“Then I am,” I reply, and she nods and stabs a sausage. “Should I expect Heath to be here tonight after he finds out?”
“You never know when the family will show up,” she snorts and takes a bite. “He messaged today. I assured him that I was fine. He wants to see for himself later today.”
“I get it.” I cut a piece of pancake. “I spoke to my mom last night. She is thrilled to welcome you into the family.” I savor the sweet cake.
“Without knowing anything about me?” She takes a drink.
“She doesn’t need to,” I say, licking the whipped cream off my fork. “She wants me to be happy, and that you are the one who will make me that way.”
Her forehead scrunches. “You have confidence in me,” she mutters.
“I have confidence in us,” I say firmly. She eats another sausage, and I give her time. I can see her thoughts are spinning. Most people don’t know how to take my bluntness. It contradicts my friendly nature. Rylee hides, and I want her to choose to open up to me. Our lives are going to be lived together, and we need to know all the dirty parts. “I haven’t called my sister yet, which I will catch hell about. Mom can’t keep secrets from her, so I’m expecting her to reach out soon.”
“I’m glad you had that,” she whispers.
“What?” I tilt my head.
“Family. They love you.”
“I love them.” I sip my coffee and watch her twirl her fork in the gravy. “They will love you, and Mom will treat you as if you came from her. Issy will be your sister and tell you stories about me. Don’t believe all of them. She lies,” I tease.
“I always wished to be loved,” she says softly.
“What happened to your family?” I ask, and she lifts her head.
“They didn’t want me.” She drops her fork. “I wasn’t worth finding when they lost me.”
What the fuck?
I’m going to kill them.
Chapter Eleven
Rylee
“Iknew at a very young age that I wasn’t wanted.” I swallow hard and ignore the anger emanating from Ezra. “My parents had two boys. I was the youngest and not expected. My brothers were teenagers when I showed up. I was soft and needed attention. My mom was a hard woman and couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to me. Some of the rumors about foxes are true. My family are career scammers. We lived off the money they stole from humans. They taught my brothers to do thesame, so by the time I arrived, they were too far gone to change. We moved around a lot. Staying in one place for long wasn’t good since eventually someone caught on to their schemes.
“I was always hungry, and my mom didn’t cook; none of them did. We lived on takeout food and frozen meals. I still don’t have a talent for cooking. She didn’t teach me that or much of anything. I was left home alone all the time. I remember at age ten, they left me for a week, targeting an older couple intent on taking all of their money. I know because they bragged about everything. It was a game between them to see who could get the most money. That one was my mom's idea, and she bought a new car from the winnings. They didn’t like me because I didn’t want to join them. I thought it was wrong, and no matter what they said, I stayed firm. I didn’t want to be like them.
“School was horrible. I dressed in rags, and I was always the new girl. I couldn’t make friends. How could I? How did I explain my family? I would rather die than bring anyone home. Wherever we lived was never clean. I always wondered why we didn’t buy a house with the money, but we couldn’t settle anywhere, always on the run. I raised myself. I found out I was a fox when I shifted when I was seven. I never saw their animals, but I knew we were different.”
“Did your animal talk to you?” he asks roughly.
“Not until that day. I think she was hiding. Before that, I knew I didn’t get sick or feel tired like other people. I was afraid to ask, and I was terrified when I couldn’t shift back. My fox wanted to be free, but so did I. After I swore that I would let her out again, I was able to be human again. My dad slapped me when I told him what happened. I had questions, but they didn’t care. He told me to hide what I was and to never let anyone see me shift. I didn’t understand. In my young mind, I thought, why shouldn’t we celebrate the gift of an animal? I never talked about our species again and instead explored when they weren’t around. I shiftedin my room as much as possible. I needed to know what I was,” I whisper.
“You had the right to know,” he rumbles.
“They had their priorities, and I wasn’t one of them. I was careful, and for years didn’t shift outside. I didn’t know where it was safe. They ignored me most of the time, but I never felt safe.” Ezra grips the edge of the table, and the wood creaks. “I don’t know how I survived, just that I had to. I wanted to leave, but I knew it would be worse in the world. Who could I trust? I was small and skinny. I didn’t get the amount of nutrients my shifter body needed. I learned by trial and error.”
“They couldn’t buy food with the money they stole,” he growls.
“It wasn’t important. They ate before they came home and spent the money on frivolous things. I lived in the same house, yet I was alone. We didn’t have conversations. A new town meant Mom would have to go to the school with me on the first day. She hated that because she had to act like she gave a shit. Once all the paperwork was signed, she would leave me to it and never come back. They watched me warily. I was the odd kid. I don’t know why she bothered, but she kept up appearances in front of others. At home, it was different, and I looked forward to the next time. I was starved for any kind of affection. I didn’t tell anyone what happened at home, and instead, shoved my feelings away. I hid who I was, so why not hide how I lived?” I shrug, and his eyes glow.
“They should have protected you,” he hisses.
“Yes, but I learned not to expect anything from them. I started to write stories. One of my teachers gave out paper for free, so I wrote down how I wished my life were, and I fell in love. I could check out books in the school libraries. That began my love for books and the way they could make me feel. I could escape into the words and see the world the author painted. If somethinghappened with my parents or brothers, I could hide in my room with a book and forget, even if for a little while.
“The house was always dirty. If I didn’t clean, it would have been unbearable. It smelled, and it made school worse since the scent clung to me and my clothes. I picked up after them. They left their clothes everywhere. Once they saw I would use them, they bought cleaning supplies regularly. I was so tired of living in shit. I kept my room spotless. We usually had access to a washer and dryer, so I learned how to use them and did the household laundry. I can’t stand things out of place.” I look around my space.
