Page 23 of Four-ever Single

He inhaled deeply and then let it out slowly before speaking.

“I grew up in foster care,” he said slowly. “I’ve never had a real family and always wondered what it would be like to have one.”

I turned and looked up to find sadness etched across his face.

“I’m so sorry.”

He shrugged as if it were no big deal, but I could see otherwise.

“My parents were drug addicts, and when the neighbor found me, I was covered in who knows what and left by myself in the kitchen while my parents overdosed in the living room. Child protective services were called, and I entered the system when I was one.”

I covered my mouth with my hand to hide the gasp that had just escaped.

“Oh my God, Jones. I can’t even imagine that.”

“I never knew my parents, and to this day, I don’t even know if they’re alive. They never tried to come for me, and by the time I was ten, I stopped hoping they would. Life in foster care wasn’t perfect, and I hated going from family to family, but I knew it was better than being with parents who didn’t want me. I decided then and there that I was done with them and wouldn’t allow myself to ever look up what happened to them.”

“I don’t blame you,” I said softly, hugging him tighter. “I can’t imagine the pain you feel from that.”

“Thanks. I stopped letting it get to me as soon as I was legally on my own. Not many people know my story, and I try to keep it that way.”

“Can I ask why?” I asked.

He sighed heavily again and let his head fall back against the pillow.

“I don’t want people to pity me. I had a tough childhood and a rough start in life. But I’m here, and I’m doing things on my own, even if I have a reputation for burning shit and being a terrible cook,” he replied with a laugh. “If I told people that I can’t cook because no one ever taught me, they would feel sorry for me, and I don’t want that. But the truth is, I didn’t learn many essential life skills until after I was on my own. Some of the homes I was in weren’t any better than the one I was removed from. I had one home I was in the longest, and there were seven of us foster kids but never enough money to put food on the table. A lot of the time, we ate dry cereal because that’s all we could find. There wasn’t money for milk because our foster mom bought booze instead. There wasn’t ever anyone interested enough to teach us how to take care of ourselves, so I didn’t have anyone to learn from. It was a very steep learning curve once I turned eighteen and was out on my own.”

“Jones, I’m so sorry,” I said, trying to hide the way my voice caught in my throat.

“Don’t be. I’m okay now, Bella. Nothing is going to stop me now.”

He pulled the blanket around us as I shivered against him, wondering how the world could be so cruel to someone as wonderful as him. I held him close, hoping he could feel how much I already cared for him.

“Now it’s your turn,” he said softly.

“My turn for what?”

“To tell me something about you. What’s your family like?”

I sighed heavily and snuggled closer into his chest.

“I was close to my grandparents. They were more like parents to me than my actual parents. My grandfather passed away a few years ago, and my grandma recently passed. I don’t talk to my parents often, especially since I took the job with Dark Vibes. They couldn’t believe their daughter would do something so scandalous, so we haven’t spoken much since they told me about my grandma’s passing.”

“I’m so sorry, Bella.”

“Thank you. It’s okay. I feel like my life is less toxic without them in it. I miss my grandma and hate that I didn’t get to say goodbye before she passed. She moved back to Italy to live with her best friend, and I was planning to visit her as soon as I could save up enough money to afford the trip. She offered to pay, but I’ve never liked her paying for stuff for me.”

I brushed away the tear that fell, hoping Jones wouldn’t notice. But then he held me tighter and kissed the top of my head as I cried in his arms.

We got up early the next morning and decided to work out together since we both had the day off. I asked him to take me by my house so I could change before we hit the trail behind his house to go for a run.

When I walked inside, I tossed my keys on the island and stopped when I spotted an envelope with a post-it note stuck to the front.

I signed for it this morning on my way out but wasn’t sure if you were awake yet, or in a coma from being thoroughly fucked all night—lucky bitch. I'm not sure what this is, but it looks important, so I left it where I thought you would see it. Text me later and let me know, k?

Lia

I peeled the Post-it off and stuck it to the counter before grabbing a letter opener and tearing the envelope open. I recognized the letterhead as soon as I pulled the stack of papers out and began reading. It was from the attorney who was handling my grandmother’s estate and who had helped her with things after my grandfather had passed. My parents had asked me to come over a month ago, and while I had hoped it was to discuss their change of heart over my recent career change, it had been to tell me that my Nana had died.

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