Once I reach the kitchen I quietly sit down at the table and begin eating my plate of food as Eric and Matt talk back and forth.
“How did you interview go?” Matt questions.
“It went well…” Eric replies as a bright grin forms on his lips before he continues on. “…so good that they ended up hiring me on the spot, I’ll be starting the beginning of next week.”
“Seriously, they hired you?” Matt exclaims.
Eric nods. “They did, no more traveling for me and no more deployments.”
“That’s awesome news.” Matt replies happily before grabbing the back of Eric’s neck to pull him in for a long kiss.
I couldn’t help but look away as they had their moment.
They were sweet together and it only made me long for that kind of relationship again. I missed having someone who cared so much.
And I sure as hell missed the kissing parts.
“So, I also have some great news of my own.” Matt states after a moment. “You’re going to like this, Eve.”
I turn my attention back to him as I wait for this great news.
“Don’t keep us waiting like this, Matt. What’s the good news?” Eric pushes.
“The adoption is going through. All we need to do is have a formal interview with the state’s people and then an inspection before Eve is officially a member of our family.” Matt replies.
This was the news I had been waiting to hear all of my life.
I’m so overcome with joy that I instantly burst into tears.
Matt and Eric quickly move to hug me in between them.
“Shhhh, Princess, I thought that this was what you wanted.” Eric whispers softly.
“I never thought it would actually happen. I’m not crying because I don’t want it, because I do, I want to be your daughter so much that it actually hurts to think about ever having to leave here.” I reply truthfully as I try, and fail, to stop my tears.
“You’re never going to have to leave us.” Matt promises.
“You can’t get away from us that easily, Princess.” Eric jokes, lightening the mood.
I laugh and hug them both tighter.
After a few minutes they return to their seats and I quickly wipe my tears away.
“What exactly is the interview going to be like?” I ask Matt as I slowly begin to eat again.
He chews for a moment before answering my question. “Well, it’s going to be pretty simple. They’re going ask you all sorts of easy questions about the past homes that you were in. They’re also going to look at all of your records. Then they will ask you about what you want. They’ll ask you what you think would be best for you.”
“After all of that they will make their decisions.” Matt adds.
“Do you think they will decide in my favor considering my background with my other foster homes?” I ask.
“Just be honest about everything and I believe they will.” He replies.
I nod my head and scoot my food around my plate. My appetite had been squashed by my nerves.
After dinner we end up in the living room to watch a few movies together.
When the sky outside grows dark I yawn as our last movie finally comes to an end. “I need to get some sleep.” I yawn again as I stand up.
Eric and Matt nod from their spot cuddled together on the other side of the couch.
“I’ll be there when you wake up.” Eric reassures.
I nod and then move away from them to make my way up the stairs towards my room.
Opening my door I move inside without turning on the light.
When I reach my bed I sit down on the edge before laying back on it as I huff out a breath of air.
I was physically and mentally exhausted.
So much had happened in the last couple of days.
I close my eyes for a moment until the bed dips down beside me.
In a matter of seconds I find myself with my hands held over my head as another hand covers my mouth to keep me from screaming out for help.
My eyes search the darkness frantically until they land on a familiar set of brown eyes looking down at me.
Removing his hand Liam places one finger over my lips to keep quiet.
I nod my head and he removes his finger.
“What are you doing?” I whisper.
“I don’t know, Eve. I have no idea why I keep finding myself here.” He answers quietly.
Silence spans the distance between us as his body warms my own.
After a moment Liam speaks again. “Thank you for the pictures.”
“You’re welcome.” I reply softly.
Looking into his eyes right now I could feel that connection that we had, the one that had drawn us together when I had still been with Cole.
It was a connection that scared me.
Leaning closer Liam’s eyes search mine a moment before his lips crash against mine.
Closing my eyes I welcome his kiss, but all too soon guilt fills my mind and I shove Liam away from me until I’m able to climb out from under him.
“Liam, we can’t do this. I can’t be with you.” I state as I quickly stand to my feet.
“Why not, Eve, it’s not like this is the first time for us?” Liam pushes.
Flipping on my light I turn to glare at him. “For starters you’re dating someone. I’m not going to sit back and be the other girl.”
“Then I’ll break up with her.” Liam replies easily.
I shake my head. “That’s not going to win me over, Liam. It’s better if we just stay away from each other.”
“It’s not better and you know it.” Liam growls out, quickly becoming angry.
“I can’t, because your brother still holds my heart.” I clip out as my own anger takes over.
“You’re lying, Eve.” Liam bites out.
Pointing towards my window I close my eyes for a brief moment. “Get out of my room, Liam. I don’t want anything to do with you.”
He nods once before stepping up in front of me.
I take a step back but my back hits the wall as he pushes closer.
“Do you remember what you told me that night?” He questions softly. “Because I do, I remember every second of that night we spent together.”
“How could I forget what we did?” I clip out. “I will never get rid of the guilt I feel for ever letting that night happen.”
