I waited impatiently for my phone to chime, licking my lips periodically. I hated that habit but I couldn't stop myself.
To try and distract myself, I watched and listened as Miranda and Kaybree played Pictionary on a little sketchpad Rico had brought from his apartment. Kaybree was a fairly decent artist and I was happy to see her enjoying something like she used to.
"So does it feel weird to be a whole year older?" Miranda asked teasingly in between rounds, bumping Kaybree's shoulder with her own.
Kaybree smiled slightly. "Yeah, actually. It does. It kinda feels like a new start... Like this whole year can be put behind me and I can be better than last year."
All playfulness fell from Miranda's gaze as she nodded. "That's a great way to look at it."
Kaybree nodded along with her. "Yeah. I want things to be different now that I'm nineteen." She looked up, meeting my eyes. "I want to be honest and healthy and just... better."
I grinned, feeling more hope than I'd felt in a long time. I couldn't help but think, Thank you, God.
I jumped when my phone chimed in my hand. My heart fluttered and my smile only grew upon reading the message from Sav. I'm back.
Abruptly, I stood and shoved my phone into my pocket. As I grabbed my coat and slipped it on, Kaybree looked up at me curiously. "Where are you going?"
"Don't worry. I'll be back," I said, not directly answering her question. She glanced up at me suspiciously though she didn't press it.
I gave Miranda a look, making her nod knowingly. "I'll look after her," she reassured me.
With a salute, I slipped out of the waiting room and down the hall to the door that went out into the parking lot.
Sav was getting out of my Mercedes as I stepped out into the cold. I waited for her to walk forward, leaning against one of the concrete pillars holding up the car port where emergency vehicles dropped off patients.
"Thanks for not crashing it," I joked when she was within earshot.
She stuck her tongue out at me as she tossed me the keys. "You should be happy that I even went for you."
I chuckled, pulling her into a hug. "Yes, I'm thankful. Thank you."
"You're welcome," she muttered as she reciprocated the embrace. We stood there for a second longer than necessary before she pulled away. "They said that this is just a placeholder until you can both go to the courthouse and sign all the official paperwork and meet with your lawyers and stuff."
"Okay. That's fine. It'll work for now."
Reaching into her bag, she pulled out the manila envelope and held it out for me. I went to take it but she didn't let go just yet. "Are you completely sure about this?"
I stared down into her honest brown eyes and gave a sure nod. "Yes. Knowing that she has this to look forward to in her future will give her incentive to keep trying. It'll make things better. I know it will."
"Okay." Sav let go of the envelope with a nod. "Then let's do this."
We exchanged smiles and she started to walk past me toward the entrance. Without thinking about it, I stopped her, slipping my arm around her waist and pecking a kiss on her hair.
She laughed. "What was that for?"
"Because I can."
"Is that going to be your answer every time you do something cute?"
I beamed. "Yep."
Shaking her head with a snort, she replied, "Fine. Two can play at that game." She reached up and cupped my cheek, kissing me on the lips. When she pulled back, I had to blink away my surprise.
Laughing, she grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door.
When we made it inside, Rico and Miranda were talking about something, Miranda laughing uncontrollably as Rico smiled at her. I couldn't help but smirk at the admiring look in his eyes, like he was a lost puppy who had finally found his owner. He was completely whipped.
When Miranda saw us, she snapped herself out of her laughing fit, though a bright smile stretched wide across her face. "Oh! You got it?" she asked excitedly.
Sav nodded as I held up the envelope.
"Got what?" Kaybree asked curiously.
I stepped forward and sat down in the seat next to her that Miranda wasn't occupying. Holding it out, I answered, "Your birthday present."
She sent me a small, shy smile. "You got me something?"
"Of course."
"Actually, we got you something," Sav interceded as she plopped down in the other chair next to me. "I had to laboriously drive and go get it."
I raised my brows at her, giving her a slight shove. "Okay, yeah, sure. This dork has twenty percent gift credits."
"I think I deserve more than that."
