Angel of Redemption (67 page)

“Of course I can. Is everything all right?”

“Not really,
” I answer, my voice shaking. “I
have some personal business I need to handle, but, um, we do need to have a
discussion about Logan.”

“Do you just need the rest of the day, or do you
need a couple of days?”

I try to focus, but my mind keeps wandering. “I’m
not sure. Can we play it by ear?”

“Sure. Do we need to start looking for other
placements?”

An unexpected laugh escapes me. “I have no idea,
Kate. I honestly have no idea.”

“Okay, well, let me know. Thank you for calling
in.”

I disconnect and start driving toward The
Carlyle. I consider calling, but I don’t want to get into it with my mother or
Richard, and I’m not giving my sister a chance to run away.

I don’t even remember the drive, and, sooner than
I’d like, I’m pulling into a visitor spot in front of the swanky complex I hate
so much. When I get inside, the guard nods at me. I force a smile before
heading up in the elevator.

When the doors open onto the foyer, I step out
having no idea what I’m going to say to Claire. The door to the penthouse is
unlocked. Walking silently into the living room, I see Claire sitting on the
couch with her phone in her hands, staring at it like it’s about to do
something amazing.

“Waiting for a call?” I ask, startling her. Her
head whips up.

“Kayla!”

“Yeah. Kayla. Your sister.”

“Hi,” she squeaks.

I walk toward her and sit down on the designer
couch my mother had special-ordered from France. It’s hard and uncomfortable.
Claire’s hands grip her phone so tight that her knuckles are turning white.

“Do you know how terrible it feels to be
completely blindsided by something you should have known about?” I ask,
bitterness seeping into my voice.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers.

“You’re sorry? That’s all you have to say? I told
you I’d be there for you. I told you to come to me. I know how they are. I know
better than anyone what they’re like. Why didn’t you trust me?” I stare at my
sister. Her face is pale, her lip trembling. “What have you done?” I cry
softly. She lowers her head, unable to look me in the eye. I push my fingertips
against my temples. Her tears are silent, dripping down the tip of her nose and
falling to the floor. There’s no dramatic sobbing, no pleading. Just Claire
looking painfully broken.

“I love him,” she responds desperately. “And it’s
not just some stupid, teenage crush. I want to spend the rest of my life with
him.”

“You’re barely seventeen.”

“So what?”

“You’ve known him for what? Three months? You
have no idea who he even is.”

“I know that he loves me.”

“Oh, really? Because an hour ago he told me he was
simply fucking you,” I snap. “He’s a sexual deviant, Claire! Do you know how
many girls he’s used for sex and dumped? He doesn’t care who he hurts. He’s
self-destructive, and he will take anyone and everyone around him down with him
if he has to.” I’m not trying to be mean, but I need her to see reality. Logan
is not the boy next door. He’s not some kid from a good family who just screwed
up. He’s lived a fucked-up life and has no clue what it means to take
responsibility for anything. I’ve probably just crossed the confidentiality
line, but if I’m going to get fired anyway, I guess it doesn’t really matter.

“He didn’t say that,” she argues softly, several
tears slipping down her cheeks.

“That’s exactly what he said. And maybe he said
it just to hurt me, but he made it sound like you were just another notch.”

A few more tears well up. “I’m not.”

“And a baby, Claire? Are you fucking crazy?”

Her mouth drops, and she inhales sharply. “He
told you?”

“It should have been
you
who told
me!” I shout, making her flinch. “Did you two think you were playing a fucking
game? ‘Let’s see how far we can get without Kayla knowing. Let’s see just how
far we can push everyone in our lives who cares about us.’”

“That’s not what we were doing.”

“Then explain to me how you could explicitly go
against the one thing I asked of you.
”

“I can’t! I don’t know what happened. He made me
feel like I was special. He made me feel like I didn’t have to be perfect all
the fucking time.”

“Well, you took that to the extreme, didn’t you?”
I run my hand over my face. My thoughts are all jumbled. Memories of things
—behaviors
from both of them over the last few months—bounce around uncontrollably. “You
were going to run away with him?”

Claire’s shoulders sag. “I wanted to,” she admits,
“but he
—”

“You were just going to take off? Without saying
anything to anyone? Disappear with a baby on the way? No money, no job, no
education?”

“I have money.”

“You’re missing the point, Claire. This is
exactly why children shouldn’t have children!”

“I’m not a child!” she cries.

“My God!
” I laugh humorlessly. “You sound
just like him. How far along are you?”

“I
…I don’t know.”

“When was your last period?”

She just stares at me.

