“I told him not to touch her. We just got her here and I didn’t want to have to worry about her running off because he broke her heart,” I say.
“First, I don’t think Ash would break anyone’s heart because he doesn’t let anyone know he has one. Second, I don’t think you ever threatened to shoot anyone for Molly. Third, where are they, so we can go too?” Jaxon says.
“He was taking her to lunch because we had no food in the house. Are y’all hungry?” I ask, turning off all of the lights to walk out the door.
After hunting Callie and Ash down, I got a call from my mom saying Molly was awake. Now, two hours later we are finally pulling into the hospital. I hated leaving Callie alone, but Ash promised to take care of her, so I really hope he keeps his word.
“Does anybody else want to call mom and tell her we didn’t feel right leaving Callie and go back home?” Collin asks after a very quiet trip here.
“You know mom and dad are going to need us here. Molly is going to freak out. I dread it like everything, but I guess technically she’s still our sister,” Jaxon says, getting out of the truck. I know exactly how they feel. I have been feeling it the whole way here. I love Molly, she has been my sister for twenty six years, but there is no part of me that would have ever felt bad leaving her the way I did after leaving Callie today. I should really call and check on her later, but I have another call to make first.
While we stopped to get gas before leaving town, I put a call in to a friend at the station to get me Leighton’s last name and phone number. Sometimes it’s really nice having my job. In less than an hour, I had her name and phone number texted to me. Now, if I can just get this over with, I can find a quiet place and make this phone call.
We all walk into Molly’s room to find my mom in tears and my dad just looking completely worn out. I guess they decided to tell her without us.
“Hey,” I say, walking over to Molly. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m feeling great. It’s wonderful to wake up from a coma to find out your entire life has been a lie and you have no one because your entire family is dead. She gets parents and three brothers and I get no one,” she says in the only way she knows how to talk to anyone lately.
“You know you have all of us,” I say, sitting down beside her.
“That’s not true. I wake up to find out you were all with her. I guess now we know why I have never fit into this family,” she says, starting what looks like a new round of fake tears. My mom hands me two envelopes that she was holding in her hand. One has her name on it and the other has Callie’s. I open the one with my mom’s name on it and look at it. It’s the DNA test. Callie is definitely her daughter. I give her envelope back to her and fold Callie’s and put it in my pocket.
“I need to make a phone call to work, I’ll be right back,” I say, walking out the door. I walk back outside and climb back into my truck. I don’t really want anyone else to know I am making this phone call. I open up my text and dial the number that was texted to me. I hope this is the right one.
“Hello”
“Hey, is this Leighton Lancaster, Callie’s friend?” I ask hoping it doesn’t sound as stupid as I think it does.
“This is Leighton, who is this?”
“It’s Brody, we met the other day. You know, when you came to my hotel.”
“I do remember you. Is Callie okay?” she asks.
“Callie is fine, I just wanted to ask you some more things about her, if that’s okay,” I say sounding unsure. I guess I should have planned this conversation out a little better. I’m usually really good at asking questions to find out what I want.
“You can ask me whatever you need, but wouldn’t it make more sense to ask Callie?” she asks.
“Probably, but I really don’t want to scare her off yet. When we talked before, didn’t you say something about how she doesn’t have any friends but you and never really talks to anyone else?”
“That is what I said. I have no idea why Callie is feeling all trusting with all of you, but I like it. She hasn’t had a lot of people on her side and I’m glad to finally hear that she does. She seems happy. I just hope your sister doesn’t ruin it,” she says.
“Have you talked to her?” I ask.
“She called earlier. She said she had met everyone and they were really nice, she is just really worried about what will happen now that Molly is awake. What kind of guy is Ash?” she asks, throwing me off.
“How do know Ash?”
“I don’t. Callie just said he was taking her horseback riding. I’m assuming if she is going somewhere alone with him, he’s safe. All she could tell me about him was he’s hot,” she says, with a laugh.
“Callie called to tell you she was going with Ash and he is hot?” I ask making sure I heard her correctly.
“That’s not why she called me. She called and told me lots of other stuff too, but if that’s all you heard, should I be worried about her?”
“No, Ash is harmless. He is actually a great guy. He usually doesn’t give anyone but his close friends a second thought. I’m not sure why they feel so comfortable with each other.”
“Well, Callie seems happy and I have not heard her like that in a long time. I have always had to go on all of her dates with her. She is scared to death to be alone with anyone. So the fact that she ran off with you and trusts him that much says a lot. Please don’t let her get hurt,” she says sounding worried.
“I will try. The problem is Molly. She is not very nice and she already hates Callie. I don’t know what’s going to happen when they meet. If I need you, can I call?”
“You can call me anytime and I will come get her. She is like a sister to me and I would do anything for her. Please keep me updated and let me know if she’s okay.”
“No problem. Thanks for caring so much for her. I’ll talk to you later,” I say, before hanging up. Maybe I had this one pegged all wrong too. I thought she was just some clingy blonde when we first met. I don’t do clingy, ever. I made that mistake only once. Thankfully, I will never have to see that girl again. I put my phone back in my pocket and head back in to see Molly. I already want this day to be over.
