Page 132 of Rumi: The Hawthornes

I think she was trying to insult me, but I wasn’t bothered. I’d happily follow Nova around like a puppy and I wasn’t embarrassed about it. Had shelookedat her daughter?

“What do you want, Ava?” I asked, trying to bring the conversation back around.

“I want to spend some time with my son.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean, why?”

“I mean, what are you getting out of this? Why show back up now?”

“Because they need me,” she replied stubbornly.

I stared at her blankly. She couldn’t be serious.

“They’ve been through hell,” I said slowly. “Bird doesn’t even know you.”

“And whose fault is that?” she snapped.

“Jesus Christ,” I muttered, reaching up to scratch my jaw awkwardly. “It’syourfault.”

“Samson told me to stay away,” she said, dropping her cigarette butt on the ground. “When I dropped Nova and Firebird off for the summer, he said that they were keeping my kids.”

I wasn’t surprised. From what I understood, Nova and Bird hadn’t been safe with their mother, and it had gotten to the point that Ash and Samsonhadto step in.

“So you thought now that he was gone, you’d swoop back in,” I said, realization dawning.

She didn’t reply.

“Nova and Ash will never let you take Bird,” I said quietly. Even now, she was fidgeting and twitching like she was on something. For the most part, when we’d seen her, she was cleaned up and looked like she had her shit together, but I knew the signs. She was still using.

“Well, maybe they don’t have a choice,” she replied snarkily. “Now that the old man’s gone, what do I have to worry about? I’ve still got custody of Bird. Legally.”

I looked down at myself in my scuffed work boots and dirty jeans, and the Aces MC cut that covered my T-shirt.

“I don’t know, Ava,” I said softly, running my hand down the front of my cut as I looked back up at her. “What was it about Samson that kept you away?”

Her eyes widened slightly at the insinuation.

Chapter 24

Nova

I’d spent theday and most of the evening reassuring Bird that no matter what Ava said or did, he’d still be staying with me and Rumi. He didn’t believe me. My brother, the little genius, couldn’t be placated by my bravado. He knew that the courts didn’t always do what was best for kids that were unfortunate enough to end up on their radar. By the time he went into Nana’s room to sleep in her bed for the night, I was wrung out like an old dish towel.

“It’ll be alright,” Nana said unconvincingly as I sat next to her on the couch. “Everything will work out.”

“Not sure how,” I muttered, laying my head on her shoulder.

“Even if, God forbid, she’s able to take him,” she said, patting my thigh. “Eventually she’ll do something stupid, and you’ll get him back.”

“It makes me crazy that just because it’s been seven years, all the shit she did when we lived with her doesn’t even matter anymore.” I closed my eyes. “She has to do some new fucked up thing for it to make a damn bit of difference.”

“That lawyer said you have a good shot,” Nana murmured consolingly.

“Me and Rumi are getting married,” I replied softly.

She didn’t say anything for a while.

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