A New Hope (The Second Chance Series Book 2) (11 page)

Karla stayed in the kitchen while Leslie went to answer the door. When Mrs. Jones walked in Karla squealed in delight and hugged the older woman tightly. “Mrs. Jones, it is so good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you too, honey. It’s hard to believe that a year has passed already.”

“I was just thinking about that this morning. It’s hard to believe how much has happened this past year. I thank God every day that I tried to steal from you.” Karla said with a laugh. When Andrew, Elliot and Manuel walked in Karla introduced Mrs. Jones to her brothers. “Mrs. Jones, these are my brothers, Elliot and Manuel. Guys, this is Mrs. Jones, one of the angels I met a year ago.”

“Hello y’all.” Mrs. Jones said to the guys as she shook their hands. As she was fixing to say something else the doorbell rang again and Kiara came downstairs. Andrew answered the door as Karla introduced Kiara and Mrs. Jones. Conner, Callie and Rylee walked into the house as soon as the door opened and Mrs. Jones smiled. “I’ve heard many things about y’all.” She said to them when they walked up to Karla.

“All good I hope.” Rylee said with a small smile.

“All good.” Mrs. Jones assured her.

“Okay everyone. Let’s head to the backyard and get this party started.” Andrew said from the kitchen door. “Hey kids, do you want to set up the yard games for me?”

They all nodded their heads and grabbed the games from the garage before they went into the yard. Over the next hour they sat up the games and laughed together. When Leslie led Trent and John out the back door Karla and Conner were beating Callie and Elliot in a game of horseshoes and Kiara and Rylee were taking on Manuel and Andrew in badminton.

When Karla looked up and saw them her face broke into a huge smile and she ran over to them. “I am so glad you could both make it. How have you been?”

“I’ve been doing good, Karla and it seems you have been too.” John said with a smile.

“I have been. It’s hard to believe the difference a year makes.” She answered and turned to Trent. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her in a brotherly hug.

“Happy birthday, kiddo.” He said with a grin. “It’s hard to believe it`s been a year.”

When Elliot, Manuel and Kiara walked up Karla introduced them to Trent and John.

“Well,” Andrew said from behind them, “it seems everyone is here except for Bob and his family. I guess it’s time to fire up the grill and get this party started.”

Andrew had just put the first of the burgers on the grill when Bob, Meghan and Harvey walked into the yard from the gate. “We rang the doorbell, but no one came so we came back here.” Harvey yelled out above the noise.

“Little man!” Karla yelled out and ran to him. “You finally made it.”

Harvey let out a giggle when Karla scooped him up and spun him around in several quick circles. “Put me down, Karla. I`m gonna puke.”

Karla stopped spinning him and sat him on his wobbly legs. “Well we can’t have you puke and miss eating this yummy cake Leslie made.” She pointed at the cake sitting on the table on the porch.

“Oh wow. Is that your birthday cake, Karla?”

“Yes, sir it is. Want me and you to take it and hide with it so we can eat it all ourselves?”

“Don’t even think about it.” Rylee said from behind them. “If you do I’ll have to come too. Think there’s enough for three?”

Harvey giggled and nodded his head rapidly, which caused the girls to burst out laughing.

“Come on, little man, let’s see what you and I can play together.” Karla said as she grabbed his hand and led him to the games they’d set up just for him.

Leslie and Meghan watched as Karla got down on the ground and played ring toss with Harvey. “She is so good with him.” Meghan observed.

“Yes she is. Despite the childhood she had, she will make an excellent mother someday.” Leslie said with a smile. She never thought she’d be the mother of a teenager at her age, but now she was the mother of two and loved every minute of it.

“How’s Elliot adapting?” Bob asked when he walked over to them.

“He has his good days and his bad, but for the most part he’s doing great. He’s dyslexic and Karla has been working with him on his reading. She researched the crap out of it and figured out a few different ways of teaching him that really work.” Leslie said as she continued to watch Karla with Harvey. They had moved from ring toss to beanbag toss and she was down on her knees so they were the same height.

