Page 35 of Dahlias, Sapphires, and Cool Autumn Dusk
I sank to the floor, rootless and practically nameless. I only owned clothes Dina had bought me, making them basically charity. Otherwise? Old, ratty sneakers tucked in the closet, my computer, the things I used to create thePoor Relation, Dina’s notebooks, and some toiletries. That was it. There were my school uniforms, but the guys paid for them.
I didn’t have anything, not even a birthplace to call my own.
No way would my guys leave me alone for very long, so I sniffled and rubbed at my nose. Jeremy was probably already pacing. I went into the bathroom and locked the door, since they respected my privacy there. None of us bothered anyone in the bathroom.
I turned on the water to cover the noise then I sank to the floor to cry into my knees. Big, gasping, senseless sobs racked my body despite me knowing tears fixed nothing. Not when everything was broken.
Why did it hit me so hard? So I wasn’t from Colorado, big deal. I was fromsomewhere, we only had to figure out where. Despite the logic, my sense of self felt shattered.
To their credit, it was a good long time before I heard the gentle tap at the door. I wasn’t surprised it was Jeremy knocking.
“Princess,” he said then knocked again. “Let me in, okay?”
I wiped my eyes. Since I’d cried so hard, I probably needed water. Wasn’t it just being self-indulgent? I needed to pull myself together, and my legs were wobbly, but I managed to get up to open the door.
Jeremy took one look at me then tugged me into a tight hug. “We’re going to get answers. Tonight.”
Tonight?I sniffled on a choked sob slash laugh. “What are we going to do? I promise you, we can’t just walk in and demand my birth certificate. They’ll refuse. Even Dina won’t be able to get it.”
“There is an event tonight. Granny confirmed your aunt plans to attend. I don’t know about your uncle, but Daniel doesn’t think they actually live together. Rumor has it he sleeps at his office.”
Did he? I never realized it, but it made sense.
“Are you saying we should gostealit?”
Phoenix leaned against the doorway, his smile whiplash fast. “It’s not stealing. It’s your birth certificate, but yeah, we are getting it. Afterward, I can open a bank account for you, too. If we have it, they can’t get you a passport to ship you out of the country, either. Sure, they could order another copy, but we’llhave one, too. We’ll put a tracker on your name, so I can see if they’ve done anything we don’t want.”
I loved it when Phoenix concentrated on a problem. Right then, he looked like he did on his skateboard—focused and ready.
“I took your wallet. I’ll find your birth certificate and anything else they might be hiding about you.”
Julian called to us from the living room, “Come on. Let’s figure out dinner.”
I stepped out of Jeremy’s arms back into the living room to find the fathers gone, the apartment just ours again. “Why would she lie to me? Never mind. I’ll go make dinner. I bought groceries to cook, so let me do it.”
“You’re cooking?” Julian asked then tilted his head.
“I’m trying, at least. I have homework, too. You guys, I don’t know if we should break into her apartment like that. There is a PI trailing me. We saw him today.” I shook my head. “I’m rambling. I’m sorry.”
“More like train of thought.” Jeremy clapped his hands together, just like Kit. I never noticed him having the trait before, as if it were inherited, something he got from the man who was technically his uncle. “That’s okay. What are we cooking?”
We?“You want to cook with me?”
“Yes.”
I took the chicken out of the bag, hoping it wasn’t too warmed. “It’s been on the counter since I got home.”
“Is that okay?” Jeremy asked Julian who shrugged. “Should we look online?”
“Let’s go out to eat. You can cook tomorrow.” Phoenix said as he took the chicken from me and threw it out.That is so incredibly wasteful.I bit my lip, hating the waste. “We need to go eat and get this done before Barrett gets home. If he getshome, then we won’t do it. You know it and I do, too. No way will Barrett go along with it, even if it was Kit’s idea.”
I couldn’t argue his point, but it made it all seem way riskier. “Then we shouldn’t go?”
“No, we should.” Julian said as he followed Phoenix toward the door. “It’s a good idea. Come on. Afterward, you can do your homework. We’ll go to eat, get this done, then get home. Easy peasy, no problem. Don’t forget your apartment key. We’ll go now.”
They all waited for me, and I gnawed my lip for a moment, weighing my options. Should I do it?Yes.
I wasn’t born in Colorado. I needed to know where I came from, and the information was strangely essential.
