Only Love (16 page)

This made Caroline’s face light up, an expression I knew to be genuine. She rubbed my arm. “She’s gorgeous. Her baby. I’m glad I got to meet them; see what they bring out in you.”

Caroline did know about Aubrey and Rissa. I’d told her about them the night I came close to drinking and had to call her. When I mentioned them, I believed I was doing so in passing, turns out I hadn’t been subtle. I found I couldn’t when it came to Aubrey. It read all over my face how I felt about her and Caroline quickly called me out on it. I thought that might be awkward for her considering our history, but it was anything but. Caroline had always been supportive. Supportive on so many levels and this turned out to be another form of support. I had yet another thing to thank her for.

She squeezed my arm, sitting down to rejoin the conversation, and I noticed Don again. A waiter had brought another round, placed another drink in his hand. I bent to Caroline. “Watch Don,” I told her. “Make sure he doesn’t drink too much.”

I found Aubrey outside after I paid our tab at the front, pacing with a still sleeping Rissa in her arms. When she heard me she faced my way and the worry warring across her face made a tremor move inside my chest.

“It’s Gabby,” she said. “We’ve got to hurry. I’ll tell you on the way.”

Aubrey and I got to the police station in quick time, and I still couldn’t believe I was here tonight, or really, the reason
why
I was here tonight. After Aubrey told me about Gabby in the car, I could only let out a breath and shake my head, though I didn’t let on to her how frustrated I was. What she told me didn’t make sense about Gabby—at all, and I was going to get to the bottom of it. Something was going on with that kid, and I wasn’t going to let her run away from an explanation tonight like she had in my squad car a few days prior.

We got inside the station, Aubrey at my side with Rissa still in her arms. I stopped her by a seat for the pair at the precinct’s doors, placing my hand on her arm. “You wait up here, okay? I’ll figure out what’s going on.”

I didn’t want her and the baby in the back with the riffraff around here.

Aubrey looked like she wanted anything but. I had no doubt she could hold her own, but I wouldn’t have her or Rissa within ten feet of a hardened criminal. Her staying up here was very much for me. Eventually, she nodded, patting Rissa’s back gently while she rocked her, and instinctually, I wanted to brush my lips along her forehead before our short absence. I resisted. I needed to remind myself that she wasn’t mine.

She took a seat with Rissa and once I knew she was staying put, I headed back toward our holding cells. That’s where Gabby told Aubrey they were keeping her. I assumed Smith or Daniels would be on duty tonight as most of us went out. It was Smith. His eyes flashed when he saw me here. I never worked evenings and once I told him why, he took me exactly where I needed to go to find Gabby. He gave me the lowdown on the way. Apparently Daniels took her in and the reason blew my mind.

“Well, it started because she broke curfew,” he said, swiping his card to let us into the area reserved for our cells. “But then Daniels found narcotics in her bag. Coke.”

I grabbed his arm, freezing. “You’re kidding.”

“I wish I was. It wasn’t a full bag or anything. Just residue, but she had something at one time. He picked her up at the bus stop. Only blocks away from a party that was just busted. What was in her bag matched what was found there. Hard not to see the connection.”

She’d been selling drugs.
Selling
drugs at fifteen. But why? I lowered my hand from Smith. “Do you mind if I take her home? She’s my neighbor. She’s a good kid. I just think a bit misguided.”

Crossing his beefy arms, he let out a breath. The man was a tank, which was why he handled the fellas brought in back here most nights. “You know we need a guardian to check her out, but I’ll make an exception tonight. Don’t worry about the drugs. I’ll take care of it and make sure she just receives a warning for the curfew.”

I thanked him and asked him to do one other thing for me before I went back. He agreed, and then I flanked him to the cells. I was happy she was placed in one of our nicer ones. Not only was it clean, but also she was by herself, erasing that twinge of worry I had of any others brought in bothering her.

She had her head in her hands, crying, and the sight turned my stomach. She did
not
belong in here. Not at all, but if she kept up what she was doing, this was where she’d end up in the long run. She lifted her head when Smith unlocked the door, and her gaze went to him first, a sudden uneasiness making them flash, but then they escaped to me and that unease happily went away.

“Adam,” she gasped, standing.

I went inside and she looked as if she’d run to me, but then Smith did as I asked. He locked the door behind me and the confusion that lined her face was evident. My colleague then walked away, leaving the pair of us alone.

Her eyes flashed to me. “What’s going on? They’re not letting me go?”

I hated seeing her like this, someone so young, so scared, but I needed to talk to her first before we left. I was scared to know what would happen to her if I didn’t. I gestured for her to take a seat on the bench attached to the wall. I did so myself, and she followed my lead.

Clasping my hands together, I stared ahead for a few moments. I needed to get my thoughts together.

Gabby’s eyes were on me; I could feel them in my direction. “Is Aubrey here?” she asked. “Did she call you?”

“She is and she did,” I told her, but after that I let silence sit between us again. I quickly understood why. I was disappointed in her. This kid wasn’t just my neighbor; I cared about her. Letting out a breath, I finally collected my thoughts. “What’s going on, Gabby? Drugs? Really?”

Her mouth parted. “I didn’t have any drugs.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

Her head turned from me then. I could only imagine it was because she knew I’d catch her if she kept eye contact. More lies in her eyes.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked, looking at her refusing to look at me. “Is it pressure at school? Something else? I know it may seem nice to have nice things, but this isn’t the way to go about it if you want something. In a year, you’ll be able to get a job and…”

She let out a dry laugh and a tear escaped her eye, running down her cheek. She wiped it away. “There’s only one thing I want and it ain’t stuff.”

