Secrets Revealed (Silver Valley University #2), page 6
“You sure she’s hers? Maybe Lilly is Theo’s,” I suggest. “If she’s been seeing him for a while, it’s not surprising that she would call her Mama. Girlfriends play a big role in step kids’ lives sometimes.”
“She’s Ellie’s kid, for sure. I can’t believe I didn’t see it before. She’s a mini Ellie, she looks so much like her. There’s no way that kid isn’t one of ours,” Chase says. Everyone goes silent at the thought.
It’s the first time one of us has said it out loud. There’s a strong possibility that we have a child we didn’t know about.
“How old is she?” I ask.
Rain looks to Chase. “I think she said she was three, right?”
Chase nods. “Yeah, she’s three, probably closer to four now.”
“Okay, look, we don’t know how old she is. She could have gotten pregnant after she left here. I think we need to talk to her before we jump to conclusions on whether she is ours or another man’s,” I reason. But the idea of that little girl being ours? It makes something inside me warm. We could have a little piece of us running around.
“I agree. We’ll talk to her first. But I think we can all agree that the child is most likely Ellie’s,” Brody says.
“Rain, do you know what this means?” Chase asks her, a massive smile taking over his face. “Lilly could be ours! Our kid. I knew there was something special about her, but this? Wow.”
Rain and Chase start talking excitedly, but then Brody has to go and ruin it.
“Or she could be Tim’s,” he says bluntly.
We all turn to look at him.
“What?” Rain asks with disbelief on her face.
“There’s a chance Tim could be the father,” he repeats.
“Don’t fucking say that again,” Chase growls, shooting to his feet. “Don’t even think that!”
Brody stands too, taking a step closer to him. “I’m trying to be real about all of this.”
“Shut up,” Chase warns, his hands balling into fists. He’s ready to snap.
“Well, what the hell do you want me to say? We just got two bombs dropped on us in the past seventy-two hours. What else is she keeping from us, huh? Maybe she’s not the Ellie we used to know. Because that Ellie would never keep secrets,” Brody snaps.
Brody doesn’t see it coming. The crack echoes throughout the room as Chase punches him in the face, causing Brody’s head to whip to the side.
“Fuck!” Chase hisses, shaking out his hand from the pain. It’s the same hand that was busted up from before.
Brody stands there, a death glare in his eyes as he wipes the blood from his lip.
“You kind of deserved that,” I say, standing up and stepping between him and Chase before they break out into a full on fist fight. They both now have busted up hands. They don’t need any more injuries. “You need to stop seeing Ellie as the bad guy, right now or we’re done. I can’t do this anymore, Brody. Please.”
“Fine.” Brody grits his teeth. “That was wrong of me to say.”
“Damn right, it was,” Chase says, sitting back down next to Rain. She takes his hand to examine it.
“I’ll wrap this again for you. It’s bleeding,” she sighs. I understand that there are all these different emotions going on right now. There’s so much to process, but we can’t turn on each other. We’re family and we need to deal with this together.
We had thought we were just going to talk to Ellie about what really happened on graduation night, something I really don’t want to think about right now. But instead, we find out she has a kid, a kid that could be one of ours.
“Lilly is mine,” Chase says, looking over to us. “I don’t care how she was conceived or by whom. She’s mine. If she’s Ellie's daughter, she’s mine too,” he says with all the confidence in the world.
“I’m with him,” Rain adds.
“I have to agree with them.” I look at Brody. “It doesn’t matter to me who Lilly’s biological father is, whether it be one of us or another man’s. She’s Ellie’s, therefore, she’s ours.”
“Yours,” Brody says dejectedly. “There is no ‘me’ involved in this. I’ll be lucky enough if I even win her back as a friend. But there won’t be anything more than that between us.”
“Yeah, yeah, you don’t deserve her. Blah, blah, blah. We heard you before,” Rain says, rolling her eyes.
