Page 115 of My Mistake To Make

‘I know that, but it’s important. I just need five minutes, please.’

‘No, you need to leave. You can’t come up here upsetti…’

‘It’s okay.’ My breath rushes out of me as she walks up behind her friend. She looks exhausted. ‘Missy, it’s okay, really.’

Cara smiles at Missy, who glares at me before walking into the house. Cara steps into the doorway, making it clear she’s not letting me inside the house.

‘What do you want?’

‘I need to talk to you.’

‘So talk.’

‘Cara, I know you don’t want to talk to me, but this is important, and it’s not a standing-on-your-doorstep kind of conversation.’ I pull out the letter from my back pocket. ‘I need to give you this.’

She huffs out a laugh. ‘Another letter? Haven’t they caused enough trouble?’

‘It’s from Charlotte.’

At those words, she freezes, her eyes locked on mine, and I nod, hoping she sees that she can still trust me, trust this, despite everything.

I step back, hopeful the distance from the letter will draw her out of the house, and it works, so I retreat further and sit on the bench seat she bought for the porch. She sits next to me, and I hand her the letter.

‘I know you hate me right now,’ I say softly, but she doesn’t raise her attention from the words on the envelope. ‘But my mom asked me to stay with you until you read this, so I’m asking you to let me do that.’

Without a word, Cara opens the envelope and starts to read, and I can do nothing but watch her as her whole world falls apart.

Hold Your Head Up, My Little Miracle

Charlotte

My darling baby,

You’ve been a part of me for just a couple of months. Enough that my favorite jeans don’t button anymore, but you’re already worth it.

I wonder who you’ll be, boy or girl, teacher, doctor, bartender… doesn’t matter to me. I will love and be proud of you regardless.

If you’re reading this letter, it means a couple of things have happened. One, you’ve gone to Forest Falls, met Lynnie, and figured out there’s more to our story than I got to tell you myself, and two, it means I’m not with you anymore.

I hope we had time, me and you. I hope we had time to get to know one another. I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’m sorry.

I never wanted to be a mother who hid things from her child. The moment I knew I was having you, I knew I wanted to be the best mom in the world, and to me, that meant protecting you from the truth.

I trust that if Lynnie has given you this letter, you’re old enough to hear what I have to say. I only wish I could hold your hand and tell you in person.

I’m seventeen years old. I’m young, I know. Much younger than I ever imagined I would be becoming a mom, but here we are.

You weren’t planned, little baby, not in the slightest. You see, I didn’t have too much of a say in putting you in there. I didn’t have any say at all, actually.

Your wonderful daddy loves you because he loves me, and we are going to be a beautiful family, but I’m sorry, little one, he’s not your biological father.

My father is a proud, stubborn man. He also has his vices, one of which is gambling. He built up a debt that he kept secret from my mother until it was too big to hide. When the debt collectors came calling, everything in my life changed.

I had already met your daddy, and I was already head over heels for the man. We wanted to get married, but we were going to wait until the end of the summer, ask for my parents’ blessing, and do things right.

I heard my parents fighting. My mama, telling Daddy she wouldn’t pay off his debts with her family's money. That he’d made the mess, and he’d have to clean it up, so he did—his way.

The man he owed the money to, Mr. Lavell, is a mean, awful man. He’s hard and cold, and he gets what he wants, always.

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