“Why don’t you all just go back to her? I know you would all rather be with her anyway. I’m surprised you didn’t drag her here with you so I could see how happy you all are.” I can hear Molly screaming halfway down the hallway. I really wish I had stayed at the house. I walk back into the room to see my mom in full blown sobs and everybody else looking like they are ready to kill.
“We would not rather be with her. We just think it would be a good idea if we were there when she found out. She is our daughter after all. We would do the same thing if the situation was reversed,” my dad calmly tries to tell Molly.
“I’m not your responsibility anymore. I am nothing to you. Go back and stay with her. I seriously don’t care what you do,” Molly screams back at him.
“I can hear you all the way down the hallway. Try to lower it an octave,” I say, walking back over to sit by Molly. “We can all stay here tonight. I just looked outside and it looks like a horrible storm is on the way anyway. Maybe you can come back home with us tomorrow and we can deal with everything then,” I say, trying to calm Molly down. I know there is no way we can deal with all of this. She is going to hate Callie and she is going to hate her even more when she finds out there is something going on with her and Ash, if there is something going on with her and Ash.
“Do you really think we should leave her all night with Ash? I mean I love him like a brother too, but seriously,” Collin says, speaking for the first time since we have been in this room. Why would he bring Ash up now?
“Oh great, so she already has Ash tied around her little finger too. I honestly don’t know why y’all would even want me to come back home with you. You have the perfect daughter now,” Molly says, turning over so she’s not facing anyone.
“You are our daughter, Molly. You always have been and always will b
e. This piece of paper doesn’t change anything. We will always love you and we want you to come home with us so we can take care of you. We have not seen you near enough in the past few years, and I really want to change that,” my mom says, going over to kiss her on the forehead. “Get some rest. I will be here when you wake up.”
“I need to make another call,” I say, getting up and walking back out the door. I get my phone out and dial Ash, who of course doesn’t answer. I scroll through my numbers and find Callie’s. Thankfully, she answers on the first ring.
“Hello,” she answers.
“Hey Callie, how’s the weather there?”
“It’s really dark and raining. I had just turned the weather on when you called,” she says.
“I think we are all going to stay here tonight since the storms are so bad here right now.” There is no way I’m telling her we are staying here to baby Molly. “If you are uncomfortable staying there with Ash, tell me and I will get back tonight somehow, or I can make him go somewhere else,” I say.
“You are not coming home in this weather and you are not kicking him out of his own house. It will fine. I’m not big on storms, so I would rather somebody be here with me anyway,” she says reminding me that she doesn’t like to be alone. I really don’t think I should leave her there tonight. Maybe I can leave once Molly goes to sleep and they can tell her I stayed all night.
“Is Ash there? I tried to call his phone, but he didn’t answer,” I ask hoping I can warn him that she doesn’t like to be alone at night.
“He is in the shower. He was outside doing something and just got in. Do you want him to call you when he gets out?” she asks.
“No, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Is he treating you okay?”
“Of course he is, he even took me horseback riding and it was so much fun. How is Molly?” she suddenly asks, like she is trying to change the subject. I have a feeling there is definitely something going on with these two now.
“She’s good. They think she may get to go home tomorrow.”
“Have y’all told her about me yet?” she asks.
“We did. She took it pretty good,” I say, knowing that is so far from the truth. I really don’t want Callie to know how much Molly already hates her. “I think she was glad you weren’t here with us today. I think it’s going to be a lot harder than we thought. She was pretty upset her biological parents are dead and she will never get to meet them. I think mom has convinced her to come home with them for now so she will have someone to take care of her. She seemed a little surprised they still wanted her there. This is just a really awkward situation. I’m sorry we all left you alone today,” I say suddenly realizing we all should not have left her today. She may not be the one in the hospital, but that doesn’t mean this hasn’t been just as hard on her.
“I’m fine, don’t worry about me. My car should be here in the morning and I think it would be best if I stayed in a hotel for the rest of the time. I really hate putting people out,” she says. Maybe there’s not anything going on with her and Ash after all. I really need to get back tonight because there is no way I am going to let her leave.
“Absolutely not, we will figure something out, but I don’t want you staying by yourself. Are you sure Ash is being nice?” I ask one more time.
“Of course he is. Why would you even think that?” she asks. Maybe it’s time to tell her a little about Ash.
“Ash has been through a lot. He doesn’t let a lot of people in and sometimes he comes across as being rude. He hates to talk about himself and his family. So I guess, just don’t ask him any questions and you should be fine,” I say hoping she can avoid making him in a bad mood by mentioning family.
“I will try to remember that,” she says sounding distracted.
“Try to stay safe tonight and I will be back tomorrow. Tell Ash to remember what I said. Bye Callie,” I say trying to hold back my laugh. I’m sure she has no idea that I have threatened to kill him if he touches her. I put my phone back up before I give in and call Leighton again. I’m not sure why I have an urge to call that girl, but I guess I need to wait until I have an actual reason to call her. I start walking down the hallway back to Molly’s room when I notice my mom is waiting for me outside her door. I go over and give her a hug.