I try to hold back a smirk. He does say that a lot. But it’s almost like he’s trying to convince himself of that. Do I think she should forgive him easily? No, if anyone deserves to be forgiven soon, it’s Chase, but I would hope that if she still loved Brody like she does Chase, then she would give him another chance some day. That she would give us all another chance. It may be selfish to ask, but I love her, and I would do anything to get another chance with her. If, in the end, she chooses not to, then as long as we can be friends, it will have to be enough. Even if it would kill me every day not to have her.
“It’s not like I won’t be involved in some way. I’d still like to be friends if she will have me, eventually. But I know I need to prove that I’m not the monster I’ve been the past few months. Maybe I can be the fun uncle or something.” He shrugs.
Rain lets out this sound somewhere between a snort and her choking. “You, fun?” She doesn’t bother holding back her amusement. “You’re about as fun as a root canal.”
“Oh, fuck you. I can be fun. Just ask Jax. He thinks I’m really fun.” Brody gives me this heated look that has my cock stirring. I love it when he looks at me like he’s ready to take a bite out of me. I miss him.
Since the party, we haven’t really spent much time together. At night, I feel cold and alone, wishing I was in his arms. All I can hope for is that he takes the stick out of his ass and starts to change because I don’t want to lose him. I love him so fucking much, it’s soul consuming. But I felt the same way with Ellie, and I think I still do. At least, I know I want to get back to that point. But I can’t do that being in Brody’s shadow. If it means stepping back from him to earn Ellie back, I will. I just hope it doesn’t come to that.
“Would you two get a room? Some of us aren’t getting our dicks wet anymore,” Chase mutters.
“And you’re upset about that?” I ask, cocking a brow.
“Fuck no. I’ve had a taste of my girl again, and I’d wait for a million years to get another. This cock is claimed and all the other girls can weep in the sorrow that they missed out on the chance for the ride of their lives,” Chase says, leaning back into the couch, looking like a cocky bastard.
“You’re so fucking full of yourself,” Rain laughs, shaking her head.
“I know someone who was full of me, and she came oh so perfectly on my cock.” He gives her a shit eating grin.
“Chase,” I warn. “Now is not the time. Don’t talk about her like that. I know we used to when we were all dating her, but I think, until that’s the case again, just keep it to yourself and anyone else she’s dating.”
“You’re right.” He nods. “I’ll be sure to mention it to Theo when the time is right.” He grins.
“So here is what we’re going to do. We give Ellie a few days, because I know this has shaken her up. Then we get a hold of her and get everything out on the table,” I suggest.
“That sounds like a good idea and all, but Brody, you seem to be forgetting something. You say you want to keep in the background and all that, but what if Lilly’s yours? What if she wants a DNA test and Lilly comes out as yours?” Chase asks.
“Then she’s better off without me. She has you guys. I’m not meant to be a dad. I had a shitty example. Have you met my parents? You think I’ll be any better? No.” He shakes his head. “You guys would be what she needs, not me.”
The reality of everything is hitting him hard, and he’s trying not to show his emotions which he’s way too good at doing. But I’m hoping once he starts spending time around Ellie without trying to tear her down, he will change his mind. He’s not a bad guy. He’s just done some really fucked up things. But I know the real Brody and I know Ellie did once, too. She just needs to see that part of him again. Brody may be a closed off, broody person, but with the people he’s closest to, he loves hard.
But that will come in time. First step, talk to Ellie.
Chapter 7
Ellie
“You have to go back to school, Ellie. And what about work? You missed last weekend, understandably, but are you going to call in sick again tonight?” Theo asks, pulling me into his arms as we stand in the kitchen. “I’m in no way telling you what to do, sweet girl, but I don’t like seeing you like this. It’s been a week and a half. I don’t want you to lose everything you’ve worked so hard for.”
“I know, but doing my classes online hasn’t been so bad. And I can stay at home with Lilly all safe and sound,” I say, looking up at him.
He smiles down at me, tucking some hair behind my ear. “But do you really get anything done with a little monkey running around all day demanding snacks?” He smirks, raising a brow.
