AllFreeNovel
Share Us
After debating a little bit, I decided to call Izzie too. I wasn’t sure if it was possible, but I wanted her to be here for the conversation with my dad tomorrow, if she and Hillary could leave Lawrence to come home for winter break a day earlier than they’d planned.
“Free at last, bro?” Izzie answered.
I snorted. “Thank God. Look, Iz, what are the chances of you coming home tomorrow instead of Saturday?”
“Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like what you’re about to say?” she said slowly.
I gave her the shortest version of the story that I could.
“Anyway, Dad has to go into the office tomorrow morning, but he’s taking the afternoon off to talk to us. And I think Ky would really appreciate you being here too when we have that conversation. Since you already know about what happened to her and—”
“Since I’m a girl,” she finished for me. “Say no more. I’ll talk to Hill tonight, and we’ll be there by noon tomorrow. We were just going to take tomorrow to pack, but neither of us have exams. It’s make-up day. Do you think Ky would be okay with it if I gave Hill the thirty-second version of what’s going on?”
“Let me ask her first,” I sighed. “It’s not my place to say yes or no.”
“Yeah, of course. Just text and let me know how much I can tell her.”
“As soon as I talk to her,” I promised. “We’re in separate cars, so I’ll ask as soon as I get to the house. Thanks, Iz. Really.”
“No thanks necessary. Tell Ky I love her and I’ll see her tomorrow. Okay?”
“I will. I’ll talk to you soon,” I said.
* * *
Kyler beat me to the house, but she was still sitting in her car when I pulled into the driveway. I turned my truck off and went over to her door, tapping on the window. She opened the door and got out, wrapping her arms around my waist. I felt a few tears wet my shirt, which made my rage at her mother return with a vengeance.
“You’re gonna be okay, Ky,” I assured her. “I called my dad on the way here, and he’s not going to say anything to you about this tonight. He has to go into the office tomorrow morning, but he’s taking the afternoon off so he can come home to talk to us. And Izzie and Hillary are coming home so they can be here for moral support. Iz said to tell you she loves you and she’ll see you tomorrow. And she wanted to know if it’s okay for her to tell Hillary a little bit about what’s going on with you.”
She nodded against my chest. “I trust them.”
I sighed and kissed the top of her head. I hated how resigned and quiet she’d been since the second we’d walked into her bedroom.
“What if my mom shows up and tries to make me come back home?” she sniffled.
“She doesn’t get to see you tonight. If she’s cooled off after a couple of days, then she can talk to you, with me and my dad in the room. But you’re eighteen, Ky. My dad’s made it clear that you’re welcome here, and she can’t charge any of us with kidnapping because you’re an adult in the eyes of the law and you came here of your own accord. You’re safe here, baby. I promise. Okay?”
“Okay,” she sighed.
“You gonna be okay for a minute? I need to go put Serge out back so we can bring Cosette in. We’ll get her and her cage inside first, and you can start getting her set up while I get the rest of your stuff.”
She nodded again, and I tilted her chin up for a kiss.
“Take some deep breaths, Ky. It’s over. The only thing you have to worry about for the rest of the night is getting your bunny comfortable in her new home. I’m guessing she’ll probably be too freaked out to want to play tonight, but I’ll clean everything off the floor in my room and vacuum so we can let her out tomorrow morning.”
“Crap. I forgot the vitamin drops,” she grumbled. “She’s probably not going to eat a lot for a couple of days, so there’s this stuff I’m supposed to put in her water to make sure she still gets nutrients.”
“Can it wait until tomorrow? We can make a run to the pet store while my dad’s at the office. Maybe grab her some more litter and hay while we’re at it. Or do we need to go tonight?”
“It can wait. How are you all of a sudden an expert on taking care of bunnies?” she chuckled.
“Because you take such good care of her. I’ve picked up a few things along the way,” I chuckled too, happy to see something that resembled a smile on her face. “I’ll be right back out, okay?”
“Okay,” she said, the smile getting a little bigger.
I kissed her forehead and then jogged up to the front door. As soon as I opened it, Sergio pounced on me, and I chuckled and scratched his head for a few seconds.
“Hey, Ian,” my dad said. “Sorry I didn’t hear you pull up. I would have put him out.”