“Leave it to Karla to figure out what would stump most adults.” Bob said with a grin. He was watching her and Harvey too.

“Look at her. How many teenagers would leave their friends to entertain a child?” Meghan asked in awe.

“I can name four,” Leslie said as Conner, Callie and Rylee walked over and started playing with Harvey too.

They all stood there and watched them go from game to game as Harvey laughed and played. Before Andrew announced that the food was ready Elliot, Kiara and Manuel had joined the others in the kiddie games with Harvey.

“Food’s ready.” Andrew yelled over the laughter coming from the corner of the yard. He’d been watching them all too, but wasn’t surprised. He knew these kids and knew how they were.

They all sat around the table and at the bar of the screened-in porch and Andrew looked around at the group of people. They’d had several barbeques here over the past few years, but this was the best one he’d ever been to. “Before we eat I want to say something.” He said and everyone fell silent. “A year ago this house was empty, void of the things it needed to truly make it a home. Yes, Leslie and I had our love for one another, but something was missing. There was an emptiness within these walls, but now that emptiness is gone. It’s been filled with laughter and endless love. I thank God every day that Karla was brought into our lives. John, Trent, Mrs. Jones and Bob, I want to thank you all for taking such good care of her that day and Bob, I especially want to thank you for bringing her into my ER that night. Without you four Karla would not be here and we wouldn’t have the family we had longed for.”

They all smiled at him and nodded. He looked at Karla for a moment before looking around at all the faces of the people there. “Now, let’s eat.” He said and they all erupted in cheers.    

The afternoon passed quickly. After they ate they played games and laughed together until the sun started to descend in the sky. Before they left Trent, Mrs. Jones and John all pulled Karla to the side and gave her a small gift, but told her not to open them until after she opened what Andrew and Leslie got her. She hugged them all tight and watched them leave before she turned back to her friends and family. She saw Andrew in the corner of the yard in deep conversation with Bob and briefly wondered what that was about, but before she could think about it too much Conner grabbed her hand and pulled her to the horseshoe pit.

****

Andrew was talking to Bob about his concerns regarding Chase and his father. “Bob, I know he’s a well-respected attorney, but the signs were all there. When that boy saw us there he was scared to death. I think he dad hits him.”

“I’ll check into it Andrew, but without some kind of hard proof there isn’t much I can do about it.”

“I understand that. I’ll see if Callie knows anything, but if Chase is like most teenagers he knows how to hide it well.”

“Andrew, not every frightened boy is going through what you did.” Bob said with a weary look.

“I know Bob, but this boy had true fear on his face when he was talking to his father. He was a mirror image of me at that age. I just hope we can get him some help before he goes down the same road I did.”

“I’ll look into it Andrew. Now I think we should give the birthday girl her gifts before it gets too late.”

“Thank you, Bob.” Andrew said and walked over to where Karla and the others were playing horseshoes. “Are you ready to open your gifts, honey?”

“Oh yeah,” she answered with a grin and they all moved back to the porch.

Callie handed her pretty pink package over first. When Karla opened it she grinned and pulled it out for everyone to see. It was concert tickets to see their favorite band play. Next was Rylee’s gift, which was also wrapped in pink. Inside was a set of three rings, each with the words
Best Friends
engraved on them. On the inside of each ring there was a small
CKR
engraved in intertwining letters. Tears filled Karla’s eyes as she pulled each ring from its velvety bed. She placed one on Callie’s right index finger, one on Rylee’s and the final one on hers. “I will never take this off.”

“Neither will we.” The other two said in unison.

“Okay, okay, enough girly stuff.” Conner said with a smile. “Here you go.” He handed Karla a black and pink gift bag with pink tissue paper sticking out of the top.

“Callie wrapped this didn’t she?” Karla teased him.

