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I give her a look, which she holds up her hands in surrender. “Hey, I don’t know with you.”
“It’s bad. He keeps trying to take my special man from me just out of spite.”
“You sure he doesn’t want the kid because he’s the uncle?”
I hear her ‘you’re crazy, but I love you’ voice loud and clear, but the case still stands. “Maybe, but that doesn’t stop it from annoying me.”
Ava smiles, shaking her head at me. “You never were good at sharing.”
“And never will be,” I say proudly, nuzzling Charlie with my nose, looking down at this little innocent creature, happy that my friend found someone who loves her, and she loves too. True, it wasn’t the most conventional way and certainly not a way I’ll be trying, but I’m still happy for her.
It's not until I feel the silence stretch for too long that I look up and see the sympathy in Ava’s eyes as she looks at me, and I want to curse myself for letting down my guard, because she then says, her voice soft and caring, “Everything will be okay. You’re an amazing person and one day you’ll find someone who sees that.”
“Maybe, maybe not.” I shrug, giving her a sad smile, not wanting to dwell on it for too long, as it often occupies my thoughts. Just here, in this moment, I want to enjoy it.
I smile down at Charlie in my arms as we suddenly hear a loud pounding on the door, loud enough to spook him, and he erupts into a wailing cry. I watch as he crunches up his face, flailing his little arms around as I give Ava a questioning look, but I am only met with a look matching mine.
“I’ll get it,” Ava says, rising from her place on the couch and adjusting her shirt before moving slowly towards the door, concern dancing across her face as I try to soothe a distressed Charlie.
Ava answers the door, and I register a second of surprise before her brows furrow, the worry returning to her face. “Um, Hunter, what is-“
“Is Mia here?” I hear Hunter’s voice, gruff but different than normal. He sounds strained in his words, and it makes an unsettled feeling boil in my stomach. Ava turns her eyes back to looking at Hunter, just out of view. “What is wrong?”
There is a pause before Hunter says, “I need to speak to her.”
I cock my head at his cracked voice, unsure of what this could be about. Ava turns to me again, inclining her head for me to approach, her eyes a mix of sad and cautious as I rise with Charlie still in my arms and force my legs to carry me to her.
Ava closes the door a little to keep me out of view as she leans in to whisper, “Hunter is out there. Something is wrong, Mia. He wants to speak to you outside.”
“Outside?”
“You want me to come with you?” she asks, putting a hand to my shoulder, and a part of me wants to say yes, but one glance down at an unsettled Charlie, and I know he needs his mother. And I need to do this - whatever this is - alone.
I square my shoulders and school my features as I hand her the baby. “No, just take Charlie and I’ll be back in a second.”
I don’t feel any lighter when Charlie is lifted from my arms, instead I feel the weight of what might be brought to my attention outside. I give her a tight smile and I force myself outside, closing the door behind me, and as I turn, I am met face to face with Hunter. That's when I see it. He has light red splotches on his cheeks and nose, the ones I know he gets when he cries. He used to get them a lot as a kid when he would hurt himself doing stupid shit, but I haven’t seen it since. But it's the look in his eyes that freezes me to my spot on the porch, a look of pain mixed with regret. Seeing that in his eyes is enough to have me shaking. “What is it?”
“I’ve been trying to call you all morning.”
“My phone died. What is going on?”
I focus my eyes on my brother and he says in the same strained and cracked voice I heard before, “It’s Mom and Dad.”
I heart sinks. “What about them? Did they get into some trouble?”
Even though I suspected it, I never truly believed I would hear what he said next.
“They’re dead, Mia.”
Only silence follows, as if I'm waiting for someone to laugh and say this is a joke because these are not words that kids are supposed to hear about their parents. Yes, my parents weren’t the best, but they were all I had… until now.
When no one laughs, my brain is still unsure of what to say or do. I honestly just want to stand here. I don't want to talk. But I feel the weight of Hunter’s eyes on me, waiting for something, so I say the only thing I can think of in that moment. “How?”
“Car accident. Their car was hit from the side by an oncoming truck.”
Feeling myself nodding, all I hear are the words, all I see is my mother’s expensive jewellery flying around as their car was hit. I can see their expensive car being crushed beyond repair and it all just becomes too much.
I woke this morning, and they were alive as far as I knew, but now they're gone. I would not be scolded by my mother anymore, or judged by my father. I would not have my mother buy designer clothing for me for some stupid event she’s forcing me to go to. I won’t have my father parade me around to his friends' sons.
