Do You Believe Me Now?

Chapter 7

"Mom!" a familiar girl says.

I turn around.

Charlotte?

I hug her.

She slips up all the time. I miss her. No matter what anyone says, she's my kid.

Even Nikki admitted it.

"Hey kiddo."

"I want you to be my Mom." She says.

She tells me every time she sees me.

"I know you do." I sigh.

"What are you drawing?" she asks.

"Blueprints for our house we're building."

"Can I help?" she asks.

"Sure." I shrug.

"Rylee, what happened to you? Your all over the news."

"You flew all the way out here to ask me what happened?" I ask.

"Of course!"

Marcus explains while I do the blueprints with Jace and Charlotte.

"Can I move in with my Mom and Dad?" Charlotte asks Nikki and Adam.

We already know the answer.

"No." Nikki says.

She's changed a lot and I actually don't like her.

My phone vibrates.

Unknown: come out front and don't freak out when you see me

I frown and stand up.

"I've gotta get something from the car."

Jace hands me the keys and kisses my hand.

I go outside and see my step mother as the end of the driveway.

I think about running but decide to tell her off insitead.

I shut the door and walk over to her, out of sight of the house.

"I have some legal files I stole that I really want you to have."

"Okay. Why?"

"Because I'm trying to fix my mess."

I sigh.

"You might get mad at Jace. Remember, you love him, okay?"

I nod, confused.

She leaves.

I go in the house, holding the manila folder.

"What's that?"

"I didn't go to the car. I met my ex step mother outside."

"Why?" Jace asks.

I shrug.

"She gave you that?"

"Yeah." I say.

"And?"

"She told me it's files she stole and that I'll be mad at you."

His eyes widen slightly. I study him.

"Wait!" he says when I go to open them.

"What?" I ask.

"We've met before." He whispers.

"What?" I ask.

We met before you worked at the bar, but you don't remember it."