“This is a gem, Kota. You really found a masterpiece.” I was proud of him.
He pulled his ponytail from his hair. “No, I remodeled this. It was a dump when I found it. I managed to transform it.”
That made everything even better. Tears filled my eyes and I blinked them away. I grabbed my bags from his hands and fled to my room. There was a gray comforter on the bed with two little pillows. Folding doors led to the closet on the back side of the room and a little window had white curtains over it.
Never in a million years had I thought I was going to come home. Never in a million years did I think I was going to be staying with one of my brothers again. The tears came and I didn’t hold them back this time. I sat on the corner of the bed and let it all out. Every feeling of frustration, fear, and sadness.
“You have been through a lot, I wish I could take it away,” Kota said from the open doorway.
I shrugged. “We’ve all been through a lot, I just chose to run from my problems and you stayed.”
“I may have stayed physically but not mentally.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Aiyanna
Dinner wasat Kia and Maze’s home. I didn’t know what to think of it. I was worried and ashamed. I honestly wanted to get back on a plane and to forget these people existed but then there were the twins. The twins that I wanted- no- needed to meet. I showered to get the travel smell from my body and looked at the two wigs I packed. I zipped them back up. I had to do this. I had to face this head-on. I couldn’t go the rest of my life hiding. I let my hair air-dry and pulled on a dress. It wasn’t fancy but it wasn’t too casual. I didn’t know how old the twins were, but I had brought them gifts anyway. That seemed like the best way to win them over for now. I hugged the framed picture from my tv stand to my chest. I had brought Vivian and Jack with me. I knew they would have loved to do this with me but I also knew they were around me still.
Their spirits were in the ground beneath my feet and wind that whipped my hair around. I closed my eyes and imagined one of Vivian’s warm hugs. I tucked the picture frame into my purse and stood up tall. Kota was sitting on the couch staring out the large window.
“Ready to go?” He didn’t look at me.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
The ride to Kia’s home was a short one. Kota hadn’t been lying when he said they lived in a richer neighborhood. The home was two stories and had a long winding driveway. When we made it to the front of the white stucco home I let out the breath I had been holding until I saw the cop car sitting there. My eyes flew to Kota but he was calm. Was this an intervention? Were they putting Dad away? Was I here to testify? Millions of thoughts ran through my head. My heart was going ninety to nothing.
Play it cool.
I tucked my trembling hands into the pockets on my dress. I plastered a fake smile on my face and then thought better of it. I pulled my phone out and typed out a quick text to Derek.
Me-Update. There’s a cop waiting at my brother’s house. Idk what this is about. I’m scared and worried.
I tucked my hands and my phone back into my pockets and followed Kota to the front door. He smiled at me reassuringly and held his hand out to me. Like a small timid child, I took his hand in mine. It was warm and reminded me of all the times he walked me home from school.
A petite redhead opened the decorative glass door. A huge smile stretched across her face. Based on her reaction this didn’t seem like an intervention. “I’m Maze,” She took a step toward me then thought better of it and took a step back. Kota rolled his eyes and released my hand. He pushed past her and into their spacious living room.
“I’m sure you already know my name, but I’m Aiyanna.” I held my hand out to her. She seemed like she wanted to hug me but I wasn’t ready for that. She looked fragile. She put her much smaller hand in mine and grinned even bigger. Which I didn’t think was possible but here we were.
“Come in please! Kia is out back grilling for us.”
All I could do was nod. Everything seemed surreal. Was I really seeing my family after all of these years? I couldn’t believe it. I felt like I was in a dream. And what about the police car? Maybe if I ignored it, he would go away and I would never have to face the music. Then another thought hit me.
What if he was here because of what I had said to Kia about putting a bullet in dad? Did they call him here because of the threat? Did they call him here because Dad was here? Every single scenario went through my head.
Kia’s home was much bigger than Kota’s but it felt plastic almost. Kia’s home had character and love built into it. This home was white walls and white couches. How did someone have white couches with twins? The kitchen was just as big as the living room but it didn’t look like it was used very often. Which was odd. My brother had married a woman that didn’t cook. My brothers ate more than anyone I had ever seen, except maybe the SEALs back home but I couldn’t compare that right now. I couldn’t afford thoughts of Derek. I had to keep my wits about me.
Where were the twins? Their gifts were tucked in my purse and I couldn’t wait to see them. As if she read my thoughts, Maze smiled at meagainand explained that they were still down for their nap. Did the woman ever stop smiling? I followed behind her to their patio that looked over a massive backyard. A massivegreenbackyard. There was no way it was real. I had never seen that much green here before and I had lived here for fourteen years at one point.
Then I spotted the uniform. He was flipping steaks on the grill. Kia turned around and gave me a serious look. His eyes started at the top of my head and finished at my toes. So he was the cop. I wondered how that made Dad feel. Did Dad know? He ran his fingers through his hair and nodded.
“You look good, kid.” His voice was familiar. The same voice that had spoken to me on the phone but that was it. I was staring at a stranger. I couldn’t even recognize his eyes. He held his arms open and this time I was more reluctant to step into them. With Kota it had been natural, with Kia it was different. It was always different. He smelled like cigars and sweat. It didn’t remind me of home or Mom like I hoped it would have. I pulled away from his embrace feeling empty but it didn’t matter because I put on a show with my face. As far as they knew I was overjoyed to be reunited with my family.
“Where is Shilah?” I asked after we sat down to eat. The twins still nowhere in sight. My oldest brother hadn’t spoken to me. At least I didn’t think any of the text messages were from him.
“He is coming into town in a few days.” Kia looked at Kota and something passed between them. I didn’t like being in the dark. I didn’t like secrets.
“Where is he living now?” I looked down at my steak as Kia went into the house for a few beers. He placed one in front of me and Maze. Kota gave him a death glare.
