Jayce nods and then glances back at me. “I will, and you can always count on me coming through the front door, Sir.”
That was definitely going to score him some points with Matt and Eric.
“That’s good.” Eric grunts.
“Okay, now that that’s over can you guys get out so I can finally get dressed?” I states as I wave them away, towards the door.
Eric and Matt nod but wait for Jayce just outside the door.
He turns to me for a moment and lifts his hand up to tuck a stray strand of my still wet hair behind my ear before he places the palm of his hand against my cheek. “Are you going to be alright now?”
I nod. “I’ll be fine.”
He grins down at me. “Good.”
His hand drops as he steps back before moving to the door.
Stopping he glances back. “If you want a ride to school when you’re ready just come over to my house.”
I nod and he turns back around to walk out of my room.
Grinning to myself I bow my head. Today was going to be a good day.
“I know that look.” Eric grunts from the doorway abruptly.
I snort and shake my head as I point toward the door. “You can go now, papa bear.”
He laughs and nods his head. “Be careful, okay, Princess.”
I nod and become serious. “I will be, Dad.”
He grins brightly before grabbing the door to shut it as he leaves my room.
With no threat of anyone coming back into my room I drop my towel and begin the task of getting ready for the day.
Slipping my clothes on I glance into my mirror for a moment to check out my look. I was wearing black skinny jeans with a dark red corset top along with matching red shoes.
Grinning I move back into my bathroom to grab my brush to comb through my still wet hair.
Once it’s brushed through I finger the ends suddenly wanting a change.
Getting an idea I move to my door and open it before yelling down for Matt. “Matt, can you come up here for a minute?”
Within seconds he rushes from the kitchen to the bottom of the stairs to look up at me in concern. “Is something wrong?”
I shake my head and wave for him to come up.
He does, although with a raised brow.
Once he’s in my room I motion towards my hair, hoping that he could help me. “Can you by any chance cut hair?”
His eyes narrow for a moment. “I’m gay, Eve, that doesn’t make me a hairdresser.”
I snort and shake my head. “I’m sorry, Matt. I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just hoping that you could help me.”
“I’m terrible with hair but Eric’s fantastic with it.” He replies with a dramatic girlie voice as he cocks his hand while placing his other hand on his hip.
I can’t help but laugh out before he grabs me into a hug. “I’ll go see what Eric can do and I’ll send him up.”
“Thank you, Dad.” I reply as I lean back from his fatherly embrace.
His smile widens. “I like the sound of that.”
Stepping back he then turns around and walks back out of my room to get Eric for me.
He seemed to be the jack of all trades. It was awesome that he was going to be my dad too. I couldn’t imagine a better family.
“Does it look alright?” I ask Eric as I stand in front of the mirror in my room while fingering the shorter hair that swept over my forehead instead of having bangs.
It wasn’t really a drastic change.
“It looks great, Princess.” He reassures me.
The rest of my hair had been done up with cascading curls.
It was much fancier than I had ever done my hair but it was growing on me.
Placing his hands on my shoulders Eric grins. “You look absolutely amazing when you smile. The guys are going to be lining up around the block.”
I snort and shake my head. “I hope not.”
“Me too, Princess, I may have been a little rash saying that.” Eric agrees with a dramatic frown.
I laugh and nod my head in agreement.
“But there is one boy I know who will like it.” Eric then states.
Smirking, I once again finger my hair.
“You better get going if you want a ride with him to school. I might change my mind on letting you go too.” Eric warns.
Not wasting a second for him to change his mind I rush to grab my book bag before running downstairs and to the front door.
“Bye, papa bear, bye, dad.” I call out as I open the door and then slow to a walk as the door shuts behind me.
I had to play this cool.
Walking slowly I nervously make my way down the sidewalk and then across the street quickly before walking up to Jayce and Ben’s front door.
I ring the doorbell and after a moment the door opens revealing a woman with a friendly smile and blonde hair.
She smiles brightly as she takes me in. “Aren’t you gorgeous.”
I smile shyly and hold out my hand to her. “I’m Evette, but you can call me Eve.”
She nods taking my hand in hers. “I’m Nancy, but you, Sweetheart, can call me Nan.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Nan.” I reply sweetly.
“It’s nice to meet you too, Eve. Why don’t you come in and make yourself at home. The boys are almost ready.” She states as she steps to the side to let me inside their house.
The house was pretty much set up the same way that ours was across the street but with subtle differences.
After I’m inside Nan shuts the door and then motions for me to follow her through the house and into the kitchen.
A man around forty looks up from his paper and then places it down onto the table before standing up to greet me.
“This is, Eve. Frank, this is the girl Jayce and Ben told us about yesterday.” Nan states with a hint of excitement.
Grabbing my hand he gives it a firm shake before stepping back. “You are stunning. It’s no wonder the boys wouldn’t stop talking about you.”
