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I nodded.
If we were still dating then, I’d do that. I wasn’t ready for that step, but I guessed I could go ahead and take it if Madeline wanted to meet her. I might start seeing things differently once I saw how well Selena fit into my life.
“I looked her up online. She’s gorgeous,” Madeline told me.
“Yeah, she is. She’s a good person too.”
Madeline closed the space between us and hugged me. “I want that for you.”
I wrapped my arms around her and felt my chest tighten. When she stepped back, she glanced over at Cree running around the yard with Ozzy, who was as tall as he was.
“Come give me a big kiss!” she called out to him.
He paused, then spun around and came barreling back this way.
When he flung himself into her arms, I watched them, wishing I’d been there when she was that little. That I’d raised her. She’d had a rough life, growing up, and I hated to think about it. I felt like I’d failed her by not finding her. Even though I had exhausted every lead I got.
I had so much to make up for, and I feared I never would.
6
Liberty
Darkness was dancing at the corners of my peripheral vision. I blinked several times and took a deep breath. I had worked a double today, and the walk from the bus stop to the house was proving to be more difficult than normal. My head felt light, and I walked over to a lamppost and held on to it while I tried to wait out the spinning. I had to find a way to make this stop. This was the second night in a row I’d felt faint on my walk back to Sissy’s. Tonight was much worse.
The rumble of a bike barely registered in my head as I gripped the post tighter. The darkness was creeping in. I could not black out on the sidewalk at eleven at night. Maybe if I sat down. The loud engine got closer, and I decided to wait until it passed before I sat. It would look odd to whoever was passing by.
The bright light from the bike slowed, and I felt a sudden flutter of panic. Were they stopping for me? I had to go. I had to walk. It was late, and this was dangerous. The engine cut off behind me, and I forced my feet to move and focused hard on the ground in front of me. I could do this. I was going to be fine.
“Liberty.” A deep voice barked my name, and I froze.
I recognized it. In fact, since he had walked out of Sissy’s bedroom a week ago, I’d had a difficult time not thinking about him. Seeing him while I was fighting to stay conscious was not ideal.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he asked, sounding angry or annoyed.
He wasn’t going to leave me alone. I turned around to look at him, and I wished I hadn’t.
“Walking back to Sissy’s,” I replied as my head swam. I reached for the streetlamp again to make sure I stayed upright.
“This is how you’re gonna thank Selena for letting you crash at her place? Stumbling home drunk late at night? Are you that fucking selfish?”
What? I blinked, trying to understand what he was saying. Drunk?
I shook my head. “I’m not drunk. Just got off work,” I replied.
He glared at me as his eyes did a quick inventory of my outfit. The world spun a little, and I closed my eyes for a moment. I was going to pass out. Right here on the sidewalk in front of this man.
“Where are you coming from?” he asked. “And you can’t stand up! If you’re not drunk, then what the hell is wrong with you? Did you take drugs?”
I swallowed and shook my head, opening my eyes. “No. I’m coming from work.”
“Did you already lose the job at Abernathy’s? Because that’s miles from here. You didn’t walk from there.”
“The bus stop isn’t,” I said, opening my eyes up.
“The bus stop?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Remember, I use the bus.”
