Page 9 of Kiwi

4

Piper

Walking into the kitchen the following morning, I find Promise standing at the stove cooking eggs while dad sits at the table beside Jaxson, who is sitting in his highchair. "Morning, dad." I kiss the top of his head.

"Mornin', Bean," he says just before taking a sip of coffee.

"You look like crap. I'm surprised to see you up since I didn't hear you come home until nearly sunrise. You know, dad, you're getting old. You shouldn't be out partying with the guys so late." I giggle, and he glares at me over the rim of his mug.

"I'm not old." He rubs a hand down his face. "Besides, I wasn't kickin' it with the guys. I was handlin' club business."

When dad mentions club business, I know the subject is over—moving across the kitchen, I fix myself a cup of coffee.

"So, Piper, did you have any plans today?" Promise asks. "I thought we could hang out and catch up. I was going to take Jaxson to the park for a picnic."

Sitting at the table, I reach over and tickle my brother's belly, making him squeal. "I'd love to hang out with you guys. What about you, dad? Are you coming to the park with us?"

He shakes his head. "I'm meetin' with Kiwi today. He's almost finished with that bike he's been working on out at his place, and I want to check it out. I told him I might have a buddy who wants to buy it from him."

At the mention of Tai, my tummy flutters. Being around him last night was hard. All the feelings I've spent the past year trying to bury rush back.

"But don't worry," dad stands and places his mug in the kitchen sink. "I'll be back in a few hours. I want to spend some time catching up with my baby girl. I want to hear all about college life." He kisses the top of my head, does the same with Jaxson, then goes over to Promise, wraps her in a hug, and murmurs something in her ear, making her blush. I love seeing the two of them together. I love seeing my dad so happy.

A little more than an hour later, Promise and I are sitting on a blanket under a large oak tree at the park, watching Jaxson try to crawl around after a ball. "I feel like I've missed out on so much this past year. Jaxson has gotten so big. I hate that I missed some of his first milestones." I sigh. I was home on break when he was born and have been home a couple times since. But still, it's not the same. "If it weren't for Facetime, my brother wouldn't know who I am." I start picking at the blades of grass in front of me. Promise stays silent; she only nods and hums. "I'm contemplating whether or not I want to move back home."

"Is that what you want? Is this only about your brother, or is there more?"

I cut my eyes to her and huff. "Since when is there not more?" Promise and I have grown close since she came into my dad's life. She and I have talked about many things, and she probably has a good idea as to my reasons for leaving New Orleans. She's just never called me out on them.

"Can I be real with you, Piper?"

"I want you to always be real with me, Promise."

"I understand needing to escape, needing to get away and clear your head. You've been through a lot in your life. Being a part of the club is not easy. Then your mom showing up threw you for a loop. I'm not going to pretend to know what you're going through, sweetie, but I do know that keeping all that heartache bottled up inside and not working through the situation will only cause the hurt to fester. If you choose to come home, do it for you. Do it because it's what you need and because you are ready to face your fears, so you can move on with the rest of your life. Don't let too much time pass, because if you do, you will end up with a hell of a lot of 'what if's' that you'll never have the answers for."

Promise doesn't say anymore, and neither do I. The two of us sit together, quietly watching Jaxson play while I let her words roll around in my head. I spend the next two hours soaking up every second with my brother, riding down the slide with him tucked close to my chest, pushing him on the baby swing, and listening to his laughter. Soon, Jaxson becomes cranky. "It's time for his nap. How about we pack up and head home?" Promise suggests as I help her gather what's left of our lunch and pick the blanket up off the ground.

"Sounds good. I wanted to go by the clinic and say hi to Dr. Channing."

As Promise loads Jaxson into his car seat, I'm popping the trunk of her car and packing our stuff in when a strange feeling of being watched washers over me. Peering over my shoulder at the opposite end of the parking lot, I see a familiar white sedan. It's my mother.

"Is that?"

"Yup," I say, cutting Promise off as she too looks in the direction my eyes are trained. "She must have heard I was back in town. Although, I'm not sure how she found out."

"Do you want to go over and talk to her, or call your dad?" Promise asks.

I shake my head. "No. She never approaches me. She just randomly shows up when I'm out. Like that time at my graduation and a few times last summer, or when I come home to visit."

Promise cuts her eyes to me. "You know about that?"

"Yeah."

"Why didn't you say anything. Your dad and I saw her that day too, but we didn't think you had noticed."

I shrug. "She told dad she would let me come to her when I was ready. It might sound stupid, but I kind of like that she checks up on me."

"That doesn't sound stupid at all, Piper."