Battle Wounds

twenty.

"I'm sorry. I-I don't know why I said that. I shouldn't have-"

She didn't get a chance to finish because Olivia pulled her in for another big hug. Pulling back, she smoothed down Harper's hair in a motherly and affectionate way. "You have nothing to be sorry about."

"You're not mad?" Harper asked, unable to hide her surprise.

"Of course not. Why would I be angry?"

"Because I, uhm, called you mom. And maybe you don't want me to call you that now or ever and that's fine. It really is. But it just slipped out and now-"

"I am your mom," Olivia told her, cutting her off. "I would love it if you called me that but I didn't want to rush you."

The fear of thinking she had already screwed up lifted from her shoulders. Letting out a breath, she smiled shakily. "Are you sure?" She asked, because there was nothing more she wanted to be able to say the words mom and dad.

"I know the adoption didn't go through yet but you're already part of the family. You've been our daughter since the first day you got here. I just... I wish you'd stop being so scared or worried that you'll do or say something to push us away. Because that'll never happen, okay?"

Harper nodded. "I'm trying to work on that," she said, knowing that she was her own worst enemy. That she was guilty of overthinking everything in her life and then self-sabotaging.

"You know we're gonna be late, right?" Cole called into the house impatiently. "If you're making me go to school early then I might as well have some time to hang out with my friends before class starts."

Olivia rolled her eyes dramatically, the smile never leaving her face. "Sam will be here soon?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, well, Cole's right. We're running a little late," she said with a look at the time. "Have a good first day, sweetie. Love you."

Harper smiled though her chest tightened at hearing those words for what felt like the first time in her life. "Love you, too," she quietly said back.

The front door slammed shut seconds later but Harper didn't mind the silence for once. She smiled to herself, still unable to believe that this was her life. There was no fear or apprehension or instability. She had a family who cared for her, which was a first.

All those months ago, when Shane said that he had a good feeling about this family, he had been right.

Catching sight of the time forced Harper into action, knowing that Sam would be here any minute. No sooner had she finished getting ready than the doorbell rang. When she opened the door, Sam walked past her into the house. Harper's smile turned curious when she spotted a different car in the driveway with Daniel behind the wheel. She gave him a small wave before being pulled back into the house.

"Hey," Harper said, throwing a look at her friend. "Is that your dad?"

Sam nodded, looking glum as she let out a big sigh. "He's driving us.

"Oh, okay. So I don't care that he is but... why?"

"Because he took my car away, grounded me and we've been in a fight ever since. My life is basically over."

"Okay but why? What happened?" Harper asked, surprised at how much had changed in just a couple of days.

"I got really wasted at the party, and I was scared to let my parents see me like that so I asked Robby to take me somewhere else. So he took me to Johnny's where we spent the night," Sam said in almost a rush, throwing a look her way. "The plan was to sleep the alcohol off and be home before my parents noticed that we were gone but that's not how it turned out."