Shaking my head, though I couldn't hold back my grin, I conceded, "Okay, fine, fine." I turned back to Kaybree as she slowly took the envelope from my hand. "Open it."
"Right now?"
"Good of a time as any."
She swallowed, gently holding the crisp envelope in her hands like it was a living creature. With methodical precision, she tore open the flap and reached in, unsheathing the single page inside.
She stared at it curiously for a moment, her eyes scanning over the title and then a few of the finer prints. I wetted my lips, anxiously waiting for her to realize what it was.
Suddenly, her eyes widened and her other hand found its way over her mouth. Her eyes snapped up to mine and I smiled at her encouragingly.
Breathlessly, she finally said, "You're... you're serious?"
I chuckled slightly, nodding. "Now I know that it will be strange, both of us having partial custody over Abby, but she needs you in her life, Bree." I reached out and squeezed her hand as tears accumulated in her eyes. "She's your daughter just as much as she's now mine. Actually, even more so. So, just whenever you're ready, whenever you feel like you can do it, we can go to the courthouse together and settle everything. There is no pressure on you to do it any time soon while you're still working on completely recovering. But just remember, when you look at this form, that she's waiting for you when you're ready."
A couple tears slid down her cheeks and slicked in between her fingers that still covered her mouth in shock.
She slowly met my gaze and I raised my eyebrows. "Does that sound like a good deal to you?"
Her only response was a hug.
I gently embraced her back, letting her bury her nose in my sweatshirt that caught her tears. I couldn't help but smile and draw her closer, so happy that she was happy.
"Thank you," she whispered into my shoulder. "Thank you, Kasi."
I closed my eyes and held her shirt in my fist, savoring her words and her embrace. "Of course. I love you."
"Love you, too."
Eventually, she pulled away and wiped at the tears on her face, though she was grinning from ear to ear. Her eyes flicked around and she stood and gave Sav a hug too. Sav looked surprised at first but then quickly hugged her back. Miranda happily received the next hug, Kaybree lingering with her a little longer than with Sav.
Kaybree started to sit down when Rico said, "Wait, where's my hug? You know we've known each other longer than anyone else here. Well, you know, except for Kason."
Bree laughed, rolling her eyes but walking over to Rico and giving him a big hug anyway. Rico patted her hair and I gave him a thankful smile for making her laugh. Every time I heard that sound, it was music to my ears.
Kaybree sat back down and stared at the document as we all talked and laughed and as she tried to swipe at the happy tears that lingered on her cheeks. I wrapped an arm around her, so relieved to see her filled with so much joy.
She eventually calmed down and the four of us started talking, Rico telling stories from when we were in high school. Of course, he exaggerated them into a way grander scale than what really happened, but everyone was laughing so I didn't correct him. Or at least I didn't correct him until he started exaggerating to embarrass me.
"Okay, okay, okay. I have a good one," he said, grabbing the girls' attention and grinning mischievously. I narrowed my eyes at him, waiting to figure out what tale he was going to concoct this time.
"It was our sophomore year, right? And our game got rained out because the lightning was really bad, but Coach wanted us to stay and get some indoor training in while we were at school anyway. So Kason and I were in the weight room. Mind you, in high school he was weak. Like think spaghetti for arms, styrofoam pool noodles for legs, and-"
"I think they get it," I deadpanned.
He just smiled and kept going. "Anyway, the cheerleaders had to pass through our weight room to get to their practice gym and so they all were walking through and, you know, Kason took notice of a certain Brittany Thompson."
"Dude, what're you talking-"
"And he thought he'd be all macho man and would try to impress her. So he puts three plates on each side of the bar and lays down to bench press this. And I was standing to the side, talking to another guy, not expecting him to start the work out yet. And right as Brittany walks by, he lifts this up and then it just crashes down on him, causing him to scream. And I think he definitely left an impression on her, but maybe not the impression he wanted."
Miranda was dying of laughter as Kaybree was holding it in, though mostly unsuccessfully. I shook my head at Rico. "I think you've got it mixed up. Wasn't that you?"
He swiped at the air. "We're basically the same person."
