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I felt like a piece of shit. I was only fifteen when she was born. She was this little ball of sunshine and she’d made me feel hopeful. Our family had been so fucked up but there she was, a tiny chance for something normal and healthy. I’d taken care of her just as much as Joe had. “I think I am, Kenny. I’m sorry.”
She turned away to wipe her eyes and shrugged. “It’s fine.”
I pulled her in for another hug and grunted. “It’s not fine. I love you, kid.”
Joe walked in and froze. He took everything in at once, my clear eyes, clean appearance, and the way Kendall was hugging me back so tightly that it almost hurt. His face pinched in pain for a second but then his face went blank and it was like the hurt had never existed. “You look good.”
Kendall pulled back and glanced at her dad before smiling and then shrugging. “I have to go to rehearsal. Jessica’s mom is picking me up.”
Joe and I both watched her jog away before our eyes moved back towards each other. He looked me over and nodded. “Glad to see you again.”
I looked down and nodded, ashamed of the darkness that dragged me under so often. “Sorry.”
“Stop apologizing. I heard you apologize to Kendall, too. You don’t need to apologize for shit.” He sounded gruff and for a second it was like we were sixteen and six again, with him taking care of me like a single parent instead of a brother.
I gripped the back of my neck. “I think I’ll see Dr. Barden. Milo’s getting older and I can’t keep on the way I have been.”
“Ada wouldn’t let you, anyway.” He looked past me and I turned to see that Ada and the boys were all hiking down to the lake.
She had Milo in her arms and when she threw her head back and laughed at something one of the kids said, I felt my stomach explode with nerves and excitement.
I turned back to Joe and shook my head to clear it of images of Ada spread out on the beach for me. “Something happened.”
Joe’s body stiffened. “What?”
I deserved his suspicion. I’d put him through a lot when I was still a kid. “Nothing bad, I promise.”
“Then what?”
“I found her. The mystery girl.” I rubbed my hands down my face as a stupid smile stretched my mouth.
“What?” Joe’s face brightened with a smile and he moved closer to clap me on the shoulder. “That’s amazing! How, though?”
Of course, my brothers knew all about the girl who’d gotten away. They knew I’d painted her hundreds of times but they’d never seen the paintings. I’d snapped a picture of them while in my studio because I knew what I was going to say was unbelievable. I pulled my phone out and opened the picture. “I don’t know how I didn’t recognize her, Joe.”
Joe’s smile dimmed the moment he looked at the picture. Grabbing it and pulling it closer, he frowned. “You’re joking, right?”
I shook my head. “It’s her. She-”
“That’s not possible, Jud. It’s… Jesus.” He shook his head and scrubbed his hands down his face. “We need to go talk to Collin.”
“What? Why?” I followed him because he still had my phone. “Joe, what’s your deal?”
Joe burst into Collin’s office and I trailed in after him, a weird sense of anxiety sitting on my chest. Collin held up his hand to tell us to wait so he could finish his call but Joe leaned over his desk and hung up the secure line.
Collin stood up with a furious expression on his face. “What the fuck, Joe? That was an important call!”
I watched as Joe shoved my phone under Collin’s nose and Collin’s face shifted from fury to confusion to horror. He sank back into his chair and pressed his fist into his mouth.
Joe walked back over to the door and closed it. “We need to talk.”
Collin swore. “That’syour fair girl?”
I sank into one of the chairs across from him and felt Joe take the other. “Yeah. I didn’t realize it was Ada until yesterday. I don’t know how I missed it. Those eyes… It took her coming into my studio and finding the paintings for me to realize. She called me a creep because she thought I’d painted those since she arrived here.”
“You’re sure?” Joe looked like he was hoping I wasn’t.
“She remembers. I went to talk to her last night and she was shocked, but it’s her. Ada is my fair girl.” I saw their faces pale and my stomach sank. “What? What’s the deal? I thought you would both be happy for me?”
