Bitter Blood (BBi)

Chapter 43: Family Ties

Chapter Forty-Three
Family Ties

I watch the first sun rays of morning burn over the towering pines, the line of daybreak moving slowly across the backyard.

When it comes time, the white wolf disperses into the trees and I wait for her at the back deck to return again on two legs, draped in smooth flesh and sweet, human features.

I make myself a cup of coffee while listening to the quiet of the almost empty house. Almost. Dad's still upstairs in his own little world existing within his bedroom's beige walls. I tread softly though out of instinct, easing cupboard doors closed and sitting down at the table alone.

My cup is half drained and the kitchen is drenched in orange when the back door slides open, announcing the arrival of the girl clad in only an over-sized sweater to cover her bare bits. She doesn't sit but rather takes a spot standing opposite my chair, just a couple feet away.

“I'm a big fucking idiot.” Avery says right off the bat. “I heard everything you said last night and I understand. I've missed you for four years, non stop, and then I finally got the chance to come back and see you and I stuffed it up. Every thing's different to what I thought it would be but that's no excuse.”

I trace my finger along the handle of my mug, listening but not looking up.

“There are a hundred things in the last couple months that I could have done better and I'm so sorry that I didn't.” she pauses. “I don't want to make you hate me, Park.”

I do look at her then. “I don't hate you, Avery.”

“But I failed you.” she says, and the pain in her voice tells me that that's something she never wanted to do. “If I could go back, I'd stay with you, I'd make sure you were safe. And if you can forgive me then I swear I'll never let you down again. I'll find the people who did this to you. I'll be a better friend, a better protector.”

“I don't need you to protect me.”

What I need is to have someone who will worry about me other than myself, someone who would care if I disappeared, who would care if I died. More exact, I need Avery to care.

So I tell her that.

“And I will. I do.” she says. “You're a part of my life, a part of me, and I'm going to make sure nothing ever ruins that.”

I smile. “That's a pretty damn good apology.”

It's like a weight lifts off my shoulders at her own smile. She sinks down into the seat across from me and I let out an easy breath, lifting my mug to drink.

“So... “ Avery draws my attention to her with her gentle tone. “She's back. Your mum.”

I nod.

“Have you spoken to her?”

“Yeah. She was here last night and I kicked her out.”

Avery's eyebrows go up. She pauses before speaking. “That's probably for the best.”

My lips curl. Though she's being sympathetic, careful with her words, I can sense the under current of enmity in her tone. While my own feelings towards my birth mother revolved around perplexity and hurt, Avery's focused more on anger.

“Your brother was here the night that I saw her.” I say.

“I'm sorry that I wasn't.”

“That's alright. He was... kind. I didn't think about it as much when I was with him.”