This set Miranda off again as the rest of us laughed along.
Sav tilted her head at me. "Either way, Brittany was stupid not to be impressed by you."
I narrowed my eyes at her playfully. "Are you just saying that because you really believe him and think it was me?"
She shrugged and scrunched up her nose with a smile.
I scoffed, offended. "No way! You can't possibly believe him!" When she only laughed, I added, "I guess I gotta shake some sense into you."
Her confused expression was only there for a millisecond before I stood and threw her over my shoulder. She screeched, making my right ear ring. But it was worth it to hear her laughter and her pleading for me to put her down. "Kason, you idiot! Stop it!"
"Not until you admit that you don't believe him."
"Fine! Fine, I don't believe him. And it doesn't matter now anyway. The fact that you can throw me over your shoulder is impressive enough."
With a smirk, I let her slip back down to the floor in front of me and held her around her waist until she regained her balance. She scowled up at me but I knew she was joking by the smile that threatened to replace it. When I brushed a kiss in between her brows, the grin finally won.
"Rico, I do believe they are too cute for their own good," Miranda said from behind me.
"I concur," Rico responded in a British accent, being his usual immature self. "But it shall pass, you see. The honeymoon stage will be over soon enough."
I glared at him over my shoulder. "Not anytime soon, it won't. I'm not going to let myself make any mistakes with her."
I realized one moment too late how serious I sounded. But I guess I was serious. Glancing back down at Sav, I noticed her looking up at me curiously. I licked my lips a little nervously. "Uh, you know..."
With a soft glint to her eye, she ran a hand over my hair, causing a slight shiver to run down my spine. "I'm glad you're not going to give up on me too easily, idiot."
I wanted to say something back, simply to call her a dork because I loved it when we called each other that, but she cut off my response with a kiss. I didn't hesitate to reciprocate it.
After a second, someone cleared their throat. I assumed it was Rico until it happened again and it sounded exponentially gruffer and deeper.
I pulled back and instantly felt my entire back stiffen with embarrassment and awkwardness. "Uh... Hey, Dad. Mom."
The two of them stood in the entrance to the waiting room. My mom was holding back a smile, her tired eyes a little brighter than normal with curiosity. But my dad raised a skeptical eyebrow. "And who might this be?"
It was at that moment that I realized I'd never introduced Sav to my parents when we were just friends, let alone now. Every time they'd visited the hospital recently, Sav had been somewhere else, which was a little ironic. But now extremely awkward. "Right, um, sorry. Sav, these are my parents. Parents, this is Sav, my..." I glanced at her, feeling like with every moment I was digging a deeper and deeper hole to bury myself in.
She gave me a knowing smile before she looked at my parents and said, "His girlfriend."
Hearing those words in her mouth made my heart stutter and then soar on cloud nine. I couldn't hold back my beaming grin.
My dad looked as if he was about to say something—and I wasn't sure if that something was going to be good or bad—but my mom stepped in before he could. "Very nice to meet you, Sav. Is that short for Savannah?"
She nodded. "Yep, with one 'n' because my parents are eccentric like that."
My mom laughed, seeming perfectly at ease around Sav, and my dad unbristled a little bit at her joking friendliness. Like anyone could not be at ease around Sav.
I scooped up her hand and laced our fingers.
"Well, the two of us haven't had lunch yet, so we'll be back in a moment. Go back to what you were doing," my mom said, winking at me like we had some sort of inside joke. I had to blink. I'd nearly forgotten how mischievous my mom could be when I was dating. It'd been so long since Mora that it almost took me by surprise. I didn't mind it. I actually liked seeing her mischievousness if it meant she wasn't so emotionally tired all the time.
My dad's eyes lingered on Sav for a moment as my mom dragged him down the hall. But right before they turned the corner, he looked up at me and a slight smile pulled at his mouth. Then he nodded and was gone.
I had to release a breath. He approved. For no reason in the world, that made me untense a little more.
But apparently not enough because Sav reached up and poked my shoulder, noticing the tenseness there. She snorted. "I think you were more nervous about that than I was."
