Seventeen Days (13 page)

“Trust me, I have never read a book about vampires in love. So no, I didn’t
‘Twilight’
you. I take it from your reaction you’ve read it?”

“Sienna may have gotten me signed copies of all four books, and not only signed by the author but the actors who portray Edward, Bella, and Jacob in the movies. So yeah, you can bet I’ve read them. You’re Switzerland comment is why I said you
Twilight
-ed me. Bella says she’s team Switzerland when her beloved Edward is fighting with her best friend Jacob. And you should totally read it. I think you’d actually like it. You should at least watch the movies.” 

She hasn’t so much as brought up my suggestion of her talking to Savannah. Maybe she agrees with me and knows they should talk. Maybe I dodged a bullet after all. 

Dog comes sniffing around to see if we’re cooking. He does love his scraps. “Hey, Dog, no human food yet, buddy. Let me fill up your kibble dish and give you some cool fresh water.”

“Rusty Sprockets may need a potty break before he eats. Don’t you think?” she asks.

“Nah, he uses the doggy door and comes and goes as he pleases. No need to force him to go out. He’s happy. I’m happy. And his name is
Dog
.”

“Pffft, he’s Rusty Sprockets, and you know it. You’ll be calling him by his new name before you know it. And about Savannah, I think you’re right. We should talk things through as soon as possible. And yes, I’d love for you to be there. I’m not asking you to choose sides. But your being there would be comforting to me. Maybe you could call her and arrange that while I toss us together some breakfast?” 

Well, that didn’t go so bad. Now if only I can get Savannah to agree to them talking today. Hopefully she’s not too busy with appointments so we can’t make it happen. I plan on getting Morgan’s father’s info out of her and driving Morgan over there to meet him if she wants. Who knows where he is, it’s another reason why I took today off and made it a longer weekend. We may need to travel a distance to see him. 

As Harrison pulls into my aunt's driveway, I crouch down further into my seat. I’m acting like a toddler, but I don’t care. How much can one person handle before they break? Guess I’m about to find out. 

“Come on, Red. There’s nothing to be afraid of, I’ll be right there with you. Even if I am Switzerland, I’ll still be there for comfort. You’ve got this.” At least he’s confident, cause I’m totally not. 

He parks the truck and hops out before I can reply. I’m still crouched down when he opens my door to help me out. “I don’t want to,” I mumble. Why the hell am I mumbling?
Again.
What is it about these people that brings out my inner child? I’ve never felt so immature since coming here. 

Must be all the salt in the air.
Or whatever, no clue. 

“From what I have gotten to know over the past few days, Morgan Elizabeth Young is stronger than this. She is a fighter.
She’d
get out of this damn truck. She’d go as far as actually talking to her aunt. Getting the answers to questions she’s wanted for eighteen years. Maybe I left her back at my place.”

He had to go and say that. Shit. He’s good at throwing down dares. 

Breathing in and out deeply, I finally give in and get out of the truck. Sienna has forced me to be grown for a few years now, I may as well act like it. 

“Fiiiine. I’m out, but you may have to hold my hand for me to eventually take one step toward the door. I’ve never admitted this before, but I’m scared, Harrison. I’m so fucking scared of those answers she can give me. It seems like I’ve been living my entire life in a bubble and it’s now bursting wide open.” 

“The future is always scary, Morgan. If it’s not, you’re not living. Nothing in life is guaranteed. Everything can come to an end instantly. A drunk driver could take out your whole family on their way to one of your basketball games and you’d never get to tell them how much you loved them again. Trust me, I know you’re scared. I’m scared every damn day. Every. Damn. Day.” 

Clasping my hand in his, he starts leading me to the front door. Savannah’s truck is in the driveway, and I’m surprised she hasn’t opened the front door already. I bet she’s watching us from the front window. Glancing towards the window, I try to catch her watching, I see nothing but curtain. Hmm. She’s not as nosey as I would be. 

“Should we um, walk right in? Like should I act normal like we didn’t have a life-alerting fight last night?”

Give me the answers, please. 

Guide me because I have absolutely no idea what to do.
 

This scares me more than waking up in a Paris jail cell with no memories of how or why I was there. 

“Walk right in, babe. It’s what I would do. Knowing Savannah, she heard us pull up and is in the kitchen making hot tea as we speak. I’m right here with you. You’re strong, Morgan. Much stronger than you give yourself credit for. No one, and I mean no one, I know could have survived what you have so far in life. You were raped, for fuck’s sake. Not many survive that without going through therapy or worse. But
you
did. You survived like I know you can get through this talk with Savannah.”  

Lifting my hand he’s holding, he places a kiss on it and pulls me up the stairs. He’s right, though. He’s so fucking right. I
can
do this. 

Taking one more deep breath, I push open the door and greet my future. It’s now or never. 

Mac is lying near the front door as we walk in—he doesn’t stir. Him and Rusty Sprockets would be best friends, I bet. We should have brought him along with us. He seems like a great dog, it’s too bad his owner gave him a lame name. 

Hearing dishes clatter in the kitchen, I realize Harrison was right about that, too. She’s making us tea. She claims a hot beverage can cure almost anything. Not sure if I agree on it being tea over coffee, though. 

Entering the kitchen, she’s near the sink with her back toward us. 

“Hey, Aunt Savannah.” 

Grabbing a chair and pulling it out, Harrison gestures for me to have a seat. 

