"Hi Mom. It's been a while." 

The words tasted bittersweet as I spoke them. They were both a relief because I never thought I would be able to say them, but also painful because I never thought I'd ever need to say them. 

However, for as much of an affect as it had on me, it seemed to take more of a toll on my mother. Her hands flew to her face and she covered her mouth, eyes wide. Tears welled up and fat drops rolled down her face. Neither of us moved for a long moment. It felt like forever before she finally took a breath. 

"Jen?" she breathed through her hands, the sound barely audible. "Is that really you?"

"It's me." I held out my arms and let them drop back to my side. 

Her shoulders shook as she reached out for me. I let her embrace me and felt her tears soak into my shirt. My arms were awkwardly hovering around her back. Should I hug her back? Should I just leave her be? Right as I made the decision to hug her back, she pushed me away, holding me at arm's length. "You're so thin," she said. "Have you been eating? Are you okay? Did he do anything to you? Have you been okay?"

I gave her a weak smile and glanced back at Brayden, waiting for me in the car. "I'm okay. I have been eating. Thanks to Mr. Milton."

Her eyebrows rose. "Mr. Milton? My old boss?"

I nodded. "I've been working for him for the past two years. His son was the one that brought me here." She glanced behind me and waved before returning her attention to me. "He's been nothing but kind to me as long as I've worked for him. Mr. Milton helped me finish school, too."

Mom's tears, which had stopped, were coming again and she hugged me tight. I returned the hug this time. "Finish school?" She shook her head and closed her eyes, speaking up before I could. "Wait. Don't answer that." She opened her eyes and glanced between me and the car. "Why don't the two of you come in and we can talk."

I nodded, feeling numb as I turned towards the car and motioned for Brayden to come. He got out, looking confused as he walked over. "She wants us to come in to visit," I said thickly around the lump in my throat. 

"At least have a snack and a glass of lemonade," Mom said nervously. She rubbed my arm before turning towards the open door. "I'll go grab everyone something."

I glanced at Brayden again. His eyes were unreadable as he took my hand and led me through the open door behind Mom. "We might as well have something," he said quietly. 

"The living room is the next left," Mom shouted from where I assumed the kitchen was to the right. 

Something cold and wet touched my hand and I jumped. A big brown dog - a Labrador - was sniffing at me uncertainly. I held out my hand and it nuzzled me. Tentatively, I stroked its head before jerking my hand away. I liked dogs, but I didn't have much experience with them. Behind me, Brayden chuckled. I turned to him, slightly upset.

"She's not going to hurt you," he said quietly. He got down on the dog's level and began scratching her ears and petting her head, eventually dodging licks to his face. He stood and motioned for us to go to the living room. 

I sighed and kept going. As I thought, the first door to the left was the living room. I pulled up short again as I saw a kid look up at me from where he was stacking colored blocks. Was this my little brother? Unsure of what to do, I sat on the sofa near the child. He kept staking blocks, but he kept looking over at me. 

He looked about a year and a half old, but I could have been wrong. I could have even been wrong about the child's gender. I'd never been so close to such a tiny human for a prolonged period of time without a cash register between us. This was also one of the very few times one wasn't screaming. 

"You good?" Brayden asked quietly, reaching over and resting his hand on mine. "You've been staring at the baby since we walked in."

I glanced up before looking back at the child. "Yeah. I'm good."

"Okay, I've got some lemonades and I thought you guys may be hungry, so I grabbed some Oreos from the cabinet," Mom said as she walked in. We looked up as she sat a tray down on the table in front of us. The dog trotted in behind her and walked over to a bed I hadn't noticed in the corner. 

Three glasses sat on a plastic tray with a package of Oreos with the top film peeled back and tucked under the plastic. There weren't many missing. "Thanks," I said absentmindedly, my attention going back to the baby as Mom sat in a chair opposite us. "Who's that?"

"Oh, that's Kyle," she responded, her tone full of love. "He's your half-brother."

My attention snapped to her. "How old is he?"

Our eyes met. "Eighteen months old. Yes, I was pregnant when I left, if that was your next question." She sighed. "Long story short, he was passing through Rapid Falls, but we met at the grocery store and something about me caught his attention. Next thing I know, I'm divorcing Marvin in secret and walking out on you and your father in fear he would hurt my baby before the divorce was final."

I could only nod. It was too much information that I both needed to know and didn't want to. It felt like there was too much crashing down on me at once. I had a brother. I had a step-father by the looks of it. How much more was here that I didn't know about? Did I have step-siblings? Was this new guy a good person? He seemed to be treating Mom well at the very least. 

Feeling overwhelmed, I reached for a glass of lemonade. My hand was shaking slight but no one acted like they noticed. The first sip was like time travel. I remembered the taste from when I was little. All those nights we would sit down to dinner, this glass of lemonade would be sitting on the table. Tears welled up as I thought about the time she was with me and Dad - the good and the bad. 

I sniffled and cleared my throat, but before I could say anything, Mom spoke. "So, Brayden. I've heard a lot about you. Your dad used to brag that you were away at college and doing well out there. When did you graduate?"

"Last year, with honors."

Mom beamed. "Congratulations! What do you plan to do now?"

"I plan to run one of my dad's stores, and eventually run the business."

"Which store do you want to run? Have you thought about that?"

I felt more than saw Brayden glance at me. My gaze was trained on the lemonade in my hands. "I've been thinking of trying to expand out here in Colorado." I started some, which prompted him to rest a hand on my knee. "But, really, I'd rather let this one pick a place."

