I was going to miss him too and couldn’t wait to be with him again.
Was this what love felt like?
* * *
Minutes after Lyric had left,I wanted to call him back.
I’d barely gotten dressed when Jett was yelling at my door that someone was coming up the driveway.
I ran from my room terrified of who it might be. Beyond Lyric or Jett’s friends, we didn’t have visitors and certainly not people that we weren’t already aware would be coming. The last time people showed up unannounced it didn’t turn out to be a good thing at all.
Gramps went for his shotgun while I peeked out the window to see a petite lady running from her car to our house as rain pelted down on her and the wind practically picked her up and blew her away. Somehow she made it to the porch and flipped her hood off of her coat.
Lyric was right.
I didn’t have to go looking for my sister because I knew right then that they found me. I sucked in a breath at the realization that this woman was about to drop some serious news and I hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to my family who was standing behind me ready to go to battle if the person coming to the door meant more harm.
They didn’t have an inkling of the bomb she was about to drop, but I did.
When the doorbell rang and a series of knocks sounded on the thick, wooden front door, I whirled around to face my family. I didn’t have time to say much but in a rush, I tried to prepare them in some sense.
“Gramps put the gun away.” I shook my head. I loved the man but him and his guns, I swear. “The person out there isn’t going to hurt us.”
I cringed at my choice of words because they were not exactly true. What she had to say would hurt, I knew that without a doubt. My grandpa would grieve his daughter something fierce even if she had left the family long ago. And I wasn’t sure how Jett would take it. But both would be stunned when they found out about Autumn.
“Please keep in mind that what she has to say is something I just found out about late last night. I was planning on telling you today, but it looks like she’s going to beat me to it.”
More knocks sounded and I couldn’t wait any longer.
As I walked to the door, I heard Gramps scramble off to put his shotgun away.
Thank gosh.
I couldn’t imagine what the lady would have thought had she seen it. It certainly wouldn’t have cast us in the best light when I had every intention of doing anything I could to bring my sister home to us.
My nerves kicked into gear as I opened the door and stared at the woman on the other side. A million thoughts raced through my head. Would she like us? What would she think of our home? When I disclosed what happened with the men and police at our home a few weeks earlier, would she feel like we couldn’t provide a safe place for my sister? The list of worries went on.
All I knew for certain was that Autumn was meant to be with us and I’d do anything to make sure that happened.
She was family.
“Are you Ruby Adams?” the woman asked.
My voice wobbled, slightly. “Yes.”
The woman’s hand reached to shake mine. “I’m Janet Robinson with Child Protective Services out of Washington.”
“What in the world is going on?” my grandfather’s gruff and confused voice asked from behind me.
This was not going to be easy.
“Please come in,” I told the woman.
I shut the door behind her as she moved inside the house. “You’ll have to excuse some of the shock that will likely come from you being here. I just learned about the situation last night and have not yet had a chance to talk to my grandfather or brother.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I was also not aware of Autumn until then either.”
The woman gave me a sympathetic smile. “Please allow me to say I am sorry about your loss and I will do everything I can to handle the situation, making it the best for everyone involved.”
Janet seemed nice and sounded like she cared right off the bat so that helped ease some tension. I knew what was best for my sister was to be with family and I wanted to take care of her. When I first found out about her, there was never a doubt in my mind.