“You don’t know that, either?” My irritation is
getting the better of me.

“I’ve never paid attention to it. We were using
protection,” she stutters.

“Obviously not every time.”

“We did, Kayla. He never
…not inside. Not
without a condom.” Her cheeks turn bright pink. I let it go. Whether they did
or not doesn’t really matter. It’s done.

“Have you thought about your options?”

Claire scrunches up her face in horror. “I’m not
having an abortion!
”

“What about adoption? There are some amazing
families out there.”

“You want me to give away my baby?” she
hiccoughs.

“I want you to stop being so na
ïve. This
is your
life
.”

“That’s right,” she snaps. “
My
life. If you came here to lecture me about how stupid I was to let this happen,
then go away. I don’t need it. I don’t need you.” The anger in her voice shocks
me. It’s the first time I’ve ever heard my sister stand up for herself. As
upset as I am, I don’t believe her words. She needs me. Turning my back on her
just because my feelings are hurt is not an option. I pick up her hand. It’s
trembling.

“Are you sure you’re pregnant? You’re not just
late?”

“My boobs hurt really bad, and I’m nauseous all
day long. And I took four tests.”

“Do Mom and Richard know?
” I ask, sighing.

“No! You can’t tell them, Kayla. You can’t tell
my dad.”

“Uh, well, this isn’t exactly something he’s
gonna be able to overlook.”

Claire looks lost and really freaking scared. I
don’t blame her. This isn’t going to be pretty.

“Get your things and come with me,
” I say,
standing up.

“What things?”

“Purse. School bag. Phone. Whatever you need.
Bring some pajamas and your uniform for school tomorrow, too.”

“I don’t
… I’m staying with you?”

“For tonight, yes. I’ll call Mom and tell her you’re
doing a last-minute extra-credit project or something.”

“What am I really going to be doing?” she asks
cautiously.

“Figuring out how to grow up. Fast.”

Kayla

Well, this is
uncomfortable. I’m sitting in the chair in my living room with a mug of
chamomile tea in my hands. Emily is on the loveseat across from me. Dean and
Aiden are in the kitchen. I can hear them talking, but not what they’re saying.
We’re waiting for Andy to show up so we can discuss the situation. Since he’s
technically still Logan’s attorney, I want his input. Plus, if I’m going to go
up against Richard, I need to know exactly where everyone stands.

Claire and Logan are sitting on the couch. One of
Logan’s arms is around my sister’s waist, his fingers rubbing up and down her
side. His other hand is resting on her thigh, their fingers intertwined. He’s
whispering in her ear. She nods, and her lips twitch. I want to yell at her, to
tell her there is no reason to smile. They’ve fucked up and now we all have to
figure out what to do about it. Instead, I close my eyes and hang my head,
waiting.

When Andy finally gets home, Sara is at his side.

“Hi.
” She squeezes my shoulder in a
semi-hug and greets Emily.

“Hi. What are you doing here?”

“I thought I could offer some support—I
hope that’s okay. Andy told me what’s going on.” She bends down so she’s level
with me. “This is bad, Kayla. Her parents are gonna flip the fuck out.”

“I know,” I grumble. They
’re going to
blame this all on me. As if Richard doesn’t hate me enough already. He’s
probably going to get a restraining order against me now. I think of all the
things he can do to fuck up my life if he really wants to. And after this news
breaks, he’s definitely going to want to.

Glancing up, I see Claire looking at me sadly.
She averts her eyes back down when they meet mine. I feel guilty for thinking
about how this is going to affect me. Claire’s life is never going to be the
same.

Andy pulls up a couple of chairs, and he and Sara
sit down on them. Dean and Aiden join us. Dean takes my now cold tea from my
hands and replaces it with a cup of hot coffee. I’m thankful for the burning
heat against my hands
—it gives me something to focus on other than
the two young idiots across the room making eyes at each other.

Sipping from the cup, I taste not only coffee,
but the bite of the whiskey Dean
’s added. It’s not strong, but it’s
enough to take the edge off. He winks at me and his fingers twitch. I know he
wants to touch me, but he’s hesitant. I reach up and grab his hand, pulling him
down so he’s sitting on the edge of my chair. Logan already knows about us; it’s
not like we’re blowing our cover or anything by sitting next to each other.

Aiden goes to Emily, sitting down on the loveseat
and handing her a mug as well. From the look on her face when she tastes it,
she’s gotten the same surprise. No one says anything for what seems like
forever, but I’m sure it’s not that long.

“Well?” Aiden finally says, breaking the silence.
When no one answers, I look up. Logan isn’t even paying attention.

