Page 31 of Striker's Yield

“You’re a godsend,” she cries and hugs him tightly.

Striker gets this look on his face that says it all for him. He doesn’t know what to make of my mom’s embrace.

“Vera, you wanna let the man go?” Dad says, looking at me, wordlessly saying, ‘You know your mom.’

“Mom, seriously?” I ask, annoyed she’d throw herself at Striker like that. I mean, what does she mean by calling him a godsend?

“What?” Mom snaps, letting Striker go, and turns to face me, hands on her hips.

“You can’t just throw yourself at someone who you don’t even know,” I tell her, planting my hands on the counter.

“Yes, I can,” Mom says and rolls her eyes. “Besides, I know all I need to know, considering he picked my daughter and loves his sister.”

At this, I can’t help but roll my eyes. “You’re being ridiculous.”

“I think not. Far as I can see, Striker brought my living, breathing daughter back to life,” she says, tears brimming and readying to fall down her cheeks. “Way I see it, I know all I need because I see it in the way he came in here. The way your eyes changed. I can finally sleep easy knowing my only living child is finally showing she’s alive and not gone.”

My mom’s words are like a sledgehammer to the heart. The pain of it hurts, and it’s all I can do to stand strong and not crumble under the weight of it. I know losing Avery wasn’t easy on them. She was their daughter. They brought her into this world. Raised her, just as they did with me. What they’ve had to have been feeling at the time and since . . . and here I am, making it worse, leaving them to handle things on their own and not checking on them.

I’m the worst daughter in the world.

Striker moves around the counter and pulls me in his arms. “Give us a minute.” I hear him say as he moves me through the doors and into my office, where he closes the door, securing us away from the others. “Talk to me, Mama.”

“I’m the worst daughter in the world,” I whisper, shaking my head. “No. I’m the worst daughter in the universe.”

“Autumn, you’re not the worst of anything. You’ve been grieving just as they have. They lost a daughter. It’s marked them. Hurt them. You, though, you lost your sibling. Your twin. It can’t be easy.”

“It’s not,” I confirm for him. Losing Avery was like losing a part of me.

“I get that. So do they. You all lost enough,” Striker murmurs. “I’m sorry you had to lose her, but like you, they’re learning to live without her. I’m betting with what your mom said out there . . .” He jerks his chin, nodding toward the door. “She’s felt like she’d lost you alongside Avery. And Mama, you ain’t dead.” He steps in close, body right against mine. “You’re living and breathing right here and now. Not buried six feet deep in the ground.”

I nod in response, my throat tight and unable to find words.

“Now, I know the plan was we’d talk this evening after dinner. We’re still doing that, but first, we’re going out to dinner. We’ll invite your parents to come along. I’ve got to celebrate my sister’s accomplishment even if it’s the last damn thing I wanna do.” From the sound of his voice, he’s not pleased.

“You know she’s really excited to have gotten in,” I tell him, smiling weakly.

“Yeah, sucks, though,” Strikers grunts, shaking his head. “I don’t like the idea of her being so damn far from me.”

“Understandable, you’re her big brother, and in her eyes, you’re the only one who has always been there for her.”

“Damn right, and I’ll always be there for Lila,” he says and curls a hand around my neck. “I’ll let you get back to it and hang with your folks until you’re able to leave.”

I nod, though I want to ask him why. I don’t but I’ll ask him tonight after dinner. Right now, I don’t have the strength or energy for much more right now.

CHAPTER 15

Striker

“Well, I’m heading to bed,” Lila announces, bounding off the couch. “Night.”

“Night.” I look toward her and smile at her, though I don’t move from my spot. I couldn’t if I wanted to. Not with the way Autumn is curled around me. She passed out not long ago, and I don’t have it in me to move her just yet.

Tonight, she’d gone with the flow, relaxed her guard, laughed, and was at ease. Her folks had gotten to see this, and I knew they appreciated it. They’d been worried about her. You could see it in the way they both watched.

I’d gotten to see the way she and her mom could go at it, debating who was right and who was wrong about the simplest shit as to what’s the best way to cook potatoes and make fries. If I’m not mistaken, they even started talking about purple potatoes. Something I hadn’t even seen before, but Autumn swore cooked just right, they were the best potatoes to eat.

Adam explained to me that Avery had been his sweet, quiet girl while Autumn was his wild one. They never did anything separately. It’s why they’d decided to open two cafés. Since Avery’s death, Autumn closed the other one deciding to keep just Avery’s going, but she changed the name.

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