“It was all a huge mistake, a mistake that I will regret for the rest of my life.” I add harshly.
He nods once more before brushing my hair back behind my ear.
A second later he turns to walk away. As he reaches the window he pauses to take in a deep breath with his back still turned towards me.
I take a step closer absently.
His shoulders sag as he climbs out of the window before jumping down to the ground to run across the yard.
Breathing out I shut my window and then secure the lock before quickly grabbing some clothes from my dresser and heading into my bathroom to change.
Sitting down on the edge of the bathtub I break down and cry.
I had been lying to Liam, at least slightly.
I did regret what we had done but I never regretted how I felt about him.
If it would have been another time maybe we could have had a chance, but since he was Cole’s brother I just couldn’t do that.
Right now I couldn’t get past my guilt.
Chapter 8
Dear Diary,
Why can’t I just have one thing work out right? Am I always going to be doomed, am I always going to be lost without you?
The next morning I wake up surprised.
For the first time in months I hadn’t woken up in the middle of the night screaming. It was the first night in a very long time that I hadn’t dreamt of Cole.
But that didn’t mean my dreams hadn’t been haunted.
Liam had taken Cole’s place.
The single night we had shared together had taken the place of the horrifying scene I
had walked in on the very next day.
Groaning I shut off my alarm before rolling out of bed.
I could already tell that it was going to be a long day ahead.
After a quick shower I dress in a normal pair of light colored blue jeans and a plain white baby doll top.
I slip on a matching pair of sandals and then make my way downstairs to grab something to eat before I had to rush off to school.
Downstairs I find Eric sitting alone at the table with a plate filled with bacon and scrambled eggs already waiting for me.
He grins brightly as I sit down and pick up a piece of bacon with my fingers before taking a bite.
“Did you have a good night’s sleep?” He questions with a raised brow.
I nod and take another bite of my bacon to avoid saying anything.
“I’m glad that you did. I swear though I was waiting all night for you to scream. It almost felt wrong to wake up without you waking up in the middle of the night.” Eric grunts.
“It did feel weird.” I agree.
“What was different about last night? If we can figure it out then maybe you won’t have to worry about your nightmares anymore.” Eric replies.
I shrug trying to avoid the question even though I knew exactly what the difference had been.
“It was about him, wasn’t it?” Eric grunts, practically reading my mind. “You didn’t wake up because you didn’t have a dream about Cole, you dreamt about the brother, didn’t you?”
God, he was good.
I groan and bow my head. “Yes, but please don’t make a big deal about it.”
A moment of silence passes by before Eric breaks it. “Do you have feelings for him, Eve?” Eric inquires gently.
Looking away absently I remain silent.
Eric sighs softly. “If you do have feelings for him maybe you should…” He stops instantly as I turn to glare at him.
“I’m not going to explore my feelings for him. We had one night, one night that I will regret forever.” I bite out.
Eric nods his head and thankfully goes quiet even though it was clear that he wanted to say more on the subject.
Standing to my feet once half of my breakfast is gone I wait for Eric to stand with me before heading towards the front door.
I open it to reveal a moving truck right across the street.
“It looks like we have new neighbors.” Eric states as he steps up beside me.
We watch for a moment as two boys, one blonde and the other with black hair, walk out of the house and jump into the back of the moving truck before jumping back out with heavy boxes in their hands.
“If I was only fifteen years younger…” Eric mutters beneath his breath.
I snort and playfully hit his arm. “Shut it, papa bear.”
He nudges my shoulder with his before he waves to them as they return to the truck. “Which one would you go for?”
Shaking my head I walk away from him.
I wasn’t going to answer that question out loud, not when he would tease me about it.
If I had a choice though I would definitely go for the blonde since he wouldn’t remind me of neither Cole nor Liam.
But I doubted either one of them would be interested in me.
Slipping into Eric’s truck I wait patiently until he hops into the driver’s seat before starting the engine.
He then backs down the driveway just in time for the two boys to walk out of their house right before we drive off down the road.
“You timed that, didn’t you?” I snort.
Eric grins brightly but remains quiet.
“I’m telling Matt after school.” I laugh.
He gasps dramatically. “You wouldn’t?”
“Don’t test me, papa bear.” I warn lightly.
He laughs and drives us down the road without another word.
The school day goes by slowly and when lunchtime rolls around I’m nearly ready to pull my own hair out by the roots.
Everywhere I had turned Liam was holding onto Amy, and every time he made sure to put on a big show with her.
Each time I would turn away and act as if it wasn’t bothering me one bit.
In truth it did hurt a little.
Okay, it hurt a lot more than I wanted it to.
Sitting down at my normal lunch table I begin pulling out the simple lunch that Matt had prepared for me.
I take one bite of my ham and cheese sandwich before Liam sits down across from me with Amy.
Rolling my eyes I try my hardest to ignore them as Amy giggles and Liam whispers into her ear softly.