“Logan?” I snap.

“What?”

I widen my eyes and hold my hands up in a silent
What
the fuck
?

“What do you want me to say?” He shrugs.

“Fine. Don’t say anything. Sit there and listen,”
I growl. Claire looks at me nervously, still holding tightly to Logan’s hand. “Look.
We have less than a week to figure out how to handle this,” I start.

“A week?” Sara asks. “What happens in a week?”

“Logan turns eighteen on Saturday,” Emily
supplies.

“Technically, it doesn’t matter.” Andy corrects. “Age
of consent in Minnesota is sixteen. Richard and Celia can’t take legal action
unless he takes her over state lines. Then we have a problem.” Andy shoots a
warning glance at Logan, who just rolls his eyes. I want to get up and slap him
across his thick skull.

“It doesn’t matter whether they can legally do
anything or not. Do you honestly think Richard is going to sit back and accept
that his pride and joy is knocked up? I scoff.
“He’s going to do
everything he can to fuck up Logan’s life.” I hear Claire make a noise from her
throat that sounds like she’s choking. I glance over to see Logan whispering in
her ear again. “Can you two knock it off for five minutes and pay attention?
Please?” I ask, irritated.

The discussion goes on for more than half an
hour. We’re running circles around each other and everyone’s getting equally
frustrated. The main issue is how to go about telling my mom and Richard. No
one can agree. Logan doesn
’t want to do it at all—which obviously
won’t work. Dean thinks we should do it on neutral territory, but I know for a
fact Richard would never agree to meet us anywhere. Emily suggests only telling
Mom, but Claire is adamant that she doesn’t want our mother to be the one to
tell her dad.

I have to excuse myself at one point to answer a
call from my mother. She’s not happy that I’ve basically stolen Claire, but she
doesn’t ask me to bring her back tonight. Apparently, she and Richard are
fighting about something, but I don’t stay on the line long enough to hear
details. I honestly don’t care. Whatever it is they have going on, it
’s
going to be blown out of the water when Claire and Logan tell them the news.

When I get back into the living room, Logan has
finally opened his mouth.

“I’m not a fucking kid!”

“Then stop acting like one! Don’t tell us how
grown up you are. Show us,” Dean yells.

“I’ve been trying! I did Kayla’s stupid Independent
Living bullshit. I got a job, I make my own money. I have a car and a phone.
All I need is a place to live and Claire can move in with me. I’ll take care of
her.” The roar of six adult voices in protest overwhelms the room.

“Absolutely not! No way.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“You have lost your mind.”

“This is
our
life.
Our
baby,”
Logan retorts. “You can’t make decisions for us!”

“Well, obviously you’re not capable of making
responsible decisions on your own,” I bite.

“Says you! But I don’t care what you say anymore.
You’re a fucking traitor.”

“Watch it!” Dean warns. But I can’t just let that
go.

“A traitor? Are you kidding me? I’ve spent years
doing everything I could for you, Logan. Do you even realize what a pain in the
ass you’ve been? I have made sacrifice after sacrifice for you and this is what
I get in return? Complete and total disrespect.
”

He folds his arms over his chest and grits his
teeth in defiance.

“Look. We’re clearly not getting anywhere,” Aiden
says, blowing out a huge breath of air.

“You’re right,” I agree, gathering myself back
together. “Here’s the deal. We’re going to take it one step at a time. I’ve got
to talk to Kate in the morning about the case aspect. Chances are good that I’ll
have to transfer Logan.”

“What?” he asks, his voice a little higher than
normal.

“Yeah, Logan. Do you think I told you guys to
pretend you never met for my health? Not only can I not stay your social worker
after this, but I may lose my entire fucking career!
” By the look on
Logan’s face, he obviously hadn’t considered this. “Did you think about
anything other than your need to get off with the forbidden apple?”

He flinches. So does Claire. Everyone else is
looking at me with concerned expressions.

“Okay, okay,” Dean says, rubbing my back. “Let’s
deal with one thing at a time.”

I take a deep breath, trying to bring my blood
pressure back down.

“You’re right,” I sigh. “Claire, you’ll go to
school in the morning and then go home. Do you know Mom and Richard’s
schedules?”

“Um, Mom’s been working days. She should get off at
about seven. I think Daddy’s on nights. I haven’t seen him in a few days. I can
ask, though. His schedule usually changes on Wednesdays.”

“Fine. We’ll plan for Wednesday night. Dean and
Logan can meet me at the penthouse.”

“I gotta work,” Logan mumbles.

“We all do, Logan,
” I reply flatly. “What
time do you get off?” Logan thinks about it for a second, looks at Claire, who’s
getting paler by the moment, and then back at me.