“And that is?”

Finally, she turned her head, and the pain in her eyes was evident. In fact, I could feel it myself, clenching at my heart. “You wouldn’t understand,” she sniffed, running her hand under her nose. “Cuz you got it. Even if you don’t think you have it yet.”

I didn’t know what to make of that, but I had a feeling I wouldn’t get anything more from her about it. She rose up, clasping her hands. “Do you have to tell my mom? About tonight? Please, Adam, is there any way…” she paused, biting her lip. “She’ll be so mad if she finds out they brought me in.”

With a sigh, I pushed on my knees, standing up. I wanted to think harder about it. Her mom should know, but I had a feeling that would only make things worse for her. I told her I wouldn’t tell her, that I’d taken care of everything, then escorted her out of here. She didn’t belong and shouldn’t be back here anymore.

She saw Aubrey right away up front and latched onto her and her baby like they were here lifeline. In a way, maybe they were. Her hand on the back of Gabby’s head, Aubrey led our party out. She exchanged a glance with me, I believed wanting to know more about the situation, but I mouthed,
later
, and she let it go for now.

Aubrey unlocked her apartment door, pushing it and letting everyone in. Gabby had Rissa on her hip, the little girl wide-awake now and playing with Gabby’s ponytail. With all the excitement, I wasn’t surprised she was up. It was still fairly early in the evening yet, so they had time to get her to relax again for bed. I made up the rear of the line, closing the door behind me. I was going to come up, then leave after I made sure they all got in safely but I needed to talk to Aubrey. She let into Gabby barely across the threshold of her apartment, and I knew that needed to be sooner rather than later.

“What were you thinking?” She lifted her hands, dropping them at her sides. “You could have gotten hurt. I’ve warned you about rippin’ and runnin’ the streets. Fools won’t care how old you are. They’d take advantage of you without question.”

Gabby cringed. Aubrey had kept silent in the car, all the way home, but I think that had been because of me. Through another glance in the car, I let her know any discussion of what happened inside needed to wait. She had no problem with going for it now, but she needed to know the whole story before things went further. Gabby lifted her eyes to her, a clear shame ringing them. She hitched Rissa up her hip. “I’m sorry. I know it was stupid.”

This answer didn’t seem to appease Aubrey. She crossed her arms. “Stupid. Stupid! Gabby, it was more than—”

I touched her arm, and she faced me.

“Can we talk?” I spoke under my breath. Gabby turned away when Rissa grabbed her face, and I brought Aubrey closer to hear me better. “In private,” I urged, tipping my head toward Gabby.

I think she saw the understanding in my eyes because she nodded right away. Letting out a breath, she turned back to Gabby. “Can you watch Rissa for a bit? I need to talk to Adam.”

I could imagine Gabby knew exactly what our conversation would be about, but she didn’t question it. “Do you think I can stay tonight? I don’t want to wake my mom up by coming in. She gets mad.”

The pleading tone of the request was evident in her voice, and that look of desperation I saw before. She had it on when she saw Aubrey and Rissa tonight. This wasn’t the first time she mentioned her mom, and every reference of the woman I’d heard from herself and Aubrey had always surrounded the negative. That fact wasn’t lost on me at all.

Aubrey didn’t hesitate a response. “Of course. Get Rissa ready for bed and you can have the pullout. Pop in The Wiggles and she’ll go right to sleep.”

Aubrey turned to walk away, but Rissa got fussy again. With surprising strength, she nearly kicked herself loose from Gabby’s arms, squealing in Aubrey’s direction. She apparently didn’t want her mom to leave. Aubrey tilted her head at her. “Aww, baby. I’ll be back. You won’t even know I’m gone. You’ll be asleep by the time I’m home.”

Rissa kept kicking, forcing Gabby to put her down. The one-year-old ran toward Aubrey who’d almost made it to me at the door. Aubrey squatted down to get her, but she completely bypassed her. I let out a grunt when she grabbed
my
leg, pushing her face into my jeans.

Aubrey popped her hands on her hips, still in her squat. “Would you look at that? She done forgot all about me.”

I guess she had. Laughing, I picked her up, releasing the surprising grip this little girl had on my leg. “I’ll be around again,” I told her. “But next time we’ll make sure it’s ice cream and not hot wings.”

I didn’t know if she understood what I said, but she giggled at me in response. I loved the sound so I tickled her belly, bringing it out more.

Gabby relieved me of her, though that was definitely the wrong word. I wanted to stay as much as she wanted me to. After Aubrey kissed her baby’s cheek, she followed me up to my apartment. Heading over to my couch, she placed her purse on the floor, making herself at home for the first time in my place. I loved that just as much as her daughter’s giggle. “You’re so good with her,” she said.

I smiled heading into my kitchen. I had a view of her in the living room there from over the bar. “Thanks,” I told her, flipping the lights on inside.

“It’s like you’ve done this whole baby thing before.”

Yeah. It was like I had.

Choosing to answer the comment with another smile, I opened one of my cabinets, getting a coffee filter and a can of
Folgers
. “Would you like some coffee?” I asked. We might be talking for a minute.

She clasped her hands together, that grin of hers fluttering my heart open for her even more than it already was. “That would be great.”