I blushed heavily. "What if you don't like the place?" Mom asked.

He shrugged and looked at me. "I can't not like the place if she's there with me."

That was all it took for the tears that had welled up to spill. A tissue appeared in front of my face and I took it. "Thanks," I muttered to the room. We fell into silence as I sniffled until I finally gave in and blew my nose. Things were beginning to turn awkward. It was time to tell her why we were there. "Mom, actually, the reason we're here isn't just to visit with you." I sighed and gripped the tissue tightly. "I need a place to stay. There's a lot going on back in Rapid Falls, and I need to be away for a while. I'll have to go back eventually, and it's a long story, but I just need to stay somewhere for now-"

"Why wouldn't you be welcome here?" Mom cut in, holding up a hand. "Honey, if you need to stay, just ask. You don't need to explain why." She glanced at Brayden. "If he staying too?"

I shook my head. "He has to go back," I said quietly. "So no."

Mom nodded and lowered her hand. "Okay. You're welcome to stay here too, Brayden, if you ever need to."

"I appreciate that." Something in his face changed. For a moment, I would have sworn he would take her up on the offer, but then it was gone as quick as it had appeared. He glanced at me before standing. "Um, I'm going to go grab your stuff, then." Before I could stand and stop him, he was nearly to the door. 

Like an idiot, I listened to him walk out the door, halfway between standing and sitting. I huffed as I sat down again. "Are you sure it's okay with... What's his name?"

Her gaze softened. "Wendall."

I fought the urge to wrinkle my nose at the name. "Are you sure Wendall will be fine with my being here? I've never met him before."

She smiled at me gently. "Honey, we've talked about going and getting you many times. It's just never been the right time, plus your dad had custody of you. I couldn't fight very well, and your dad worked hard to get the court to see me as mentally unstable. I was branded an unfit mother, and your dad retained custody of you."

"How did I not know about your divorce? I mean, aren't kids supposed to be asked about which parent they want to see or whatnot?"

She shook her head. "The court proceedings were all when you were in school, and we tried to keep you out of it as much as possible. We told the court that we didn't want you there, and your dad went so far as to say that you would choose him anyway, so it didn't matter. I didn't respond to that assertion." She sighed. "I wish I had, but I didn't. There was so much going on. I tried to stay around until things got better for you, but when you were sixteen, I couldn't. Not anymore. Like I said, I was pregnant and scared Marvin would find out. I was about to start showing when I left."

"How long before that was the divorce final?"

She looked up at the ceiling, as if she could find the answer there. "Wen and I met when you were fourteen, so probably about a year. I tried to stay until you were old enough to leave. I was scared of what would happen to you if I didn't. I wanted to take you with me, but, like I said, he had custody. There was nothing I could do."

My stomach was churning. Suddenly, the lemonade I'd been drinking felt like it was going to come back up. "He's taking a long time with the bags," I said abruptly, setting the glass down on the table. "I'm going to go check on him."

Mom caught me as I tried to escape, grabbing the hem of my shirt. "Jenny, let him have a moment to himself. He seems to be missing you already."

I looked at her. "I don't want him suffering alone."

Her face hardened. "I get that. I do. He still needs time, though. Just let him be."

My gaze bounced between her and the door for a long moment before I sighed and sat back down. "I still think I need to check on him." What if he wanted to talk to me? 

We sat in silence for a bit. The air was heavy with things that needed to be said. Just as I was about to break the silence, the door opened and Brayden walked in with my suitcase. "Hey, you want to help me grab the last few things?" he asked. 

"Sure." I stood, tossing Mom an I told you so look. The dog looked up when she heard the rolling case, which unsettled me a little bit, but I still crossed over to Brayden. We walked out together and when we got to the car, he grabbed my wrist, forcing me to turn so my back was to the car. He got close and pressed me back into the warm metal. Our lips met in a kiss that I could only call hungry. 

An arm snaked around my waist, while the other held my neck in place. Our bodies met and I could feel him in a way I hadn't before. I slid my hands into his hair, something I'd been wanting to do since that first kiss. Our lips pulled away with a smack, only to dive back in again for more, leaving us both panting and filling up with want. 

It was the most intense kiss we'd shared so far, but something about it was wrong. I couldn't place my finger on just what. When we pulled away with yet another smack, I turned my head and when he realized he wasn't kissing my mouth, his lips trailed down my neck. My knees felt weak, but I managed to push him away. The sudden absence made my body cold; the wind on my now wet neck felt like ice. 

"Brayden, please don't make this harder," I whispered, wondering if that was what this was about.

He looked away. "I'm a terrible person." He barked out a laugh and rubbed his face.

"What do you mean?"

His hands fell away and he sucked in a breath. "You and your mom have so much time to make up for, and here I am trying to take you away. It's obvious she's excited you're here and she wants to make up for lost time, but I want you for myself."

Was that it? I nearly laughed at him. Not because anything was funny, but out of relief. "Brayden, that doesn't make you a bad person." I stepped up to him and put my hands on his face, making him look at me. "I love you, you know? I know you love me. It's only natural to not want to let this go, and trust me, I don't either. But this is the end of the line for me for now. I'll be back to Rapid Falls eventually. You're forgetting that there's going to be court and I'll need somewhere to stay when I come for that. We'll be a ways apart, but you'll still have my heart."

His eyes closed and he sighed. "I know. I know it's not the end of us." He grabbed one of my hands and turned his head so he could kiss my palm. "You'll have my heart, too. Can I have your number?"

I smiled at him. "Of course."