“Whenever. Just tell me when.” Suddenly, Claire
bolts up and sprints to the bathroom. “Ahhh shit,” Logan groans, following her.
He doesn’t shut the door all the way, and I can hear Claire gagging and
vomiting.

“Well, that went well,” Emily sighs. “What else
do we need to do?”

“I don’t know,
” I groan, burying my face
in my hands. Dean rubs my back. I’m absolutely exhausted, both emotionally and
physically.

“Okay. Just let us know. We should probably head
home.” Emily stands up to give me a hug. “Maria has the kids, and I told her we’d
be back before bedtime.”

“Thanks for coming.”

“Anytime, honey. Don’t stress too much. I know
that’s easier said than done, but it’ll all work out, okay?”

I nod and let Dean walk them to the door. I look toward
the bathroom and find my curiosity getting the better of me. Silently, I make
my way over and listen.

“What do you need?” I hear Logan’s voice ask.

“Nothing,” Claire whimpers. “I just want to go to
bed.”

“I’m gonna take care of you, baby. I promise.”

“How? They’re right, Logan. How are we going to
do this?”

“I don’t know, but we will. I don’t care what
they say. I love you, Claire. And I love the baby even though it’s making you
spew all over the place.”

I hear my sister laugh weakly.
“He’s going
to kill me.”

“I’m not going to let him hurt you again. If I
have to…” He doesn’t get a chance to finish his sentence. Claire is puking
again. I step away, not knowing how to feel. My emotions are too conflicted at
the moment.

“Hey,” Dean whispers from behind me. “What’s going
on?” He opens his arms, and I walk right into them. His scent and the feel of
his warm, secure embrace comforts me immediately. I wish I could stay right
here all night. Forever.

“What a shit day,” I murmur. Dean just hums, his
chest vibrating against my cheek. “Do you think if we go to sleep, we’ll wake
up in the morning and realize this was all a bad dream?”

“No. Unfortunately, I don’t.”

I sigh. “Didn’t think so.”

“Kayla,” he says quietly. “I really don’t want to
leave you, but I need to be at the House tonight.”

“I know.”

“I’m gonna try to talk to Logan. See if we can
sort through the bullshit and have a conversation. Man-to-man.”

“I think that’s a good idea. I’d do it
—not
the man-to-man part, obviously—but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to keep
from beating him.”

“I should have done it a long time ago.
”

“But I distracted you.” I sniff pathetically. He
lifts my chin and his lips meet mine, soft and tender.

“You’re not a distraction.
” The toilet
flushes and the sound of the water from the sink comes through the small
opening between the door and the frame. Dean lets me go. “Aiden’s on tomorrow
night. You want to grab some dinner? I’ll even wear something that doesn’t make
me look like a scrub, and we can go to a fancy place.”

“I like the way you look. I don’t need fancy, I
just need simple. No drama. Can you give me no drama?” Dean looks at me warily.
He knows as well as I do that the drama is just beginning. “Just for a few
days?” I beg.

He nods as Logan and Claire walk out of the
bathroom hand in hand. My sister looks horrible. Her hair is wet, her face waxy
and withdrawn. I’m suddenly reminded of her situation. As pissed off as I’ve
been with both her and Logan, the fact that she’s got a baby inside of her hasn’t
really registered.

“Do you want some crackers?” I ask her.

“No, I’m not hungry. I just want to go to bed.”

“You need to eat something, Claire. I think I’ve
got some ginger ale in the pantry, too.”

“I don’t want anything,” she insists.

“Baby, you gotta eat,” Logan says, kissing her
forehead and sliding his hand over her flat stomach. I’m stare at them,
astounded. I’ve never seen Logan take this kind of role with anyone other than
Matty, and it’s confusing for me. Claire agrees. Logan starts to follow her to
the kitchen when Dean stops him.

“Logan, we’ve got to go.”

“Why?”

“Because you don’t live here,” I interrupt. He
opens his mouth and I hold up my hand. “Until we can figure out how to go
forward, you have to do what we ask of you. Go home. I’m going to take care of
my sister tonight, and tomorrow we will make a plan for telling her parents
about you and…” I lick my dry lips, “and the baby.” I expect an argument, maybe
a snide word, but Logan just nods.

“Okay.”

“Thank you,” I sigh in relief. “You can go say good
night.”

The second Logan’s out of the room, I pull Dean’s
mouth to mine, kissing him harder and more passionately than is appropriate.
Even though we
’re alone for the moment, there are two teenagers just in
the other room.