Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 62811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 314(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 314(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
“We can do that,” I tell her.
We leave the furniture store and stop at a nearby Target to get a few more things she’ll need. She grabs pillows, bed linen, towels, and cute things she finds on a clearance rack before we finally check out. It feels good to see her happy. These last couple of weeks have been hard for her, where I’ve only witnessed her sadness and despair. But right now, she looks…free. Content. I don’t know how long it’ll last, but I’ll revel in it for as long as she allows me to.
Thankfully, the bed arrives at the apartment at the same time we do. Cleo can barely stop bouncing around as they set everything up, probably anxious to faceplant into a brand new bed that’s all hers. She ended up getting the entire bedroom set that came with the bed frame and once everything is set up, her bedroom looks ready for her to relax in. I thank the delivery drivers and tip them before joining Cleo in the bedroom. She stands there with tears in her eyes.
“I can’t believe this is mine,” she murmurs before I can say anything. I put my hands in my pockets without a word, wanting her to have her moment. She runs her fingertips along the bare mattress as if she’s trying to convince herself that it’s real, that it’s hers.
“Yep. All of this is yours.” I give her shoulders a light squeeze. “You deserve this.”
“Yeah,” she whispers. “I do.”
I help her make her bed up and chuckle when she jumps onto it with an excited squeal. She reaches out for me with a soft smile.
“Come lie with me,” she says.
And she doesn’t have to ask me twice.
CLEO
Talon and I order food and eat dinner on the floor in the middle of the living room. I grin at him as I reach for the carton of shrimp fried rice.
“You know, maybe I should’ve gotten a couch also. The floor isn’t very forgiving,” I muse.
“Aren’t you glad you have a bed now?” He chuckles and bites into an egg roll. “So? Do you have any plans? What’s next on Cleo’s agenda?”
I shrug. The possibilities are so open that I don’t even know where to start. “I’m not quite sure,” I answer honestly. “I don’t know if I want to go on to college or just look for another job.” I push some rice around. “I guess I didn’t think I’d get this far so soon.”
“Seems you have a lot to think about.” He finishes his egg roll. “And don’t think you have to rush any decisions. You have your whole life ahead of you. Take some time to get acclimated in your new place and really think about what you want for your life. What do you think will make you happy?”
The question is simple yet loaded. My entire life has consisted of being in survival mode to where I haven’t thought of things much further than what I needed to do to pay my bills from month to month. Before, I didn’t have money for college so I never thought about going. I don’t have any degrees, so I never had any jobs in mind that I’d want to do. I never thought about things in terms of “what would make me happy.” I only did what I needed to in order to survive.
“I think I may want to help kids that are like me,” I finally say. “You know, foster kids or something. The social worker I had was really great at looking out for me until I aged out of the system.” A small smile settles on my lips at the thought of Mrs. Veronica. She was the sweetest lady I’d ever met. I remember how I used to always beg her to adopt me and never understanding why she couldn’t. She always listened to me and validated any concerns or fears I had, and she always made sure to pull me out of unsafe homes if I didn’t feel comfortable.
“So, like social work or something,” Talon asks.
I nod. “Yeah…yeah, I think that’ll be good. I’ll have to do some research on it, but it sounds like something that would make me happy.”
“It’s a start.” He leans back on his hands. “And I think it’ll be good for kids to have someone who’s been in their shoes, you know? Not everyone knows how it feels to be in foster care.”
“Yeah. Some end up going down a darker path because of the things they’ve gone through while in the system,” I say quietly as my own memories threaten to resurface. I clear my throat. “Is real estate what makes you happy?”
“Actually, yeah.” He shrugs. “I think it’s more so because it’s something that can be passed along throughout our family, so it’s kind of like we’re building a legacy for the Steeles. Dad worked really hard to make it what it is today, so it’s an honor that he’s allowing me and Tristan to carry the torch.”