“No,” I grumble. “I just don’t want her out of my sight, Theo. She was kidnapped; that fucked with me. It’s not something I’m just going to get over.”
“I know, my love, but you’re not alone. You took Lilly out of daycare, and my mother has been calling me everyday asking if she can watch Lilly for you.”
“I don’t want to take advantage of her like that. She already does so much for us.”
“But she wants to. She may not be old, but she’s lonely. She loves my dad, but he has the restaurant. As much as my mom loves cooking, she loves hanging out with the kids more. She doesn’t see it as a burden, or taking advantage. She loves it. And you still have Katie for when you’re at work. But in order to pay Katie, you need to work.”
He’s right. I have some money saved up in case of an emergency, but replacing everything I broke when I had my meltdown cost a pretty penny. If I miss any more work, I won’t be able to pay rent and bills next month. I know he would help me if I needed it, but I wouldn’t ask him for money if I could be out there earning it myself.
“Fine. Are you sure she’s okay with this?” I ask, double checking. He’s right. As much as I love spending my days with Lilly, I don’t get anything done until she’s asleep. I’ve felt like a walking zombie.
“Yes, she is. And she said she will stay in the house with Lilly and keep her entertained all day.”
“I know it sounds like I’m a crazy person, but I’m just not ready for her to leave the house yet and not without me with her, in my arms where she is safe.”
“You’re not crazy. You endured something no parent should ever have to. But she’s safe. She’s here with you. And from what the therapist says, the only thing she remembers is going for a ride with a scary man and getting saved by her best friend.”
The day all of this happened, I went to pick up Lilly from daycare just like any other day. When I got there, one of the workers said they all went to the park across the street because they were getting some new equipment for the fenced off park they have. So, I went to go meet them, and when I got outside, I saw that they were coming back from the park. Only, by the time they got over to me, Lilly wasn’t with them.
I lost my mind. Her teacher was saying that she had been at the end of the line. I yelled at her, and I yelled for Lilly. I felt like my soul was being sucked out of my body. Then I saw the car that the flyers warned us about.
It’s why we’ve stopped going to the park by our house and have stayed after daycare for her to get some play time in before going home.
It wasn’t enough. He ended up taking a kid, just like all of the local parents feared, and that kid was mine. All because one of the helpers turned their back for a moment. A moment that could have ruined our lives.
But then Chase came flying out of nowhere. God, I owe him my life for saving her. He chased the man down and got my baby girl back.
I know they did a lot to me in the past few months, but Chase was the only one trying after Brody put a stop to everything. He worked hard to get me to talk to him, finding me whenever he could. Let’s be honest. He was pretty much stalking me, but it showed how much he regretted what they did, how much I truly meant to him.
And the night of the party with us? Fuck, it was a lot to unpack, but I don’t regret it. It was amazing. It was like a piece of my soul clicked back into place.
I told myself to make him work a little harder, not to give in so easily, but after this? Call me crazy, but he’s earned his spot back into my life. I want to go out on dates with him and get to know him again. I want to be with him. I’ve never stopped loving him, and I want him back. I’m always the logical one, trying to make sure everyone is happy. But it’s time I make some decisions on things that I want. Life is short, and I don’t want to live with a bunch of ‘what ifs’.
As for the others, I still love them, even after everything they did. If they can show they want to change, that they really are sorry, then maybe I can get to where I’m at with Chase with them. But I’m not going to think about that yet. I still have to sit down and talk to them about everything.
But right now, I have so much going on, and I need to take one thing at a time.
The man who took Lilly was arrested. He was deemed mentally unstable. I guess his story is that he lost his little girl to cancer and his wife died in childbirth. He had no one.
I also found out that he wasn’t scoping out the playgrounds for just any kid. He saw Lilly and me at the park one time, and got it in his head that Lilly was his daughter. It’s sad to think about the amount of grief it takes to make you delusional enough to believe something like that, and a part of me sympathizes with him as a parent. I just hope he stays locked up, gets the help he needs, and stays the hell away from us.