“Yeah, but it’s what’s inside that matters.” He teased back. He was slightly nervous about how she’d react to his gift, but it was too late to change it now.

When she pulled out the small blue jewelry box and opened it she gasped and her face lit up in a huge smile. She looked up at Conner as he took the box out of her hands. “Karla, this necklace is a promise. It’s a promise that I will always be here for you, no matter what. It’s a promise that I will always love you, forever.” Then he took the necklace out of the box and put it around her neck.

When he walked back around her Leslie stood up and looked at the necklace closely. It was a two silver hearts linked together on a thin silver chain. “It’s beautiful Conner.” Leslie told him.

Karla sat there silently as everyone walked up and admired the necklace. Conner had just told her he loved her and she was speechless. After everyone was finished looking at the necklace Andrew handed her a small gift bag. “This is from Elliot, Kiara, Manuel, Leslie and I. We hope you like it.”

She opened the bag and pulled out a Pandora charm bracelet. On it were three charms, a small
K,
the word
Sister
and the word
Daughter.
Tears filled her eyes as she looked at the bracelet. “It’s perfect,” she said, her voice thick with emotion.

“We’re glad you like it.” Leslie said as she sat beside her. “We wanted to give you something that can be added to over the years, but we didn’t want a childlike charm bracelet.”

“Now, open the gifts from John, Mrs. Jones and Trent.” Andrew told her with a grin. “I think you’ll like them.”

She smiled and opened Trent’s first. It was a small charm shaped like a jar of peanut butter. When she saw it she burst out laughing and passed it around to everyone so they could see it. When she pulled herself together she opened the one from John. He had gotten her a birthstone charm and it sparkled in the porch light. Finally she opened Mrs. Jones’ gift. When she saw it her eyes filled with tears. It was a small silver heart charm with the word
Love
written inside it. When she handed the bracelet and charms to Andrew so he could put them on, Meghan sat one more, small gift box beside her. Karla opened it and found another charm.
Family
is what was on this one and another tear came to her eye. She handed it to Andrew and hugged Meghan tightly. Then she hugged Bob. As soon as she released him, Harvey launched himself into her arms and hugged her tight.

“We will always be family.” He said and she kissed the top of his head.

“Yes we will, little man.” She said and looked around at her family.
Yes we will,
she thought to herself as the last of the light faded from the sky. 

“Today was the best birthday I have ever had.” Karla said as she sat at the kitchen table with Leslie, Andrew, Kiara, Manuel and Elliot. Everyone else had left just a little while ago.

“I’m glad honey.” Leslie said with a smile. “We wanted it to be a party to remember.”

“It definitely was that.” Karla smiled as the touched the bracelet, necklace and ring she got today. They were all from different people, but they all represented exactly what she had been longing for most of her life. Family and friends.

“Do you have plans for tomorrow?” Leslie asked her.

“If you aren’t busy I was hoping we could show Manuel, Kiara and Elliot around a little.” Karla said hopefully.

“That sounds like a great plan.” Leslie agreed with a smile. “I think we should get an early start so we can catch some of fun stuff that happens downtown.”

“Well, in that case, goodnight everyone.” Karla said and grinned at her siblings before she went upstairs, took a shower and climbed into bed.

The next morning Elliot, Manuel and Kiara were excited about seeing Nashville. As they climbed in the car they talked about what they were going to do. Their day started with the breakfast tour of The Hermitage, President Andrew Jackson’s home and from there they explored all there was to see downtown.

****

While Leslie and the kids explored the city Andrew stopped by the Newberry’s house on his way to work. When Mark answered the door Andrew stepped inside. “Hey, Mark. I need to speak with Conner if I may.”

“Oh no. What’s he done?” Mark inquired as he led Andrew into the family room.

“He hasn’t done anything. I just want to talk to him about his and Karla’s relationship.”

“Finally saw it did you?” Mark asked with a chuckle.