“Good afternoon, my darling girl. I trust you slept well?” What? She’s making small talk as if nothing happened? How can she do that?

“Um. Not as well as I would have if I wouldn’t have been bombarded with the info of you
knowing
my father. Other than that, yeah I slept frickin’ fantastic.” Who needs small talk? Not this chick.
Nope
. 

Bringing the tea kettle over to the table, she proceeds to pour the three cups she had waiting before replying. 

“I’m sorry it was shocking news to you. I never meant for it to be. I’d always thought your mother told you who he was and what he meant to her. I never would’ve guessed in a million years she kept that information from you. It’s not like he was a random stranger she barely knew.” 

“Frankly, if you’re still in contact with him, you should’ve known I didn’t know who he was. Don’t you think if I knew I would’ve tried to contact him at some point in my life? I’m not a completely heartless bitch like Sienna.” Shit, I had intentions of having this conversation without getting angry, but that plan flew right out the window.
Bye, Felicia.
 

Taking a sip of her tea, she shakes her head. “I’ve never brought you up to him. Sienna is a sore subject between us, and I’ve only seen him a handful of times over the years. Would you like to know him? Surely you must want to. I can give you his information. Well, what I have, anyway.” 

Harrison places his hand on my knee and gently squeezes. It’s either in reassurance or he wants me to know he wants the information for himself. But why in the world would
he
want it? Glancing over at him, I give him a look I hope he knows to mean that I got his message. He may have said he wasn’t choosing sides, but his hand on my knee tells me otherwise. He’s team Morgan all the way. 

“Yes. I would like the information. But it can wait until our talk is over. We’re far from that at this point. It seems like everyone in this family is big on secrets. Why would Sienna keep you from seeing me? Couldn’t she have known how much I’d have loved to have you in my life? To have a person in my corner, whenever, wherever would have meant so much to me. I’ve always felt as if I was all alone in life. Harrison is the only person who's ever made me feel
wanted,
and he’s not my family.”

She’s visibly shaken by my outburst. “I can’t answer for her, but I can offer my opinion. I’m almost positive it has to do with your father, so I better start at the beginning. Your father’s name is Julian, and he was the love of my life.” 

Taking a deep breath, she continues, not bothering to acknowledge my shocked gasp. Or the dropped cup of tea, lying broken on the kitchen floor. Funny how the broken glass feels like my broken and shattered heart. 

“We were together since we were teenagers and married as soon as we turned eighteen. We would’ve married sooner if we could have. Shy of our first anniversary, Sienna became pregnant with you. She had been modeling for almost two years by then, and she thought getting pregnant would ruin her newly-found career. She had been dating a young man named Garrett, and I wrongly assumed he was your father. When your mother told me she was expecting my husband's child, I didn’t believe her. Not at first, anyway. She’d always looked at Julian with longing, but I never thought anything would come of it.”

Harrison moves his hand from my knee and grabs for my hand resting on the tabletop. He must have seen the tears building back up in my eyes and knew I needed more comfort than his hand on my knee. I’m a child of an affair. I always knew I wasn’t born out of love but never thought I was born out of spite. 

“Julian confirmed he had slept with Sienna. He said it was a classic case of mistaken identity, he thought she was me. Being that we’re identical, he blames it on the dark and his drunken state. He’s always said he couldn’t see her eyes to know it wasn’t me. It doesn’t change the fact by doing so, he completely shattered my heart. We tried to get over it by seeking help, but my heart wasn’t in it. We divorced before you were born. He moved away to Paris and visits here seldom. We’re in contact, but it’s even more rare than his visits. I always thought Sienna would have told you at some point who he was.”

Tears are streaming down my face, and I’m not doing anything to stop them. If I thought I was speechless when Harrison gave me a flight ticket, I was mistaken. This right here,
now
I am truly speechless. 

Okay, so, I’m not the child of an affair per se, but I am the result of backstabbing and cheating. My mother is more awful than I’ve given her credit for. She destroys lives. Not only my life but those of everyone who should be closest to her. 

“Have you … Have you ever loved again? How did you even find it in your heart to ask for me? How could you stand to be anywhere near me?”
I can’t stand to be near me.

“No, I can’t say I have. And I’ve always wanted you. Since the moment I found out about you, I wanted you. How you came to be has nothing to do with the woman you’ve become or are becoming. Just because your mother is a backstabbing bitch, doesn’t change how I feel about
you
. How I’ve always felt about you.” 

Letting go of Harrison’s hand, I stand and make my way over to Aunt Savannah. She’s pushing to her feet before I make it to her side of the table. We’re grabbing for each other at the same time. 

“I’m so sorry. I’ve been so awful to you. Can you ever forgive me?”  

“Oh, my sweet, sweet girl, there’s absolutely nothing to forgive.” She's hugging me almost as hard as Harrison did the day I told him about losing my virginity. I don’t know how long we hold on to each other. All I know is both our tears have dried and Harrison is nowhere to be found. I love how he gave us this time alone.
Did I say love?

“Let me give you everything I have on Julian. I know he’d love to hear from you. Despite the picture I painted, he is a good man. He made a few mistakes, but those were so long ago now. I’ve found it in my heart to forgive him and move on.” 

She leaves me alone in the kitchen to go find his information. Harrison comes walking in the back door as she leaves. 

“Hey. It’s all pretty crazy, huh?” I ask him.