But I have this little fear that he’s going to get out and try this again some day.
Theo has been amazing, as always, keeping me as relaxed as he can and helping me with Lilly. We’ve been staying over at his place since that day, but Lilly was missing her toys, so we’re back home for now. We’ve had a child therapist visit the house and talk to her, but honestly, I don’t think she was as affected by it as much as I was. She hasn’t had any nightmares and whenever she brings it up, it’s about how cool Chase was and how he’s her best friend. I guess being so young will help her forget things more easily.
“Knock knock!” someone calls from the other side of the door while knocking. I smile up at Theo before stepping back from his embrace to answer the door.
“Hey,” I say when I see Val’s bright and cheerful face.
“Hey, yourself. We’ve missed you but we knew with everything going on, you needed your space. But time’s up, I just had to see your sexy ass. Oh, and that adorable kid of yours,” she says pushing past me.
“Val!” Lilly shouts as she races over to Val’s open arms.
“Hi, turkey butt. Auntie Val missed your squishy face.”
“Hey, so did we,” Cooper says as he, Lexie, and Tabitha come down the hall. “Hey, Ellie.” He pulls me into a hug.
“Hey.” I smile when he pulls back.
“Sorry about her. Sometimes I’ve thought of getting a leash for that girl,” Lexie says, hugging me next.
"If you were a smoking hot m-a-n, I’d be totally willing to try that," Val calls from behind us.
I bite my lip, trying not to smile.
“What’s this surprise visit for?” I laugh, going for Tabitha next.
“We needed to see our bestie. It’s not the same without you at school, or life. We know you’re not ready to be away from Lilly unless you have to, so we thought we would bring the party to you,” Lexie says, walking into the house and plopping down on the couch.
“Soooo, they know? Everything?” Val just outright asks.
“Seriously, Val?” Lexie raises a brow. “Not in front of the kids,” she whispers.
“Sorry,” Val grimaces.
“Hey kids, why don’t we go back over to my place, and we can make ice cream sundaes?” Theo asks them.
“YAY!” they both cheer as they drop their toys and run for the door, waiting by it with bouncing energy.
“Talk to them. They care about you and Lilly,” Theo says, kissing the top of my head. “I’ll watch these two little goobers.”
“Good luck with that,” I laugh. “They already look like they’ve had a bowl or two.”
Theo chuckles. “Gonna have to put an interactive game on the TV to get them to burn it off.”
I feel bad because normally, they would go to the park to do something like that.
“Hey,” Theo says, cupping my face. “It’s okay. You will be ready to let her go to the park again someday, but right now, it’s too soon and that’s just fine. No one can tell you how to deal with this, or how you choose to heal, or what to do with Lilly. You’re her mother. You know best and we’re here to help in any way we can.”
Tears well in my eyes at his words, comforting my anxiety. “I love you.”
“I love you more.” He kisses my lips softly. “Now, go gossip like a bunch of old hens.”
“Whatever you say, grandpa,” Val calls over.
Theo smiles and rolls his eyes before taking the kids to his place.
“Okay, that’s a total lie,” Val says. “He does not look like a grandpa. He might be like what, eight years older than you, but he’s fine as fuck. Just think when he is older though. I just know he's gonna be a silver fox. You’re a lucky bitch,” Val pouts.
“Thanks.” I giggle, sitting on the couch next to my friends.
“Okay, now that the curious ears are no longer around, tell us everything.”
And I do. Theo’s given them the brief story about what happened, just enough to keep them from worrying.
I tell them all about the kidnapping and Chase racing after the man to get my baby girl back for me. And then about everything I’ve done while dealing with it up until now.
“Look, I know the others have been a bunch of turds, but Chase...damn girl, he’s literally a knight in shining armor,” Val swoons. “Get it? Because he’s a Silver Knight and also rescued Lilly like a knight would?”