“How are you holding up?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
“I have definitely been better,” she says with a small smile. “I need you to go back home tonight. I hate leaving Callie there by herself. I know she has Ash and I am sure he would never let anything happen to her, but I would just feel better if some of us went home. I don’t think Molly is going to let me, so that leaves you. You can go ahead and give her the results and tell her I will come by tomorrow to talk,” she says, like she actually believes that is a good idea.
“I really think we should wait until you are there to give her the results. You are her mother. I think she is going to want both of y’all there when she finds out,” I say.
“She has only met us once and honestly I am not convinced she even likes us. I really think it is going to be a while before she doesn’t hate me, but I know she has you and she trusts you. Believe me, this is the best way,” she says with tears in her eyes.
“Why would you think she hates you? That’s ridiculous,” I say trying to figure out if I have missed something.
“I had the wrong daughter for twenty six years and never realized it. I’m pretty sure that isn’t easily forgiven. I’m just really glad she has you. Jaxon said he would go back with you. Be very careful and call me no matter how late and let me know how she is. I need to know,” she says, before turning around and heading into the room before Jaxon comes out.
“You ready to go?” he asks.
“Yeah, maybe the storm will hold off a little while longer. It’s going to be a long night either way,” I say, heading back out to my truck. I should probably call and tell Callie or Ash that we are headed back home. I think I would rather surprise them and see what is really going on thought.
Finally, two hours later we are pulling into the driveway. It looks like all of the lights are off except maybe the TV. I am hoping they are still awake. Jaxon and I head up the porch and I unlock the door. As soon as we walk in, Ash jumps straight up from the couch. I look at him and then down to Callie, who is still sitting on the couch.
“What’s going on?” I ask. Ash just stands there like he is trying to come up with something really good. Great, there is something going on. All of the girls in the world that literally throw themselves at him daily and he wants this one. I should have known.
“We were keeping an eye on the weather. It’s storming out there,” Callie says, looking from me to Ash. She is quick, I’ll give her that. At least they still have clothes on.
“I know it’s storming, I just drove two hours in this awful mess to get here,” I say.
“Why? I thought you were going to stay there.” Does she really think I would leave her here all night after her telling me a little over twenty four hours ago that she doesn’t sleep well? I wonder if she has told Ash about this.
“I knew you didn’t sleep well at night sometimes. I got to thinking about what you said last night and I didn’t want to leave you here alone. I didn’t know Ash would stay up all night babysitting you,” I say, giving Ash a warning glance to let him know I now have right to shoot him.
“That’s really sweet, but you didn’t have to do that. I’ve made it twenty six years without you. I think I could have made it one night. Besides, he wasn’t babysitting me. He was keeping a watch on the weather. I’m the one who fell asleep,” she says. My mom was so wrong. This is not going to go well when I tell her my mom didn’t come back with me to give her these results. “Thank you for coming back though,” she adds. Ash sits back down beside her then and they start having a whispered conversation. How did I not see this coming? I walk over to the couch to see if I can listen when they go completely quiet.
“Are yo
u sure I’m not missing something here? What have you two been doing all night?” I ask, sitting in a chair across from them. I think they are finally going to answer me when a huge streak of lightning strikes something right outside. I jump up at the same time Ash does to go look out the window.
“Do you think it got the barn?” I ask Ash. I’m pretty sure it didn’t, I just really need to have a quick conversation with my best friend.
“It could have. I’m going to check on the horses. I’ll be right back,” he says, grabbing a raincoat.
“You can’t go out in this. Did you not just hear that?” Callie asks, grabbing Ash by the arm. This one is already in deep. I really wish my best friend listened to me on this one. I will kill him if he hurts her. Ash looks straight at me before turning around to Callie and grabbing her hand.
“I’ll be fine. I just need to make sure the horses can’t get out. I’ll be right back,” he says to her.
“I’ll go with him. Jaxon stay here with her. Don’t let her come outside. We’ll be right back,” I say, before heading out of the door behind Ash.
We barely made it out the door before Ash stops and turns around to me.
“You can shoot me if you want, but I cannot stay away from her. I promise I will never hurt her, but I can’t promise to stay away from her,” he says before I even have a chance to say anything.
“You know you can have any girl you want, why this one?”
“I don’t know what to tell you. For the first time in a long time, she makes me want to tell her things. She makes me realize maybe life isn’t so bad after all,” he says. “I don’t know how to explain it, but I know there is no way I can stay away from her. I am so sorry.”
“Don’t hurt her. I will kill you if you do. She may need you later. I have the DNA test. My mom sent me to give her the results while she stayed with Molly,” I say, watching him shake his head.
“Why would she not want to be here when her daughter finds out that her mother is alive and she gets a second chance with her? I may have just met this girl, but I can assure you that is not going to go well,” he says, before heading back inside.
Trusting You: The Switched Series book two Page 3
