Safe and Sound (24 page)

 
“Lola, she forbade me to see you, to talk to you, to have any kind of contact with you.
She said if I didn’t stay away, the two of you would disappear and I’d never see you again, not ever.
It greatly pained me, but I wanted what was best for you, I wanted to believe your mother was doing what she thought
was in your best interest, for whatever reason
. So I agreed.
”

 
Tears streamed down her face, Blair
seemingly
unaware of them. “I moved here to at least be close to you, even if I couldn’t interact with you. I’ve tried talking to your mother throughout the years, tried to get her to see reason.
She never relented, not once.

 
“It was so hard. Seeing you and not being able to tell you who I was, how much I wanted to know you.
So many times I had to bite my tongue not to blurt
out
I was your aunt
.
You have no idea the restraint it took.
” Blair took a shuddering breath.

 
“I don’t know what made her keep me away. Fear of losing you maybe. Maybe it was too hard to see me, a reminder of Ben. She loved him so much. Lana was a different person then, Lola.” She smiled sadly, swiped at her eyes with her hand.

 
“It seemed like she
got
better.
Never the same, but a semblance of herself.
She was a good mother to you, wasn’t she?
” Blair took a deep breath.
“
Or a
m I wrong?”

 
Lola opened her mouth to speak, found she couldn’t. She cleared her throat and tried again. “I think she was. I remember her being
a good mom
, even though she always seemed a little sad. But then…she met
Bob
and everything changed. I didn’t know her anymore. I don’t know what
happened, what changed.
Why she let me be treated that way.
”
Lola blinked her eyes against tears.

 
“If I had known what was happening, nothing could have kept me away.”
Blair
lowered her head until she was at eyelevel with Lola. “
Nothing
, Lola.”

 
Lola
’s lower lip quivered
. She covered her face with her hands and wept, crying harder still when Blair’s hands came to rest on her shoulders, her cheek
atop
the crown of Lola’s head
.

 
“I have some people that have been bugging me to see you, Lola. Are you up for a visit or would
you rather it waits
?”
Blair rubbed her shoulder and gave it a squeeze, pulling away to see her face.

 
Lola wiped her eyes.
“Who?”

 
“Well, there was this boy
that stopped by when you were napping. He was very
insistent I
tell you to
call him as soon as you woke up.”

 
Her stomach fluttered. “Jack?” she whispered.

 
“Tall,
dar
k-haired, beautiful green eyes
?
He’s cute.
” Blair smiled.

 
Lola felt her skin heat up.

 
“He your boyfriend?”

 
“I…don’t know.” She frowned. What were they?
More than friends, definitely.
But boyfriend and girlfriend?
They’d never discussed it. That title didn’t seem to do their relationship justice.

 
“And this morning when I stopped at your house to pick up your things,
another
young man, equally cute, I might add, flagged me down and bombarded me with questions. His mother came outside to tell him to stop pestering me, and then she started.”

 
Blair chuckled. “Nice people. The mom is Dr. Jones, isn’t she?” Lola nodded. “She wants to come over sometime
soon to see you
. Her son said he was coming over either way
, with or without his mom
.” Blair paused. “You have a lot of people that care about you, Lola. I wish you would have reached out to one of them.”

 
“Jack knew,” she blurted, and then wished she hadn’t.

 
Blair’s eyes narrowed. “I see.”

 
Lola jumped to her feet. “It’s not like that. Jack understands what I went through and he knew I didn’t want anyone to know.”
She couldn’t tell her that he went through the same thing, or even worse. It wasn’t Lola’s to tell.

 
“Why didn’t you want anyone to know?”

 
Her chest tightened. “
Bob
told me if I told anyone, he’d hurt my friends.”

 
“Oh
, how awful
,” she gasped
and covered her mouth with her hands
.

 
“And
with
Jack
…
I didn’t have to say anything. He just knew. He was there for me when I had no one.”
Lola took a shaky breath and turned away.
She couldn’t explain how much he meant to her. There were no words.

 
“
It’s
okay, Lola. I told Jack to stop back in a couple hours. Do you want to help me with something in the meantime
?”

 
Not wanting to hurt her aunt’s feeling, Lola agreed and soon found herself
on a mat in the living room, focusing on her breathing and stretching her limbs to their limits. Funnily enough, it helped to relax her and take Lola’s mind off her current situation.

 
She
was grateful to Blair, even though Blair said she hated doing Yoga alone and that was why she asked Lola to participate. Lola knew the real reason: finally someone was looking out for her.

13

 
Lola sat on a bench under a leafy tree in the fenced in backyard. The sun was warm where it touched her skin through the tree limbs.

