Page 80 of Avenging Kelly

Yeah, I was nervous about his answer, but when he glanced up and stared into my eyes, he leaned forward and kissed me. “I want you more than ever, Dimples. Are you sure you want a ready-made family?”

I chuckled. “Easy-peasy, lemon squeezy.”

31

KELLY

Christmastime, the previous year…

I walked into the visitor’s room and glanced around to see Mathis sitting at the table to the left, so I walked over and took a seat. “Hey, man. How’s everything? You look well,” Mathis asked as he gave me the up and down.

I’d returned the previous Tuesday from a job, though I didn’t know where. I just knew that I had a sunburn, and it had been cloudy and raining in Kansas for weeks, so I looked a little conspicuous.

“I, uh, I got burned in a minor explosion in the laundry. Steam burns. So how’s everything going on the outside?”

“I, uh, Amy wants to come in. She’s out in the waiting room. I know you don’t want her to see you in here, but she really wants to talk to you about something, Kelly. It’s important.” His face was oozing sincerity, but my mother and I had had an argument after Mia came home pregnant, and we weren’t speaking. I still had nothing to say to her.

“Nope. I don’t care what it is. I don’t want to talk to her. What’s she want?”

“Look, Kelly, your mother wants to take Mia away to have a late-term abortion. She said she’s taking her to Canada to get it, but Mia doesn’t want it. She’s been asking me to take the baby when it’s born since she came back, but your mother has been trying to convince her to get the abortion. Mia says she doesn’t want to raise the baby, but she doesn’t want to kill it. Now your mom is insisting that she end the pregnancy,” Mathis informed me.

“Mother fuck! Did she say why?” I asked, unable to really believe my ears. My sister was due after the first of the year. God, I needed the fuck out of this place. Everything was falling apart.

“I told Mia I’ll take the baby and care for it until you’re out of here, but your mother stands firm on not having the baby at all. I thought Amy was in shock at what happened, but she insists the baby will ruin Mia’s life just like you… Uh… I’m worried about what will happen to Mia if your mother makes her get the abortion. I’m all for women’s choice, but I get the impression this isn’t your sister’s choice,” Mathis said.

I glanced around for a moment to see a guard, so I motioned him over. “What, Brown?”

“I need a piece of paper and a pencil to send a note to my mom. My sister’s sick,” I lied. Many of the corrections specialists were assholes, but I was lucky that one of the nice ones was in the visitors’ room.

He handed me a small pad from his pocket, and I tore out a piece of paper, handing the pad back. He gave me a small pencil that could really do no damage to anyone, and he stood over me while I wrote the note.

Mom—don’t kill it. I’ll take it when I get out.

I handed the pencil back and folded the paper, handing it to Mathis. He glanced at it and nodded before the specialist walked away.

“You’ll take care of it until I get out? I’ll get some money to hire a lawyer to draw up papers giving you temporary custody or whatever they call it. You’ll make sure she doesn’t do anything rash, right? Maybe your father can talk to her,” I suggested.

“Would that make you mad?” he asked me.

“No. I’d appreciate it.”

* * *

Present…

The touch of London’s hand rousted me from the memory of Mathis’ last visit before he was rundown. I needed to call my mother, even though I didn’t want to speak to her. We hadn’t really spent any time together since I’d gotten out of prison. We’d actually fought the night I spent there, which was the reason I’d gone to Spires Tower to stay.

What a fucking welcome home. Goddammit!

“I have all the paperwork—wait, let me get it so you can look it over. I had a lawyer draw this up,” London volunteered. He rushed down the hallway of the new apartment that I hadn’t even looked around as I sat in a chair in the living room. I really needed some coffee, so I went into the kitchen to wait.

London hurried back with file folders and placed them on the table. “Your mom sent over two boxes, along with the baby stuff. They’re in the walk-in closet in our room. One has paperwork, and the other has some stuff it looks like from your high school days. I saw a couple of soccer trophies,” he said with a grin. I could see he was trying to lighten the mood, but I wasn’t sure if that was possible.

I picked up the folders and leafed through them to see the papers had a lot of legal jargon I’d never understand. “These are recorded and legal, right?” I asked. I wanted to be absolutely certain that nobody could take Daisy away from London, regardless of what I might have done while I was in prison. I could see my name was nowhere on the papers, which was a relief. My past didn’t need to harm my niece.

“Where’s my mother in Maryland? Is she in Milford Mill? She has a cousin who lives there,” I said.

London got his phone and handed it to me with my mother’s number pulled up. I called it immediately. “The number you have dialed has been—”

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