Okay then. I take another pull from my vanilla shake and roll to a stop at a red light. The car's silence is freaky and more than a little unnerving.
"So what are you going to do? About the baby?" She lowers her voice. "Are you having it?"
The questions emerge right as the light turns green, and I don't take my eyes off the road, despite the girl's blunt question. "I am. I have a lot to figure out, but Bronwyn is basically my only family, and…I think I need a fresh start. Carolina Cove seems like the place to do it." And since it's literally across the country and as far away from my baby's father as I can get… Winner, winner.
"I can help," Madi says softly. "I mean, if I'm still here, I'll help."
I frown at her words. "What do you mean if you're still here?"
The girl pulls at the hem of her shorts.
"I don't know. My mom could come back or something. If Kace has rehab and therapy, he might be away for a while. I'm sure his friends will keep Dani, but…I'm not a kid. I don't actually need anyone to take care of me," she says, sounding defensive. "But he might not want me to stay at the house alone."
"Madi, your uncle isn't going to kick you out."
She huffs. "He might. My own mom didn't want me. She dumped me on Kace and didn't exactly give him a choice. Now he's hurt, and he's got Dani to deal with. He doesn't need to worry about another kid, especially one that's not even his."
The girl's words ring with truth and anger and an aggressive edge of fear. My heart tugs because I know that soul-sucking hole well. That awareness of being alone and on the peripheral but not part of the true inner circle of family and friends. Of wondering what—if any—value you hold to people who have people of their own. "Look, I don't know your uncle well, but from what I can tell, he's an upstanding guy."
"Doesn't mean he wants an extra kid though."
"I suppose it doesn't," I admit. "But think of it this way, if nothing else. You are his family, and he seems very protective of his family. Also, you've been a great help in watching Dani."
"So you're saying if I make myself useful, maybe Kace won't ditch me like my mom?"
"I'm saying," I stress, "that just because your arrival wasn't planned, you aren't going to be forgotten. Kace loves you, and Bronwyn adores you and so do I," I add, despite having known the teenager for such a short time.
Madison doesn't need any signs of hesitation right now. She needs reassurance. Just like I do. And since Zoey gave me that reassurance, the least I can do for Madi is offer the same. "We all have a lot to figure out at the moment, but we will figure it out. No one's going to be left out in the cold—or in this case the heat. Okay? I mean it."
Madison turns her head and stares out the passenger window while I tell myself I've said all the right things—I just need to believe them for myself.
And maybe her too.
Two hours later, I'm on Bronwyn's second-floor balcony, watching random fireworks explode around the area when I hear the sliding doors behind me open.
I’d dropped the girls off at Kace's house where Pierce waited on the porch and then returned to the bookstore through gobs of traffic and pedestrians making their way to the boardwalk for Carolina Cove's fireworks show.
"Hey, how'd it go at the hospital?"
I shift on the lounger to peer up at her and see Gabriel Wolfe emerging from the door behind her. I sit up because I'm no longer alone, taking note that Bronwyn looks relaxed, even though today's bookstore grand opening was such a big deal. "It went fine, but—I'm going to be blunt since Gabe is here."
"Okay," Bronwyn says with a glance at her love. "What's going on?"
"I don't know what Kace has worked out for the kids long-term, but Madi is more than a little freaked out she won't be included in it."
Maybe I should feel bad that I'm sharing the girl's fears, but now's not the time for such a thing to be ignored. Her presence and inclusion needs to be addressed so she's at ease. As an adult, I'm expected to handle things on my own but as a kid? Madison needs—deserves—help and reassurance. "I think a conversation or two letting her know she won't be forgotten might be in order."
Bronwyn's surprise registers, and she shares another glance with Gabe before looking back at me.
"She told you that?"
"We're both outsiders here," I conclude aloud. "And she considers herself the spare kid dumped on Kace. With him now hurt…yeah. She's worried and trying to figure out what to do if she's kicked out soon."
"That poor girl," Bronwyn says. "She's been through so much. No kid should ever worry about being left behind."
"I'll make sure Kace talks to her," Gabe adds. "We don't abandon family. Whatever the plan, she's a factor in it."
I nod, relieved to hear it. I mean, I didn't think Madison would actually be left to fend for herself, but given all that Kace has to deal with, who knows if he's even aware that the girl has doubts as to her welcome? The fire chief's words help reassure me that the teenager will be considered.