I chuckled once, blowing air out between my lips. "When it comes to relationships, my dad is just..."
"Intense," a quiet voice said behind me.
I glanced over my shoulder to see Kaybree looking over at us. Though her gaze was a little heavy, she was smiling slightly.
"Yeah," I breathed, knowing nothing else needed to be explained.
We all settled back in, Rico going to the restroom. Sav went to sit with Miranda for a little bit and so I sat with Kaybree. I decided not to bring up anything about our parents or how "intense" our dad could be sometimes, knowing it might make things a little more difficult for her. Instead, I asked, "So what are your thoughts on Sav?"
She glanced over at me with a somewhat teasing smile. "Do my thoughts matter?"
"Your thoughts always matter, Bree. You're basically my moral compass."
She giggled slightly but it faded out. "We both know that's not true. But I like her. A lot. I don't think there are very many people in the world who couldn't like her. And I think you two are good together. She loosens you up. You open her up..." She nodded slowly, like she'd decided on something. "I don't think there's anyone else in the world that could be better for you, Kason."
I had to snort, but I realized she was completely serious. My face fell into contemplation at that. I didn't linger on that thought too long, though, knowing that there was too much to unpack there.
We sat in silence for a moment as Kaybree watched Sav and Miranda talk, a soft smile on her face. I loved that smile.
But then it fell and her eyebrows furrowed slightly. "I'm going to tell them."
I looked at her in confusion. "Tell who what?"
Her gaze shifted down to her lap where she twiddled with the zipper of her jacket. "I'm going to tell Mom and Dad that I've been lying."
My heart seemed to stop in my chest. I didn't know how to respond to that. It was extremely out of the blue. But then I realized that maybe that wasn't the best idea. "Bree, I know you want to fix things but... are you really sure this is the best way? I mean, yeah, tell them the truth eventually, but things are still so rocky between you guys. And if I took it as bad as I did, then imagine how Dad will take it."
Her eyes fluttered closed. Her voice was barely a breath when she responded, "I know. But I need to get it all out in the open. That's the only way things will ever get better. It might hurt now, but I have to do it for later. I have to tell the truth..."
I disagreed on her timing. But I didn't say anything more. That fact that she was making this decision on her own showed that she was learning from her mistakes and getting better. It showed that she was maturing. And even though I knew it was going to be a hard journey to restore things with our parents, I was proud she was trying.
"Okay," I said, taking her hand. "But don't do it without me."
She glanced over at me and, with a shaky breath, she let herself smile. "Never."
We squeezed each other's hands and I gave her a proud hug.
Sav came back not a moment later and before she could even sit down, another person entered the room. But not from the main doors. The doors from the patient rooms.
Like last time, we all noticed her and were instantly on our feet.
Her grin was even wider than last time. "Hello. It seems you've been expecting me."
"Is everything okay?" I asked, needing to make sure that nothing had gotten worse. That was all I needed to know. That Abby was still recovering.
"Yes, I assure you. Everything is perfectly fine. Amazing, actually. I have some great news."
My heart hammered in my chest as Kaybree's hand started to tremble in mine.
"Abigail can be released tomorrow."
A/N HELLO! ANOTHER SURPRISE CHAPTER FOR YOU! *happy dancing that results in me face planting* Ahem, sorry about that *brushes off pants* We're all good, no broken bones! XD Alright SO... Thoughts??? Abby is getting released (AHHHHHH), Sav has now met the parents and they approve (not that Kason needed their approval.... right? Heh I'M JOKING! ... mostly), and things are finally coming together! Can you believe there is only one more chapter?!?!?! *hysterical sobbing mixed with laughter* I have such conflicted feelings because I LOVE THESE BABIES!! But I mean I still have one shots and uhm... *clears throat* NeVeRmInD *suspiciously smiles and backs away a few steps* Anyway, lmk what you thought of this chap!! ----->
(P.S. I definitely think I made up for my boringness in previous author's notes with the weirdness in this one. PHEW, I went all out TODAY XDD)