Prologue
Little Rock, Arkansas
1994
It’s not my fault.”
Jade sighed, closing her eyes as her foster brother complained on the other line. Although they hadn’t lived in the same home for more than nine years after she aged out of the foster system and went to the University of Central Arkansas, she still felt responsible for him. She always had, from the moment he walked into Madeline and John Westin’s house and was introduced to her as her new foster sibling. His wide, scared brown eyes, overgrown curly black out-of-control hair, and gaunt frame touched her fifteen-year-old heart. Logan Mitchell had held it ever since.
But that neglected, frightened child was now twelve years old, and once again he was in lots of trouble. And as always, it wasn’t his fault. While he continued his tirade of blaming everyone else but himself for his predicament, Jade opened her eyes and glanced at the clock on the wall in her tiny office atThe Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. In a little while she had to meet Sebastian fortheir lunch date. Despite her frustration with her brother, she smiled a little.
If anyone had told her when she joined the accounting department at the paper six months ago that she would be having weekly lunches with the most incredible man she’d ever met, much less date him for four months, she would have said they were crazy. Jade didn’t date. She didn’t do much socializing either. But that had changed since she met handsome Sebastian Hudson. He might be a newspaper columnist, but he had the body of an athlete—not surprising since he played football in high school.“Tight end,”he’d told her.“Bench rider too, although I did play in a couple of games my senior year. My coach felt sorry for me.”
She had no idea what a tight end was, but she had no complaints about his backside or the rest of him. And she wasn’t surprised he downplayed his role on the team. Sebastian wasn’t just good-looking and charming. He was humble, which made him even sexier.
“When can you get me out of here?” Logan whined. “These people suck.”
Her temple started to throb, and she was a little irritated that Logan had interrupted her Sebastian reverie. “Those people are trying to help you. And you wouldn’t be in youth detention if you hadn’t been caught smoking marijuana behind the school building. Henderson, right?”
“Pulaski Heights,” he muttered. “You can’t even remember where I go to school.”
She tried to ignore the guilt his words triggered, and logically she couldn’t be expected to remember all the schools he’d gone to over the past several years. Logan had been in one foster care and child home after another since she left the Westins. That made her feel guilty too. She could have stayed at their house as an adult,like they offered, and could have commuted to UALR instead of going to UCA and living on campus. She could have continued to be the surrogate mother she’d been to him since day one. If she’d given up her dream of finally living a normal life, maybe Logan wouldn’t have gone off the rails.
“It was only one joint anyway.” He sniffed. “I promise I’ll follow the rules.”
“You said that the last time—”
“I mean it now.” His voice wavered. “Please, Jade. I just wanna go home.”
Her heart broke. Logan didn’t have a home—not a real, permanent one. Until she graduated college and got her own apartment, she didn’t either. Not since she was nine.It’s not fair.Logan didn’t deserve to live a transient life like she did. Like so many other kids had to. “I’ll see what I can do,” she said, looking at her suddenly shaking hands. “I’ll call Mr. Brink.”
“Who’s he?”
“My lawyer.” She paused. Should she tell him? Get his hopes up when she wasn’t sure she could deliver on the promise?
“Thanks, Jade,” he said, sounding relieved. “You’re the best. I miss you.”
“Miss you too.” Her fingers grew steadier now that he sounded appeased.
“I wish I could live with you.”
“I know.” He said that every time they talked on the phone or met in person, usually once a month and on holidays. Even though she wasn’t around all the time, she made sure to be a presence in his life. Unfortunately she had limited influence on him. This time he sounded so dejected she had to give him some hope. “Mr. Brink is trying to figure out something.”
“Like what?”
“Like me adopting you.”
“Really? You’re going to adopt me?”
She grinned, his excitement fueling hers. “I’m trying to.” She heard someone yell his name in the background.
“I gotta go. Social worker time.” His tone turned crabby again.
“Do what they say, Logan, and stay out of trouble.”
“I will.”
“I mean it. I love you, and I’ll always be here for you—”
