Especially my mom. She had literally carried me inside her. Our hearts had once been right up against each other. That was a bond only a mother and child could understand. Didn’t that give us some kind of connection that would alert her that I was still very much alive?
I pushed the thought away, knowing how ridiculous it truly was. It hadn’t meant shit where Ryan was concerned, and apparently it didn’t work with my mom either.
Hoping my parents were still those same creatures of habit, I drove the nondescript black car through town and parked a few blocks from my childhood home. That was one of the great things about having a cargo plane at my disposal. I could take a car with me so I didn’t have to rent one—or, if push came to shove, steal one. Not that I was opposed to grand theft, but it just made things so much easier in the long run.
It was nearly midnight, but it was a Saturday night, one of the busiest for the bar. Dad would be helping out his brothers, and Mom would be at home, waiting up for him. I’d logged in to Ryan’s app to check on the cameras he’d put up around the house to watch me while I was still living with my parents, only to find they had been turned off. From what I could tell, the cameras were still there and could be activated with a click of a button, but for the moment, they weren’t on. The only people I needed to worry about were Aunt Raven and Uncle Bash, but if things got really crazy at Hannigans’, then they both went in to help out.
With my hair pulled into a ponytail and tucked under the black hood of my sweatshirt, I moved like a shadow through the darkness. My bedroom was on the second floor, but much to Ryan’s frustration, I’d always kept my window unlocked. Hoping it still was, I climbed up the tree in the backyard. My shoulder still wasn’t fully healed, but I hadn’t told anyone about the continued issues I had with it. Between worrying over Cali and the baby as well as running the business, I already had too much on my plate to deal with possible surgery if something happened to be torn in it. I had to take it as easy as I could getting from branch to branch, all while making sure no one was looking out the window next door at Matt and Rory’s house.
It was a relief when I got high enough to jump onto the roof. Finding the window to my room thankfully unlocked, I slipped inside and closed it just as soundlessly. I hadn’t seen my aunt’s SUV in the driveway, and both Dad’s and Uncle Bash’s motorcycles were absent. The only vehicle I’d seen was Mom’s, which was what I’d expected and hoped for.
But it wasn’t like I could just ring the doorbell. If I did while Mom still thought I was dead, it would probably make her scream the house down. I wasn’t all that confident she wouldn’t anyway, but answering the door at midnight and finding your supposedly dead daughter on the front steps would give just about anyone a heart attack.
Still being stealthy, I moved through the house, listening for any sign of Mom.
Movement in the kitchen pulled my attention. As I descended the stairs, I pushed the hood off my head. The television was on in the living room, and I could smell popcorn. My stomach rumbled at the scent of one of my favorite snacks. Mom would always mix M&Ms in with the salted, buttery goodness and add a handful of white cheddar Cheetos. I licked my lips hungrily as I eased the door to the kitchen open.
Mom’s back was to me as she poured hot water into a mug. Normally she would have been humming to herself, always so happy and content. But right then, her shoulders were stiff, and I caught the faint sound of sniffling. Realizing she was crying, I stepped into the kitchen and quietly eased the swinging door closed.
Her pain filled the room like a physical entity, and as I watched, she grabbed the counter, her head bowing as she began to sob.
Unable to stay away a moment longer, I rushed across the space that separated us and hugged her from behind. It felt so good to hug my mom again, it brought tears to my eyes. Nothing in the world was better than being hugged by the ones who loved you most, and while I had reason to question Ryan’s love now, I would never doubt Mom’s.
Her hands covered mine. “I-I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to start crying again. I just… This was her favorite.”
“It still is,” I murmured softly, my tone teasing, praying I didn’t freak her out or scare her. “I hope you didn’t get it all soggy from all those tears.”
She turned to a block of ice in my arms. Slowly, as if she were the one afraid of scaring one of us, she turned. I eased my hold but kept my arm around her in case she fainted.
Her blue eyes drank in the sight of me even as her chin wobbled. “Nova?” she breathed my name. “Nova?” Her hands touched my arms then my face. “Y-you’re real?”
I covered one of her hands with my own, pressing it closer, savoring her soft touch. “I’m real, Mom. I’m here and very, very much alive.”
“Then this is another dream,” she said, her face filling with so much sadness, it broke my heart.
Needing to convince her she was awake, I pinched the back of her hand.
“Ouch!” she squawked, jerking her hand away from my cheek. But then reality hit her, that she was actually standing there—and so was I. More tears filled her eyes. “Nova! Oh my God, how are you here? Wait, I don’t care. I’m just s-so happy to see you.”
“It’s a long story,” I said with a small smile. “And I don’t really have time at the moment to explain everything.”
“This is crazy, Nova. Everyone said you were dead. I didn’t want to believe it. I couldn’t at first. But then Ryan convinced me.” She was touching my face, my arms, anywhere she could reach, running her hands over me as if needing to prove to herself over and over again that I was alive and whole. “No one else but him could make me understand that you were gone. Especially after that call…” Her voice faded, and a look of horror filled her eyes. “That really was you who called, wasn’t it?”
I hesitated, not wanting to cause her more distress, but unable to lie to her, I finally nodded.
“Oh, dear lord.” She pressed her hand to her mouth. “Baby, I’m so sorry. Your dad… They said it was Sheena O’Brion playing games. That it was probably a voice app that made her sound just like you somehow.”
“No, it was me. I’ve been in Colombia with Cali this whole time.”
Mom’s blue eyes narrowed. “Colombia? But your dad took the MC down there. They brought back Ramirez’s body. They put his head on a pike. It was…bad. Garret even went with them. They said…” Her face twisted with pain. “They said Cali was dead too.”
“No,” I bit out. “And they didn’t even try to come in and see if we were there. It was the middle of the night. Security gave them Manuel’s body, and they just left. All they had to do was come inside, Mom. But they didn’t.”
“Wait until I get my hands on Jet Hannigan,” she growled, her entire body vibrating with her anger. “I’m going to kill him. All this time, and you could have been home with us. There was no reason for any of this pain. And Ryan… Oh God, Nova. Ryan hasn’t been the same. That poor boy—”
I clutched at her, cutting off whatever she was about to say about Ryan. “Mom, listen to me. You can do whatever you want to Dad and anyone else later. Right now, I need you. But more importantly, Cali needs you.”