 
Blair had asked her all her favorite foods and gone to the grocery store to stock up. Lola hadn’t had the heart to tell her she picked at food more than she ate it.
Maybe, in time, that would change.

 
She watched a robin hop along the grass
; a butterfly flittered by her face.
She envied them both. They were free.
Lola was now too, at least physically.
Her emotions were so far away from free Lola wondered if she’d ever find peace.

 
Thoughts of her mom plagued her. Why had it been so easy to give up her rights, to stay away?
Probably for the same reason it had been okay for Lola to be abused as her mom sat by,
not stopping it, not even seemingly aware of it
.
That reason would forever be a mystery to Lola; something she would never understand.

 
Lola
resented her so much and missed her just as much.
She longed to see her and at the same
time
never wanted to set eyes on her again. Her emotions were tumultuous where her mom was concerned and didn’t make much sense, not even to Lola.

 
Most of all, she just wanted to know
why
.

 
She wrapped her arms around herself, wishing she could fast forward to years from
now
, when all of th
is
would be behind her and in the past
,
instead of living
through
it
now
.

 
Her aunt told her Soc
ial Services would be coming to talk to her
and Lola would be assigned a social worker to periodically meet
with
her
. Blair would have to be
ap
proved a fit guardian
before it became legal.

 
Blair hadn’t said it, but Lola knew she’d probably have to testify against
Bob
at court. A chill went down her spine. She never wanted to see him again.
Would her mother be sitting on
Bob
’s
side of the courtroom when that time came? Would her mother have to testify?
Would charges be brought against her mother as well?

 
At least he was stuck in jail throughout the process.
That made her feel
a little more secure.

 
Lola took a shuddering breath and looked up.
She blinked her eyes against the sunlight, breathless with what she saw.
Lola slowly stood.

 
It was Jack, standing near the fence gate. His hands were shoved in the pockets of his jeans.
He had on
a Batman shirt and holey jeans
. Jack’s hair hung partially over his eyes
, his lips curled in their derisive way.

 
He was the most beautiful sight Lola had ever seen.

 
She took a staggering step toward him. He quickly closed the gap. Lola stared at him, devouring his features with her eyes. It was impossible to believe the effect Jack had on her.
 

 
“Miss me?” he said in that mocking way of his, but the unsteadiness of
Jack’
s voice belied his calm exterior.

 
Lola inhaled Jack’s
wonderful
scent
, a tremulous smile on her lips as they
embraced
.
Lola clutched him to her, loving the feel of his warm body against hers. It was scary how every part of her being reacted to his presence, to the very sight of him.

 
Eyes closed, Lola l
et everything fall away but that
very moment.
She didn’t think; she just felt. Jack’s hands went up her back, down her back. His cheek pressed against her hair. His lips grazed her temple. Rightness cocooned them.
She loved his touch, his scent,
his voice,
the way he made her feel. She
loved..
.

 
She jerked away, wide eyes trained on him.

 
Jack’s brows lowered. “What is it? Did I hurt you? Is it your chin? What, Lola?”

 
“I…um…” was all she could get out.

 
His fingers gripped her shoulders. “Talk to me. Are you okay, Lola?”

 
Lola wordlessly nodded.

 
“Then?”

 
“Nothing.
I…I’m just so happy to see you.” It was the truth.
             

 
Jack expelled a noisy breath. He looked away, nodded. “You have
no idea
how happy I am to see you.”

 
Lola’s stomach fluttered and what she was sure was a goofy smile covered her lips.

 
“I wasn’t sure the greeting I would get after what I told you last night.”

 
“Jack, you have no idea how unimportant what you told me last night is compared to everything else going on.”

 
“I don’t know if I should be offended or relieved.”

 
Lola
smiled and
rested her head on his shoulder. “You didn’t say goodbye when you left.”

 
“Sorry about that. You were finally sleeping. I didn’t want to wake you.
And the nurses kicked me out.
”
Jack grabbed her hands and held them, eyes on her.
“How’s your aunt treating you?”

 
Lola
looked at the house;
her
house. “Good. I like her.”

 
“She seems decent.”

 
“She is.” Their eyes met.

 
“I’m glad.”
Jack avoided her eyes as he said, “I have something for you.”

 
Lola gave him a curious look. “You do? What?”

 
He laughed and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s a surprise. Come on.”

 
“This isn’t going to be like last time you wanted me to do something and I met your sister that hates me, is it?”

 
“She doesn’t hate you. She just doesn’t know you. Isabelle doesn’t trust easily, which you can understand.”