Bittersweet Hope (19 page)

“He told me he had Sadie.” I whispered. “I thought I was saving her.”

Caleb put his hand over his forehead, shaking his head. He pursed his lips and ran his fingers over my face, his simple touch making me feel like I was home.

“Audrey?” Sadie’s voice sounded small and afraid. She and Sierra peered in at me from where they stood beside Anna.

“I love you guys.” I said, looking at my sisters. It was all they needed to hear. “I’m going to be fine, don’t worry.”

Sadie’s face twisted as she began to sob. “I’m so sorry, Audrey. For everything.”

“It’s okay.” Exhaustion crept up on me and I lay back on the stretcher, Caleb’s hand caressing mine as the men shut the doors, explaining that Anna and my sisters would follow us to the hospital.

“Everything is going to be okay now.” I whispered, more to myself than anyone else. And I knew it was true.

Chapter Twenty-Six

One Month Later

Caleb and I sat at the kitchen table, reading brochures for college. He was going to a four year university in the next town over. I hadn’t applied anywhere—there was no point in trying for something I couldn’t have. If I worked for a year, maybe two, after graduation maybe I could save up enough to go for a semester. But, with my birthday coming up, I was about to be out on my own. That would mean bills. Rent, utilities, food…my stomach tied itself in knots just thinking about it.

“Hey. What are you guys doing?” Anna walked down the steps, a basket of laundry balanced on her slender hip.

“Just looking through these. I’m trying to co
nvince Audrey to go with me this fall.” Caleb smiled and bumped his shoulder against mine.

I rolled my eyes. “I’ve already told you I can’t go to college yet.”

Anna and Caleb shared a look, a knowing glance between the two of them that made it seem like they had inside knowledge I didn’t.

“What?” I asked, putting the papers I was holding on the kitchen table. “What are you guys smiling at?” My eyes shifted from one of them to the other as I squinted, trying to figure out what they were hiding.

“I just don’t see why you can’t afford to go to school, that’s all.” Caleb shrugged.

“Yeah.” Anna said. “Whatever job you get should give you more than enough money to get you through, if you only take a few classes a semester. And you haven’t even applied for any scholarships.”

Of course I hadn’t. Up until a couple of months ago college was the very farthest thing from my mind. I’d missed all the deadlines.

“You know if won’t be enough. It’s not like flipping burgers or scanning groceries is going to make me a bazillion dollars. All of that money will have to go toward living expenses.”

“What living expenses?” Anna asked, raising her eyebrows as she headed to the laundry room off the kitchen. She started sorting whites and darks into the hampers.

“Oh, gee, I don’t know. Rent, water. That kind of stuff.”

Anna stuck her head out and looked at me, frowning. “You silly girl. I would never charge you for rent and water!” She shook her head and went back to her laundry.

“Wha--?” I switched my glance to Caleb. He held his brochure in front of him, his eyes large. I reached over and plucked it from his fingers.

“You might be able to read it better if it wasn’t upside down.” I told him. “Now, just what is going on?” He knew good and well I was leaving when I turned eighteen. We’d talked about it. We’d talked about a lot of stuff since Zach had held me captive. Every day Caleb was there, helping me feel whole again. Every day he’d shown me how much he loved me. And he knew that when I turned eighteen we wouldn’t be living together anymore, but we’d both promised that it wouldn’t mean anything had to change.

“Hey! Where are you guys?” The door slammed in the front of the house.

“In here!” Anna’s voice rang out from the laundry room.

Sadie came into the kitchen and put her backpack in the empty chair beside Caleb, then slid into the one on my other side.

“Man. That study group is brutal! I’ll be glad when these stupid exams are over.” She looked at the papers spread out over the surface of the table. “What are we doing?”

I looked
my sister over—it was amazing what she’d gone through in just a few short months. From the brink and back again, she’d said. It was only a couple of days after my rescue that she came to live with us. Anna told Mrs. Anderson she’d be happy to have her, and it was just that easy. I smirked, knowing how short of a leash the Gable’s were keeping Tori on now. Little brat deserved it. She’d tried to talk her way out of it, but Sadie had stepped up and confessed everything to Mr. and Mrs. Gable, and they believed her.

Even if I did have to leave soon, I knew Sadie would be okay here with Anna. Caleb would be here too, for a while at least. He didn’t want his mom to have to pay for him a place when he would be going to school so close. I secretly thought he didn’t much want to leave her. It might have been different had his dad been around.

Sierra was safe too, at the Morton’s. Part of me had worried she would feel left out when Sadie came to live with us here, but she wasn’t. She like where she was, and she told me to get over myself. Same old Sierra, even if she did let her softer side through a bit more now.

“We’re trying to convince Audrey to go to school. But she thinks she can’t pay for it because of rent.” Caleb’s voice broke into my thoughts as he answered Sadie.

“Ohhh—“ My sister’s face broke into a wide smile. “I see. Why would you have to pay rent, Aud?” She widened her eyes.

“Okay, just what the heck is going on here?” Their faces were both red, like they were about to bust. Either from wanting to laugh or from trying to hold in a secret, I wasn’t sure, but it was driving me crazy.

Anna came out of the laundry room and walked around to my chair, placing her hand on my shoulder. “You don’t need to worry about money to live. I want you to stay here, Audrey. Do you really think I would be able to let you strike out on your own, with no money and no real place to go? C’mon girl. Don’t you know me better than that?”

A flood of emotions poured inside of me, feeling like a monsoon erupting in my heart. I’d heard what she said—but I couldn’t grasp it. She wanted me to stay here, but once I turned eighteen she wouldn’t get a stipend from the state anymore for my care.

“But…but…” I sputtered, not being able to come up with any words. Speechless was not usually a way somebody could describe me, but right now I couldn’t think of anything to say.

“No buts.” Anna called as she went into the living room and sat down to watch the news. “You’re staying.”

Caleb stood and kissed my cheek, a reminder of what was to be later that night, in front of the pond. We still met there nearly every night. We’d refused to let what happened ruin that special place for us. Whether we were talking, or just sitting, it didn’t matter. He hadn’t tried to move too fast after Zach…after everything that had happened. I knew he wouldn’t be able to wait forever, and I didn’t really want him to. But we would wait long enough. Learning to let go of things was something engrained in me from the time I was very small, and I was slowly letting go of what Zach had done to me. It wasn’t easy, and I wasn’t close to there yet. But I would get there, and I knew Caleb would be waiting for me when I did.

He walked into the living room to join his mother on the sofa. Sadie reached across the table and put her warm hand in mine, squeezing it. “Are you happy?”

I nodded, still not able to find the words to best describe the amazing feelings running rampant inside of me. Feelings that until not too long ago, I had only dreamed about amid the dark skies which used to cloud my life. I never thought this happiness could be found, I figured I would live in absolute misery forever, taking care of my mother and worrying about my sisters. But so many things had changed in such a short amount of time.

Happiness had finally found me. Love had come with it, tied in a bow and delivered right on top of my lap. My sisters were going to be okay. And so was I. I would always be okay, and have the comforting knowledge that whatever came my way, I would face it. And I wouldn’t even have to do it all alone.