“Oh, I have seen it for a while, but he said something yesterday that made me see just how serious he is and I just want to talk to him. I need to make sure that he doesn’t hurt her.”

“Sir, I would never hurt her.” Conner said from behind them. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I just came down for a snack and walked in on the end of the conversation.”

“It’s alright, Conner.” Andrew said as he walked closer to the boy. “I just have some concerns. You know everything she’s been through and I know you would never intentionally hurt her, but things happen. Teenagers grow into adults and most of the time the feelings we have as teenagers aren’t the same feelings we have as adults.”

“I understand that sir, and I can’t argue with what you said. All I can do is try to explain to you how I feel.”

“Okay. I’ll listen to what you have to say.” Andrew said and they all walked into the kitchen and sat at the table.

“The day I met Karla I instantly knew there was something different, something special, about her. I couldn’t explain it then and I can’t explain it now, but I was enthralled by her. The moment Rylee introduced her to Callie and me, I knew there was something different about her. I know we’re both young and I know that feelings change, but how I feel about Karla will never change. Even before we became a couple I couldn’t see another girl the way I see Karla. The night of the Halloween dance, when I saw her dancing with someone else, it broke my heart. I still didn’t share my feelings with her though. I didn’t want to ruin the friendship we had. I knew that if we started dating and then broke up that it would tear our group apart and I couldn’t risk that. On Thanksgiving we finally confessed to the other how we felt, but we decided to keep it on a friendship only level because neither of us were willing to risk that friendship.” Conner paused for a minute and grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge.

“I was beyond stupid that day. My words pushed her toward James and I will never forgive myself for her getting hurt. I know it was James who hurt her, but I’m to blame as well. If I hadn’t made that stupid comment about us only ever being friends she would have never accepted his invitation that day. When I got the text from her telling us she was sick and leaving I knew something was wrong.” He paused to take a drink of his water. “I was so scared when we started hearing rumors about her getting hurt. I wanted to call immediately, but Ry insisted we wait until lunch and find out what happened. I was sick when we found out that he had attacked her. That’s the day I realized how much I love her. Before either of you say anything, I know love is a powerful word, but it’s the only word that can be used to describe how I feel about her.”

“Conner, you and Karla are only fifteen years old. I know what you feel is strong, I can see it when you’re together, but I’m concerned that your feelings will change and one of you will get really hurt.” Andrew told him. The worry over both Conner and Karla was evident in his voice.

“Sir, if Karla wants something different I will step back and let her have it. I meant what I said yesterday though. That necklace is a promise. I will always be there for, even if it’s only in a friend capacity and I will always love her. She is forever in my heart.”

“I guess we will just have to watch and see how it all unfolds. I just want you to take it slow with her. She isn’t as strong as she would like everyone to believe.” Andrew told him as he stood from the table.

“I know that sir. Believe me, I know that. There are times when she still gets that lost look in her eyes that was there the day we met. It isn’t there often, but when it is I do everything in my power to get her to smile. Her smile is one of the most beautiful things in the world.” Conner stood up too and stretched out his hand to Andrew. “Dr. Peterson, I love Karla and I know we’re young. I promise you that I will never do anything to cause her smile to fade.”

Andrew grasped his hand and shook it like a man. “Conner, you may only be fifteen, but you have more intelligence and love than most men twice your age. When you’re older and come to me to ask for Karla’s hand remember this conversation. I know I will.”

“I will, too, sir.” Conner answered, grabbed a Coke from the fridge and went back upstairs.

“Wow,” Mark said as he watched his son leave, “I don’t think I’ve ever been this proud of one of my sons. Conner seems to know exactly what he’s doing and how he feels.”

“I agree,” Andrew said as he and Mark walked to the front door. “I just hope it all plays out the way he hopes. I’d hate to see one of them get hurt.”

“Me too, Andrew. Me too.” Mark responded as Andrew walked out the door.