AllFreeNovel
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By the time I was Olivia’s age, I was in my fourth foster home. The parents in those homes liked to slap me around, make me dress in dirty clothes, or refuse to give me a blanket and pillow to sleep on the floor with. I thought things had been bad in those three homes but soon realized how wrong I was once I was placed in my fourth home.
With Rowen.
If I had known the things that would’ve happened to me inside that home, I would never have complained about the three before that.
“Aunty Lee, did you hear me?” Olivia asks, her small hand shaking my shoulder as she snaps me out of my thoughts.
“Sorry, sweet girl, I was distracted. What did you say?”
“I asked if you could take me to the store to pick out the paint for my room,” she asks, eyes full of hope.
“Sure, I can do that. You can go and ask your mommy after you finish your breakfast.”
“Ask me what?” Rachel asks, stepping into the kitchen, arms crossed over her chest and Ace behind her.
“Can Aunty Lee take me to pick out the paint color for my room?” she asks, climbing to her knees on her chair.
“Yes, she can take you later, but Ace has to give you a shot right now.” Our eyes widen in sync, our attention on Rachel.
“What?” I say that same time Olivia shakes her head and says, “No, Mommy.”
Standing, I walk toward Ace who leads me out of the kitchen while Rachel speaks to Olivia.
“She agreed to the chip?” He nods.
“Yes, she did. She doesn’t want one, but she’ll allow me to insert one in Olivia. She agrees it’s for the best and a good safety precaution.”
Leave it to Ace to come through for me again. “Thank you for talking her into it. I appreciate it.” I lean forward on my tiptoes and press a kiss to his cheek. “You’re the best.”
“I know I am.” He chuckles and wraps his arms around my waist. “You’ll have to make it up to me one day.”
“What do you have in mind?”
Leaning forward, he presses his lips against my ear. “You, spread out, vanilla ice cream all over, my tongue running the length of your body,” he whispers, his warm breath tickling my ear, his words sending chills down my spine.
I gulp. “Well, if you insist, I’m sure I can manage that.” I squeeze my thighs together, desperate for him to collect his debt.
“My pretty thing,” he rasps in my ear. Stepping away from me, he straightens his posture. “Let’s go get her chip implanted before Rachel changes her mind.” He takes my hand and leads me back into the kitchen where Rach is sitting beside Olivia, talking her through the process of the shot and trying to ease her worried mind.
“Ace will be very gentle, and after, you can get ice cream. It’ll make you feel better,” Rachel says, rubbing Olivia’s arm soothingly.
Her bright blue eyes, full of worry, look up and connect with mine. “Aunty Lee, will you hold my hand and promise to take me shopping to pick out some paint?” I nod, and she continues speaking. “And buy me ice cream. And buy me a new dress. And buy me a toy.”
I laugh, walking toward her. I lift her petite body and sit in her seat, setting her on my lap. No matter how old she gets, she’ll never be too big to sit on my lap, and I’ll always want to hold her in my arms as much as possible.
“We can do whatever you want, sweet girl.”
She seems to think about my answer for a brief moment, surprised that I agreed so quickly to everything she’d like to do in exchange for getting a “shot,” but then she nods, blonde locks falling into her face from her messy bun.
“Alright then, let’s get it over with.” She sticks her right arm toward Ace.
“Come on, my girl. Let’s go into the living room.” He takes her hand and leads her into the next room.
I stand to follow them, but before I have a chance, Rachel stands and grips my arm, stopping me from leaving. “This is it, Lee. This is our last time moving. Olivia is ten now, and she needs stability. We can’t keep moving around anymore. We both need to live a stable life, and she needs the chance to make friends.” She sighs, wrapping her arms around herself. “Ten years ago, you trusted me to keep her safe. She’s my daughter, and it’s time you give me the chance to keep her safe and trust that I know what’s best for her. I know you love her, but love her enough to let her live a normal life. That’s why you gave her to me in the first place.” She walks away, not allowing me a chance to respond to what she’d just said.
Rachel leaves me standing there in the kitchen with a frown on my face and a knot in my stomach. I know she’s right. Olivia deserves to have an everyday life and not be forced to leave her friends and house every few years.
It didn’t matter much when she was younger since she was too young to have a say or likely remember, but now that she’s older and in school, I know that she’ll want to create friendships that she won’t have to be forced to leave behind.