When two new presences join us I practically jump for joy inside my head, that is until I turn and see the two boys that had been moving in across from my house.
“Do you guys mind if we sit here?” The dark haired one questions us with an easy grin.
“Go ahead. Evie doesn’t mind, do you?” Liam replies as he glares in my direction.
Turning to look at the two again I shake my head. “I don’t mind. You can sit here if you want but I’ll warn you now Liam and Amy don’t have the best table manners.”
Amy growls from across the table but Liam keeps her quiet.
The dark haired one smirks and then sits down beside me as the blonde sits down next to him.
He then holds his hand out to me. “I’m Ben, and the quiet one behind me is my brother Jayce.”
Taking his hand I shake it. “I’m Evette, but you can call me Eve.”
Ben’s smile only gets brighter. “It’s nice to meet you, Eve.”
Just as he’s about to say more his eyes turn to someone behind me.
I turn in time to watch as Matt makes his way through the lunchroom directly towards me.
“Hey, Mr. Andrews, what’s up?” Ben states abruptly from behind me.
Matt grins. “Hey, Ben, I heard you guys were moving into town. How are things going?” Matt replies as he stops next to me.
“It’s going good.” Ben answers. “But why are you here? Is everything alright?” He then questions.
“I’m here for her.” Matt replies as he motions towards me.
He then turns his full attention towards me as he holds out a set of keys. “Eric and I have something that came up so neither of us will be able to pick you up when schools out. I’m giving you my keys for the jeep. It’s parked right outside. The key for the house is on here too.”
I nod and take the keys from his hand. “Is everything alright?”
He nods. “Everything’s fine, I’ll talk to you about it later at dinner, okay.”
I nod again and he gives me a quick fatherly kiss on top of my head before waving to the others and rushing off.
I stare down absently at the keys in my hand before glancing in the direction that Matt had left in. “That was odd.” I whisper.
“Yeah, it was, for him.” Ben chimes in. “Is he your dad or something. I didn’t know he had kids.”
“He’s going to be. He’s adopting me.” I reply quietly.
“Seriously, they’re adopting you?” Liam blurts with a look of disgust.
“Shut it, Liam.” I growl out as I pin him with a look of my own.
“Do you have something against being adopted?” Jayce suddenly clips out.
Liam snorts as he shakes his head. “Nah, I’m just surprised that someone would want her. She’s a mess.”
Amy laughs. “No kidding, my foster mom couldn’t wait to ship her out. She said that you scared the crap out of her when you woke up screaming like a crazy person every night.”
“You two are a real piece of work.” Ben states as he shakes his head.
“How do even deal with them?” Jayce chimes in as he leans around Ben to look at me in question.
“Honestly, I just imagine them as two yappy dogs that need to be put down or fixed.” I reply with a smirk in Liam’s direction.
Liam stands suddenly as he glares down at me. “And you’re the bitch who killed my brother.”
With tha
t he storms off with Amy rushing to catch up.
Staring straight ahead I force myself to remain in control even though all I wanted to do was break down into a fit of tears.
I couldn’t let him win again.
Liam was determined to break me.
“Are you alright, Eve?” Ben asks gently as he places his hand on my arm.
When I don’t answer he stands to his feet before tugging me to stand up too. A moment later he leads me out of the lunchroom and then down the hallway.
Opening up a door to an empty classroom he pulls me inside while Jayce shuts the door.
Ben sits me down on a desk before turning his attention to Jayce. “Call Mr. Andrews and tell him what just happened. Tell him that he needs to call the school so she can be released early.”
Jayce nods and quickly pulls out a phone.
Turning his attention back to me Ben places his hands on either side of my face. “Look at me, Eve, focus on me.”
My eyes lock on his for just a brief moment before I have to look away from him again.
I felt both numb and dead inside.
I suddenly felt like giving up completely.
“Here, he wants to talk to you, Ben.” Jayce grunts while holding the phone out towards Ben.
Ben steps back, grabbing the phone from Jayce’s hand before placing the phone up to his ear. “It’s Ben.”
He stays silent for a moment as he listens.
“You guys can do what you need to do. I can watch her for you.” Ben responds and then pauses again to listen.
He nods. “Yeah, she’s got the same look in her eyes that Jayce did when he went through this.”
I don’t know why but as he turns his back to me I quickly jump up to my feet before running out of the door and then down the hallway.
The need to just get away from them and everyone was overwhelming.
“Jayce, stop her. Get the keys.” Ben commands loudly from somewhere behind me.
I run harder as a hand nearly grabs a hold of my shirt.
Making it out to the parking lot I barely reach the jeep as hands wrap firmly around my waist, turning me around before pinning me against the side of the jeep.
Jayce grabs my chin roughly, forcing me to look deep into his eyes. “You don’t want to do it, Eve, trust me you’ll regret it.”
When Tomorrow Never Comes Page 5
