Fallen Families

Chapter 30.

"NICOLE!" Her mother shouted. Three minutes. All it took was three minutes of conversation to cause this. 

"Apologies, young lady," Brett said to his daughter but instead Nicole went out the back door in anger. Why did today have to be such a bad day? She thought as she climbs up her tree house. Why couldn't the world go away?

It's been almost two hours of Nicole starring endlessly out the window of her tree house. Scarlett was watching her from the kitchen. For the past two hours, she has been talking with Chris, Brett, and Jasmine. Surprisingly they were all beginning to get along quite well. 

"I wanted to apologize," Scarlett turned to see Jasmine come in with a look of regret. "When we met I was anything but kind to you," 

"Oh you don't have to-" 

"no, I do. You see adopting Nicole was one of the best things I have ever done. She completes my family, so when I see someone else come in I got kinda defensive." Jasmine sighed. " I thought you would take her from me and I was scared." 

"Scared? Of me?" Scarlett asked raising an eyebrow. 

"It's dumb. I thought that Nicole looking for you meant that she didn't want to be around us anymore. It hurt me. When we adopted her we had no clue who you guys were. It was a closed adoption, and  honestly, we didn't care." She said bluntly yet honestly, Scarlett was listening intently.  "Then all of a sudden our daughter calls us from LA saying she found her birth parents, and when we arrive to pick her up Scarlett Johansson was answering the door. I shock and I believed if she had the choice, she would be much happier with you." Scarlett never disliked Jasmine, she knew that Jasmine didn't like her but now she understood why. 

"I hope you know that I never plan to take her away from you permanently," Scarlett said. "I couldn't and I wouldn't." 

"Yeah I know but deep down it's just a fear of mine. She is my daughter, blood or not and I can hold that for the rest of my life, but when she is eighteen she can choose who she runs to when she is sad. She won't like here she would have a choice now.  I guess I always feared that  maybe you would be a better mom than me," 

"When I had Nicole," Scarlett thought that since they were being open and honest she might as well be honest too. "my life was a mess. I was seventeen and I was just beginning to make a name for myself. Meeting Chris helped me a lot, he was always determined to take me out of my comfort zone. So the night we snuck into the bar, I was already a nervous wreck, then I drank and the world just went upside down. I regretted that night for so long the day I found out I was pregnant. But I soon realized it wasn't because I wasn't happy, but because I was scared. I knew I wasn't ready, not only to be a mother but to admit other things like making a mistake. Giving her up was one of the hardest things I ever did, but I knew I was in no mindset to raise her by myself." 

"By yourself? What about Chris?" She asked. 

"Chris didn't know until I was on the other side of the world. But he wasn't ready either. He was a teenage boy, not matured at all. I mean just two weeks before that call we were sneaking into bars." She shook her head. "Had it been another time, I am sure things would have been different. But I'm  glad we did what we did." Scarlett admitted. 

"How so?" Jasmine asked. 

"Seeing Nicole now, I realized that I would never have raised her this way. Since my pregnancy I have been traveling, barely having time to settle down. That's no way to raise a kid. You gave her stability. A kid needs that more than a mother who makes movies." She sent Jasmine a friendly smile. 

"I do hope to see you around a lot more." Jasmine looked passed Scarlett toward the tree house. "I think that little girl needs you a lot more then neither you nor I would like to admit." 

"Do you really think so?" Scarlett asked. 

"Well I wouldn't have said it if it wasn't true." she replied. "thank you for coming by the way. Nicole needs you here, even if she doesn't believe she dose." 

"She gets that from Chris," She said, " Lies about their needs until someone else brings it up." Jasmine raised an eyebrow. 

"I am guessing there is still water under the bridge?" Jasmine asked, but Scarlett shook her head. 

"No Chris and I are in the past." She said. 

"You know you are just as bad as a liar as Nicole is." She laughed at Scarlett. 

"I don't even know what he wants anymore. He didn't even want to be here. He wasn't ready to become any sort of father figure." Scarlett said. 

"Then why is here?" 

"Because I asked-" She stopped realizing the words that came from her mouth. 

"And judging by the way that man looks at you, I think that the water is very high. Don't wait too long dear," Jasmine spoke in a kind soothing manner. "one day he might not be waiting for you, because right now he is going against her mind because of his heart, soon his mind will kick back in." 

"What if I am not ready? " Scarlett asked. "I want to be a part of Nicole's life and he doesn't. If we had a relationship wouldn't that be awkward." 

"Look I don't know either of you very much, however, I know that admitting my feelings for Brett was one of the best things to have ever happened to me. When you finally admit it to yourself you will see just how much lighter your shoulders feel." Jasmine was good at giving advice. "besides, I think you're wrong." 

"Wrong? About what?" Scarlett asked raising a very curious eyebrow to point out her confusion. 

"I think that he wants to be a part of Nicole's life. Whether he admits it out loud or not." Jasmine said very positively. Scarlett shook her head in doubt. 

"No, you didn't see him when Nicole first came-" 

"But I see him now, he may have been in doubt who wouldn't? and right now I see him be the only parent around here brave enough to go and talk to Nicole." 

"Wait for what?" Scarlett turned around to look out the window where she did indeed she Chris making his way across the backyard. Scarlett watched with big curious eyes. Nicole then spoke softly. 

"People need time to adjust, maybe this trip will indeed help put everyone's mind at ease. Even yours."  she then spoke something that amused Scarlett. "besides I have never seen a grown man laugh so much over a conversation that wasn't that funny unless it was because someone he cared about said it. and what is the worst thing that could happen? Those eyes would be a blessing to live with." 

"Do you really think that he could care about me in a way that isn't friendship?" 

"Chris is a decent man from what I could tell," Jasmine began. "He is different and no matter the circumstance I think eventually you guys would have something in life connect you. Nicole may have pulled you apart for a moment, but it seems as if she is pulling you guys together now. You can't have a baby with someone and stand by there side no matter what without feeling something." 

"What if it's not love? What if he doesn't feel for me what I feel for him?" She asked as she watched Chris climbed up the tree house. She couldn't help but smile as she watched him. 

"What if he does?" 

I updated and it hasn't been a month! Yeah! Summer is a blessing guys. I'll try and post the chapter for the Widow's prey soon!  and I
 am starting the next chapter of this story right now!
But for now I hoped you all enjoyed this new chapter,
it's about to get interesting. Vote and comment!