Spinning around I almost had a heart attack when I saw Kellie standing there.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to…”
“It’s fine. I was just checking…”
“Did you want to take her?”
“Nah. You’ve got her.”
Staring at the photos that lined the wall made this trip down memory lane a little harder. I swallowed down the lump of emotion as I stared at a very young, smiling Cassidy in her prom dress posing for the camera. The whole wall was lined with picture frames. It was a haphazard mess, with seemingly no order or structure but there on the walls in Marianne’s small Texan home, the walls told a story. They told the story of a family, who grew up, had adventures, and lived a full life. Cassidy and Kellie’s childhood was chronicled in pictures. Even though I’d been here before, I couldn’t remember seeing them and I’m pretty sure that if I had, I would’ve given Cass so much shit for the photo of her sulking behind a birthday cake with frosting on her face, her hair in pigtails.
“Mom’s been updating it,” Kellie offered.
“I bet the tabloids would’ve paid good money for some of these,” I chuckled pointing at a picture of Kellie and Cassidy proudly standing in front of a lopsided tent in their swimsuits.
“Probably.” Kellie shrugged, reaching for her daughter.
I felt like shit. I shouldn’t have mentioned money. I knew it was a sore point for them and before we headed back to Chicago, I’d already decided we needed to have a conversation about Cassidy’s will and what was going on.
“Who’s this?” I asked, pointing to a picture of what looked like a happy family.
Cassidy, Kellie, Marianne, and a guy, who I assumed was Jeremy, all stood in front of a Christmas tree that was lit up with a million and one lights, all in matching pajamas. But there was also someone standing beside Kellie I didn’t recognize.
“Who?” Kellie asked, stepping closer while Cassie fussed.
“This guy here. I’m assuming that’s your father.”
“Yeah. That’s the sperm donor,” Kellie spat, obviously there was no love lost there.
“The other guy is Steven.”
I turned around to find Marianne and Skye had joined us making the hallway a little crowded.
“Who’s Steven?” Skye asked.
“He was our foster brother.”
“Oh.” Cassidy had never mentioned having a foster brother.
“Where is he now?” I asked, looking closer at him.
There wasn’t much to him. He was taller than Cassidy and as skinny as a string bean. His face was pasty and his chin covered in acne. But it was the scowl on his face, the completely unimpressed vibe he was throwing out, that had me taking a second look.
“I don't know. I haven’t heard from him in years. I just put that picture up because it was the last Christmas we had as a… as a family,” Marianne tried to explain.
Skye wriggled in front of me, to take a closer look. When her eyes went wide, I knew something was wrong.
“What? What is it?”
“I know this guy. I mean, I’ve met him.” Her voice wobbled and concern fell across us all. Even Cassie screeched and Kellie quickly excused herself to go tend to her daughter.
“What do you mean, you’ve met him?”
“In Chicago. He was at the concert. He tried to get backstage. Said he knew Cassidy and she’d want to see him. Security wouldn’t let him through so he spat on me.”
“He what!” I boomed, disgusted that someone, anyone would actually spit on another person.
“Yeah, and then he showed up again in Philadelphia. Oh fuck! Hayden! Do you think…”