My cheeks heat as I become shy again.
It had been forever since I had this kind of attention from someone’s parents.
Liam and Cole’s family had been the same way when Cole had first brought me to meet them.
“Ah, you’re here earlier than I expected.” Jayce grunts as he walks into the room. “I hope my parents have been nice.”
“They’ve been awesome.” I reply as he places his arm around my shoulder.
Grinning down at me Jayce raises his hand to finger the hair that was swept across my forehead. “You cut your hair?” He questions.
I nod. “My dad did it for me.”
“Which one did it for you, because if I had to guess I would guess Matt?” Jayce teases.
“It was Eric. He seems to be able to do anything.” I laugh lightly.
“Wait, she’s with Matt, as in your social worker, Matt?” Nan questions abruptly.
Jayce nods. “He’s adopting her.”
“How is that possible, I thought he was gay?” Frank asks this time.
I know they weren’t trying to hurt my feelings but they were and I felt the urge to defend them. “I’ve been tossed around to a lot of foster homes. Matt was my last chance for an actual home before the system kicked me out.”
Nan nods her head. “We didn’t mean anything by it, Sweetheart. We’re just surprised that the system would allow them to adopt you. It’s a good thing though. There are some many good homes out there with people like them.”
I nod my head in agreement. “They are the best family I have ever had.”
“I’m happy for you then, Sweetheart.” Nan replies softly.
“Come on, you two, we’re going to be late for school if we don’t get moving now.” Ben grunts as he rushes into the room.
Nodding Jayce drops his arm from around my shoulder.
“It was nice to meet both of you.” I state quickly before Jayce grabs my hand and begins tugging me away.
&nb
sp; “It was nice meeting you too, Eve.” Nan calls back.
A moment later Jayce drops my hand before handing me a helmet.
“What’s this for?” I ask curiously as he leads me into their garage.
“Since I only have one mode of transportation you’re going to need to wear it if you want a ride to school.” Jayce answers as he points over towards two black motorcycles sitting in the garage.
“I’ve never been on one of those.” I whisper nervously.
“You’ll be fine.” He reassures as he takes the helmet he had given me from my hands before slipping it over my head.
Once it’s on, he motions for me to turn around before he ties my hair back with a ribbon of some sort.
Turning back around I watch him as he slips on his own helmet before moving over to his bike while Ben hops onto his with his backpack snuggly on his back.
“Come on, you’ll be fine. Jayce won’t hurt you.” Ben coaxes.
Getting onto his bike Jayce holds his hand out to me.
With a deep breath I move forward before slipping onto the bike behind him.
Grabbing my hands he wraps them around his waist. “Whatever you do, hold on tightly, okay.”
“Okay.” I yell back to him as I tighten my grip.
His chest shakes and rumbles as he chuckles and begins to back the bike out of the garage along with Ben.
Once we’re down to the road he turns his key and the engine beneath us roars to life.
A moment later we take off down the road.
As we ride past Liam’s house I look over to see him walking to his car with Amy by his side.
He stops in surprise as we ride past.
Somewhere inside of me I felt a sharp stab.
If he had truly wanted to be with me he would have already gotten rid of Amy as his girlfriend.
He was obviously not ready to move on, and I wasn’t about to give him a chance.
Maybe somewhere in the future I would, but first I was going to see where this would go with Jayce.
Jayce revs the engine suddenly and I squeal excitedly as we pick up speed.
This was definitely going to be a good day.
Chapter 11
Dear Diary,
Could this really be happening? Could I be moving on? Am I doing the right thing? I still miss you....and I still love you…
After a full week of Jayce and Ben taking me to school we had grown into a routine. I would always show up ready just as they would back their bikes out to the road.
And as always we would ride past Liam’s house as he was getting into his car with Amy.
He hadn’t had a chance to bother me at school.
Jayce had made sure of that.
He and Ben watched over me in every one of my classes.
I was grateful for them since they were making this whole moving on thing a lot easier especially considering I didn’t have to deal with Liam.
Today though everything was about to change.
It was the day of our interview.
Eric and Matt were a bundle of nerves as they ran around the kitchen in their matching suits.
“Are we forgetting anything?” Matt asks as he paces the floor.
“I don’t think so, Matt.” Eric replies as he steps into Matt’s path.
Placing his hands on either side of his face he gazes into his eyes. “Everything will work out, you need to calm down and believe that.”
Matt nods his head.
“Everything will be fine, Dad.” I chime in as I chew on a piece of bacon.
Strangely I was the only one who was calm today.
Matt glances over to me before nodding his head.
Eric steps back and then sighs as he glances down to his watch. “It’s time to leave.”
Getting up from my seat I smooth out my dress and then make sure my hair was still tied back properly.
After a quick check of both Matt and Eric I give them the thumbs up before following them out of the house and into the truck.
