tossed and turned all night before getting woken at six in the morning to the sound of ‘SpongeBob Square Pants’ blasting through the television.
So now, here I am, making myself and Aria some toast while trying to work out what the hell I’m going to do with her today. I mean, I have a feeling I won’t be going to school as I can’t exactly drag her along with me.
Shit. School? Is she supposed to be going to school? Is she even old enough for that?
Every few minutes, another question pops into my head and it’s driving me crazy. I need help.
I’ve spent the last half an hour talking to dad, but he was still in shock to really be helpful. I think he needs a few days to get his head around the fact that he might have another kid.
I get Aria something to eat and by the time she finishes eating while being distracted by the TV, the questions and panic have risen so far within me that I can’t sit around, waiting for answers anymore.
I hurry into my room, grab the money out of my jewelry box and haul ass out of here. “Come on,” I tell her, bringing the throw from the couch with me as it’s still a bit cool outside, and besides, the poor kid doesn’t have any proper clothes to keep her warm.
I open dad’s truck and help her up into it before grabbing the seatbelt and buckling her in. Wait. Is she supposed to have one of those carseat things? I look at her in a panic before realizing there really isn’t much I can do about it now. In order to get a carseat, I have to get to the shops and it’s not like I can just leave her behind to do that.
Fuck. This is all too hard.
I just have to be careful.
I tighten her seatbelt as much as I can before making my way around the truck and hauling myself up into the driver’s seat. As I’m backing out of the driveway, a tiny little hand falls upon my thigh and I look down at it. “It’s ok,” Aria whispers. “You said it was all going to be ok, remember?”
I give her a small smile realizing this is her way of trying to comfort me. Is my freaking out that obvious? “It is,” I tell her. “We’re going to be fine, aren’t we?”
She nods her head and with that, I hit the gas.
I pull into the familiar driveway ten minutes later, pleased to see everyone’s cars still here. Hell, even Rivers is here. I don’t know why though, I figured he’d be the type to sleep in until a minute before needing to be at school and then haul ass to get there before the bell while eating his breakfast on the way.
Either way, it’s not important right now. What I need is to get inside that door.
I help unbuckle Aria even though I have a feeling she can do it herself and I explain where we are.
A moment later, I knock on the door with relief shadowing over me knowing I’m about to have at least a few of my questions answered.
Noah’s mom, Violet, opens the door and the second I see her, my eyes fill with tears. “I need your help,” I tell her as Aria peeks her head out from behind my leg.