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He’d be leaving in about two hours, and all I wanted to do was wrap myself around him and not let go.
“Go with the kissing option. That’s the better one.”
I smiled, which in turn made him smile.
“I missed that, Haze. I missed your smile. I’m not going to lie—you scared me when we talked the other night. About how my life was moving forward and yours was frozen. It sounded like you had all these doubts, and it freaked me the hell out.”
“I know, and I’m sorry about that. But I still feel that way, if I’m honest. And with everything going on with my sister, my life will be tossed upside down if I get to take care of her. I know that’s not something you signed up for, Ian, and I don’t want that to somehow get in the way of your dreams. You can’t slow down right now. You’re about to take off.”
“Just give me a chance to prove that we can make this work, okay? Don’t give up on us too soon, Hazel. I know there’s a way for this to happen.”
The butterflies in my stomach swirled as he clasped his hands with mine. “I’m not running, Ian. I swear, I’m here. I’m just being cautious and realistic.”
“Well, stop that,” he laughed, kissing the palms of my hands. “Just dream a little dream with me for a while.”
I wanted to argue with him that we couldn’t live in a dreamworld, but in a few short hours he’d be gone again, and I didn’t want to leave him feeling unsettled about what we were. So I kissed his lips.
He kissed me back and arched an eyebrow. “So ... about you screaming my name ...,” he commented with a sly grin.
“Okay.” I snickered. “Take off your clothes.”
We made love in the hotel room that night, and for those few hours, I allowed myself to dream of a world where he was him and I was me and that was more than enough.
The next day, Big Paw, Holly, and I drove back to Eres. Even though I felt awful leaving my sister’s side, we had to go and collect more information. Big Paw told me we’d be better off if we could get Charlie to agree to signing custody over to me, but I felt like that was a big shot in the dark. Charlie would never come around to that idea. Even though he was still locked up, I knew the last thing he’d want would be to give the girl who was responsible for that something of his.
Still, I was going to try all avenues that I could think of before giving up.
As we drove home that afternoon, the radio played a song by the Wreckage, and all three of us freaked out in excitement.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Big Paw exclaimed, slapping his hand against his leg. “Ian’s out there really doing something big, huh?”
“Yes, he is.” Holly beamed ear to ear.
Big Paw cranked the music up, and I sang every lyric to the song as if the words were tattooed in my mind. Hearing his voice on the radio gave me an odd sense of hope that maybe Ian and Holly were right. Maybe, at the end of the day, everything would work out; everything would be fine. If it looked as if things weren’t working out, then it probably wasn’t the end just yet. I’d had enough faith to get me through yesterday, and I’d have enough to get me through tomorrow.
Patience was the name of the game, and I had every plan to be the best player.
27
HAZEL
Hazel:Confession time: I’ve been listening to your songs on repeat.
Ian:Confession time: Every time I sing a love song, I’m singing it for you.
I’d been working closely with Big Paw and Holly to figure out how to get my sister home to us. Luckily, a lot of the laws said they preferred to put the child into the home of a family member, and seeing as how it was my little sister, that made things a bit more hopeful.
Still, I had to get more information from people who hadn’t had much desire for me to be in their lives anymore.
The look in Garrett’s eyes told me that he was getting pretty fed up with me asking him questions, but I didn’t know who else I could’ve gone to in order to get more information on Charlie. I knew he was in communication with him, and I needed to figure out a way to get Charlie to agree to me having the little girl.
“Listen, Hazel, I’ve given you more than you deserved already, and I’m getting pretty sick of you showing up and making demands.” Whiskey wafted off his tongue, and his eyes were bloodshot red. It was clear he was drunk, based on the way he stumbled side to side, and he was obviously high on some kind of drug. The more things changed, the more they stayed the same.
“It’s not a demand, Garrett; it’s a request. I want you to try to convince Charlie to let me keep my sister with me. I couldn’t imagine her going to grow up in a stranger’s home when she has family right here.”
“You ain’t got shit to offer that kid. An adoption family could, though. You’re being selfish.”
“Maybe, but it wouldn’t just be me. Big Paw and Holly are planning to help too. We have a whole family unit ready to back up this little girl, and she deserves to stay with family.”