I sit in the middle and grab onto Matt’s hand as he sits next to me in the passenger’s seat while Eric hops into the driver’s seat.
“Everything will be fine, Dad.” I reassure once more while Eric backs out of the driveway before heading off down the road.
We reach the main building and park in the parking lot.
I was quickly becoming nervous now that we had actually arrived.
Inside of this building we were going to change my life once and for all. It was a scary moment. And honestly I was afraid that instead of remaining with Matt and Eric that they would take me away from them.
If that happened I would be devastated.
Everything good that had been happening to me in the past few weeks would be lost.
Grabbing my hand Eric grins at me. “Everything will be fine, just be honest.”
I nod and let his hand free along with Matt’s.
We all slip out of the truck and I immediately grab onto Matt’s hand again for support as we begin walking towards the building.
By the time we reach the doors my heart is racing in my chest as if I had just run a hundred laps.
Inside the door I freeze.
Matt glances back at me with a raised brow as I shake my head and begin trying to back away from them.
“Matt, go greet them. I’ll take care of her.” Eric orders gently before taking my face into his hands as he gazes deep into my eyes.
“What’s wrong, Princess?” He questions softly.
“I’m scared.” I whisper.
“I know you are but you can’t allow it to control you.” Eric replies gently.
“I can’t help it. I don’t want to lose you and Matt.” I choke out as tears rapidly fill my eyes. “I don’t want to be torn away from you, papa bear.”
He nods. “I know you don’t and you’re not going to lose us, okay.”
I nod my head and he wipes my tears away with his thumbs. “Close your eyes and breathe in deep before letting it out slowly.” He then commands gently.
Shutting my eyes I do as he told me a few times before my heart begins to slow and regain control.
“That’s my girl.” Eric sighs as he feels me relax beneath his hands.
Opening my eyes they suddenly go wide seeing a small crowd standing just behind him with Matt smiling at us proudly.
“They’re right behind me aren’t they?” Eric questions with humor.
I nod and laugh out. “Yes, they are.”
Grinning down at me for one more moment Eric wipes my tears away before taking my hand in his while turning to face the people with Matt.
“I’m so sorry that we’re running a little late. Evette was nervous…” Eric tries to apologize and explain our situation but one of the men stops him.
“We are well aware of what happened, Eric.” The man states simply.
“Shall we start our interviews?” Another man questions as he steps forward.
Eric glances down at me for a moment before nodding. “I think we’re ready.”
“Good, now if you two would just follow me and Evette you can go with Ms. Lawrence.” The man that had stepped forward motions to us.
I nod and release my grip on Eric’s hand before moving off in the opposite direction with Ms. Lawrence.
Glancing back I silently wish that I could have stayed with Eric and Matt.
Sighing softly I turn forward as Mrs. Lawrence leads me into a room before motioning for me to sit down in a seat across from a desk.
I sit down and she moves around to the other side of the desk before sitting down in her own seat.
Placing her elbows on the desk she studies me silently for a moment before breaking out into a bright smile. “That was really something out there that he did for you.”
I nod in agreement. “He’s really good at getting me to calm down when I panic.”
She nods. “That’s a good thing.”
Clapping her hands together she then opens a file fol
der and scans through some pages before looking back up at me. “Are you still having problems with your sleep?”
I shake my head as a grin spreads across my lips. “No, I haven’t had a nightmare in over a week. Eric has helped me with those as well. We figured out what triggered them and stopped it.”
“Good, that’s very good.” She replies as she turns her attention back to her folder. “What was it that triggered these nightmares you were having?”
That was still a difficult question to answer.
“I walked in on my boyfriend after he had committed suicide.” I whisper as I bow my head and begin fiddling with my hands absently.
“What did he do exactly?” She then asks.
I look up at her wondering if she was for real, did she really want me to answer that question.
She raises her brow when I remain silent.
She really did want me to answer her.
“He hung himself.” I blurt, feeling suddenly uncomfortable with this woman in front of me.
She nods and then takes a pen to write something on the papers inside the folder.
Placing her attention on me again she asks another hard question. “Your past foster mother, Sally, brought up some information to us that we just want to clarify.”
I nod and she continues. “Did you have sexual relations with this boy?”
I nod my head again. “Yes, Sally was very lenient with her rules.”
She nods and then writes something again.
It was killing me to know what she was writing down.
“Have you been sexually active since you’ve been in Matt and Eric’s care?” She then questions.
“I have not. They are much stricter with their rules and I’m in no condition to be in any kind of relationship right now.” I answer honestly.
Smiling, she nods and then writes something down on her piece of paper.
“Have you been with the boys across the road from you?” She then inquires, surprising me.
I had no idea where she was getting her information from but she was digging into my life pretty deeply.
“We are all friends. We ride together to school.” I reply.
Again, everything was the truth. I wasn’t going to lie at all, I was too afraid of what would happen if I did.
When Tomorrow Never Comes Page 7
