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“No, they’re fraternal even though they do look quite a bit alike. Their personalities, however, are vastly different.”
We take a seat on the small sofa by the window. It’s nice and warm in here, with tartan-style wallpaper and sturdy teak furniture, a Tiffany light pendant hanging overhead. The girls are happy playing with their toys and talking. Miley is doing most of the talking, actually, while Annie learns by imitating her older sister and consistently butchering each word a few times before she starts getting it right. I love watching them grow up together.
“So, you raised Kellan and Fallon,” I say, surprised by how quick I am to relax in Helen’s presence.
“Elizabeth, my older sister, is their mother,” she replies. “Granted, we had better relations at the time. I no longer speak to my family through no fault of my own. But the boys and I stayed close. I helped raise them, and they helped take care of me when my sister damn near destroyed me.” Helen takes a deep breath and forces herself to smile, yet the bitterness persists in her tone. “It’s a long and ugly story. I still get carried away whenever I think about it.” She pauses. “I’m sorry. You’ve got enough to deal with already.”
“No, by all means, I’m listening if you need somebody to talk to,” I reply. “If anyone understands the dirt and the grit of family, believe me, I’m your gal. Besides, I wouldn’t mind knowing more about the guys. They’ve been so unbelievably kind and gracious to my girls and me. We’re complete strangers, yet they took us into their home as if they’ve known us for years.”
Helen smiles softly. “They are good men, wonderful men. Loyal and strong. Nothing like their parents, I’ll say that much.”
I’m about to ask Helen what she means by that, but my daughters draw my attention.
“Momma, look!” Miley cuts in, waving a couple of letter cubes at me. “It says baby!”
“It sure does. Great job kiddo!”
Content with my reaction, Miley then goes on to try and teach Annie how to spell the word. Fortunately, my second-born is just as eager to learn, so soon enough, Annie’s spelling it out on her own. Helen can’t help but giggle with delight.
“They really are something else,” she says. “I love how Miley looks after Annie.”
“Miley’s a wonderful big sister,” I reply. “To be honest, I didn’t have to do much in order to teach her about protecting and caring for Annie. I think it just comes naturally to her. Though I wish she didn’t have to know anything about protecting her little sister at this age.”
She gives me a long, warm look. “You’re safe here, Avery. I know it’s strange to come upon the kindness of strangers when you’re literally fighting for your life, but maybe fate sent you here. Maybe this is the beginning of something better for you.”
“Maybe,” I reply. It’s not doubt that’s keeping me on my toes, though. It’s the fear of having to walk away from what little peace I have found in this place. “Your nephews think very highly of you. I could tell by the way they talked about you last night.”
“Like I said, they’re good boys. Kellan and Fallon take care of me, make sure I’m never out of a job. A babysitting gig here, an administrative position there… I lost my husband Maurice to a terrible illness. We never got to have children of our own, and for the past twenty years, I’ve been a jolly and hopeful widow, I suppose. The boys made sure I have a good pension fund waiting when I’m ready to retire, but until then, I intend to keep earning every paycheck.”
“Life is what you make of it, right?”
She nods slowly. “You have all the options. You can let it destroy you, or you can move on, you can grow and do better for yourself. That’s pretty much all there is to it. We’re only given a set number of years on this earth, Avery, and it’s up to us to make the most of every single day. I’m grateful for the time I had with my Maurice, and frankly, I’ve met other men since, but none have touched my heart the way my Maurice did. Love is rare, so rare, but I’ve experienced it. And that made my life worth living.”
“I’m starting to think I’ve never truly experienced it myself,” I reply, a knot settling in my chest. “I think I just really needed to get away from my parents, and Daniel made me believe I’d be safe and happy with him. I held on to him for dear life; terrified of the idea of having to go back if our marriage failed. I held on so tight, and that just made everything worse.”
“It’s all behind you now, though, isn’t it?”
“I hope so. He’s still out there. He left me a bunch of voicemails. Granted, I did hit him over the head with a lamp, but I had to protect myself and my daughters. I had to get away from him.”
We both look at Miley, observing the blue and purple bruise on her left arm. Miley hasn’t mentioned the incident or her arm at all, she keeps busy with her sister, but I see the sadness in her eyes. How awful she must feel, still wondering why Daddy hurt her in the first place.
“You’ll talk to her about it,” Helen says, as if reading my mind. “Give her some time to settle down, first. Last night must have been horrible for her. Annie’s young, she probably won’t remember it later down the line, but you’ll definitely need to keep an eye on Miley going forward.”
“They’ll never have to go through any of that ever again.”
Helen takes a deep breath, lovingly gazing at my girls. “These two will thaw any man’s heart. Chances are the boys downstairs will never let anything happen to them, whether you have a say in it or not.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, Kellan practically melts when he talks about Miley and Annie. I’ve got a feeling that Fallon and Luke will bend over backwards to keep them safe as well. They’re good men, Avery. Strong and dangerous men when they have to be.”
I guess I’m in good hands. Or so I’m hoping. Daniel can be an excellent manipulator, a skilled deceiver. He lied to me from the moment we met. I fell for a mask he aptly wore over the first year of our marriage before it started to crack. And now, I know him for the monster that he truly is. I’m not sure how or when I will ever truly get away from him. Daniel seems intent on haunting and hounding me for the rest of my life, simply because I dared to leave him.
Simply because I refused to put up with any more of his abuse.
4
Avery
