AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE
IAN
Once I gotKyler’s car and my truck packed up, I turned back to her and kissed her before letting her get in the driver’s seat.
“I’m going to call my dad and just let him know that your mom hit you and you need somewhere to stay for a little bit. He won’t question that,” I told her. “We’ll tell him everything tomorrow so you can just rest tonight. Okay?”
She nodded. “Okay. Thank you. I can’t believe I haven’t said that yet. But thank you for not making me stay with her.”
“Letting you stay here wasneveran option, baby,” I said, giving her another kiss. “I had a feeling it was going to come to this. That was why I said something about it before she got home. Are you sure you’re okay to drive?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. She didn’t hit me that hard,” she chuckled weakly, sniffling a little. “I’m fine. I’ll see you back at your place.”
After one last kiss, I headed back to my truck while she got in her car with Cosette.
I wanted to punch something thinking about how her mother had handled this conversation. It wasn’t right on so many levels. What kind of mother thought it was acceptable to sayanyof the garbage Brenda had spewed to her own daughter? Especially a daughter as amazing as Kyler? A good kid who’d never been in any trouble?
And what kind of mother thought it was okay to slap her daughter in the face after hearing that she’d been sexually assaulted? It wasneverokay to hit your child. Ever. But especially not in the middle of a conversation like that. The only thing that had stopped me from calling the cops was that I’d known all it would do was make a bad situation worse.
I hated that it had come to me packing her and Cosette up and forcing a new houseguest on Dad and Maya, but I really felt like it was the best thing for Kyler, at least for a little while. She needed a place where she knew she was surrounded by people who loved her and supported her. Hell, she needed to be with people whobelievedher, which was more than I could say for her mother at the moment. And I knew my dad, Maya, and Izzie would. Hell, Izzie already did.
But, on the flip side, I was so proud of Kyler for standing her ground and not letting her mother intimidate her that I felt like I was going to explode. She probably didn’t realize it, but she’d grown so much in the few months I’d known her, and it was amazing watching her come out of her shell like she had.
Taking a couple of deep breaths to calm myself down, I pulled my phone and my Bluetooth earbuds out so I could talk on the phone hands-free.
“Siri, call Dad,” I told my phone.
A few seconds later, the phone was ringing.
“Ian,” he answered immediately. “How’d your last day of exams go?”
“The tests went fine,” I mumbled. “But that’s not why I’m calling.”
I gave him a quick rundown of what was happening, leaving out the why. That was Kyler’s story to tell, not mine.
“I’m only saying this because I don’t want to be charged with kidnapping. Kyler’s eighteen, right?” he clarified when I was done talking.
“Yep, and she left of her own free will. Her mom has absolutely no legal standing to force her to go back home.”
“Okay, good. Then she’s welcome to stay for as long as she needs. Is there anything else she needs?”
“Tonight, just rest,” I told him, then remembered that Cosette needed food. “Actually, is there any way Maya can bring some lettuce and maybe some carrots or bananas home from work, or stop by the store on the way home? Any kind of lettuce except iceberg or cabbage. It’s for Cosette.”
“I’ll call her as soon as we hang up. What aren’t you saying, Ian? I can tell there’s something more going on than what you just told me.”
I took a deep breath. “You’re right. I’m not telling you everything. Ky needs help. Badly. But I need to lethertell you. It’s going to take a while, though, and she just doesn’t have the energy for that conversation tonight. Is there any way you can take tomorrow off of work? I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”
“I have to go into the office in the morning, but I can take the afternoon off and come home early,” he said. “In eighteen years, you’ve never asked me once to take off of work. Is she in some kind of trouble?”
“Yeah, she is. But not in the way you think. Something bad happened to her a couple of years ago. Something she never told anyone about until recently. It’s bigger than she realized, and now she needs some legal advice. I’m sorry I’m being so vague, but it’s not my place to tell you about it.”
“I respect that. You know, I’m proud of you, Ian. You’re a good man, and I can tell how much you love Kyler. She’s good for you.”
I chuckled a little, despite how stressed I was. “Is it stupid that I already know she’s the person I want to spend the rest of my life with?”
“Not at all,” he chuckled too. “You know your mom and I were high school sweethearts. And when I met Maya, it was instant too. When you know, you know. Drive safe, son. I’ll see you and Kyler when you get here.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I sighed, then hung up.
