Maybe Forever (Missing Pieces Book 1) (14 page)

BOOK: Maybe Forever (Missing Pieces Book 1)
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“I’m…I’m okay,” he says. He kisses her forehead. “I just think I’m going to take off a couple days of work and visit my parents in Atlanta. Maybe see if I can plan a trip for Jamie to come up sometime in the summer. They haven’t seen him since he was really little.” Casey nods.

“Okay. That sounds nice. I’m sure Jamie would like that. He’s never been to Atlanta,” she says. Aiden nods. They both look back at the TV.

“I still don’t believe you’re okay, but whenever you are ready to talk about it, I’m here,” she says.

Aiden looks down at her. He wasn’t aware of the fact that she could read him so easily.

“Thank you,” Aiden says, taken aback. He didn’t know if he had a reason to be upset yet or to talk about anything, but he did know one thing: He was falling in love with Casey Reynolds, and he didn’t want it to stop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Twenty

 

 

Dakota

 

Jamie sits on the long sofa in his living room staring out into the hall where Dakota and Harper should be entering any moment. They said they would be back early Sunday morning. He cooked breakfast for them: pancakes, bacon, eggs, and potatoes. He had it all set out and ready for them at the dining room table, and in his lap was a gift for them that he made to help them remember this moment. They hadn’t called him, and he was freaking out, but he was hoping it was only because they were too busy…celebrating themselves. He takes another long sigh, and then he hears the door opening. Seconds later, Harper and Dakota come in the living room. Jamie shoots up from his seat, hiding the wrapped gift behind his back.

“Hey!” he exclaims. “How was the wedding? How was the trip? Long drive?” Harper hugs him first and kisses his cheek.

“Hey, sweetie,” she says. “The wedding was beautiful. They looked really happy.” Dakota nods his head, smirking at Jamie, sure that he’s waiting with bated breath to find out the results of their conversation a couple of days ago.

“The drive wasn’t too bad. Just a couple of hours. The town was really nice. Not too small. It, uh, had a Starbucks,” Dakota says.

“Yeah? He finally let you have coffee, Mom?” Jamie asks. Harper nods excitedly.

“We got more than just coffee, though, at…this Starbucks,” Harper says, smiling at him. Jamie swallows.

“Yeah?” Jamie asks. “What else did you get?”

“Oh…just
engaged
!” Harper shouts. She holds out her hand and flashes him her ring. Jamie’s hands shoot up in the air.

“Yes! I knew you would say yes! I’m so happy for you guys!” Jamie says, pulling them both into a hug. Harper and Dakota laugh, and before long they are all laughing.

“Why did you do that to me? I felt like I was going to pass out!” Jamie says, smiling. “You guys suck!”

“Sorry, baby boy. But you’re so cute when you’re about to have a nervous breakdown,” Harper says, laughing and squeezing his cheeks.

“And to think I slaved over a hot stove for you people,” Jamie says. He leads them into the dining room, and Harper looks at the table like she just struck gold.

“You are the best son in the world. I’m starving,” she says and heads for her seat at the table. Dakota squeezes Jamie’s shoulders.

“Thanks, kid. This is really sweet.”

“Whatever…” he says, and they both sit down at the table. Jamie hands them his gift once they have their first helping on their plates. It’s a framed picture of Dakota, Harper, and himself from their beach trip this past summer. Jamie is in between them with one arm around each of their necks. They are all smiling their biggest smiles, the ocean behind them and the sand glistening at their feet. It was his favorite picture of the three of them. At the top of the frame it says

Montgomery-Daughtry Family’
in beautiful script writing. Saturday afternoon, after his shift at the Grill, he and Bianca spent the remainder of the day looking for a place that would create the frame he wanted for the perfect picture. Harper looks up at him, smiling with tears in her eyes.

“This is amazing, Jamie. Thank you,” she says.

“Wow, Jam. It’s great. The picture looks professionally done,” Dakota says, also touched by the custom frame.

“Well, I figured we’ve been a family all this time. It’s only right that we have a family portrait hanging up in the house,” he says softly. “And now that you’re engaged…we’ll officially be a family.” Harper and Dakota look at each other and smile.

“Don’t worry, we’re going to have so many family portraits in here soon…you’re going to be sick of me,” Dakota says, and they all laugh. Nothing more needed to be said really. Everything seemed to be moving in the right direction for them. It was everything they always wanted. It was a dream come true.

 

***

 

Aiden

 

“It’s so good to see you, sweetie!” Aiden’s mom Charlotte Daughtry embraces her son when he appears at her door. Aiden smiles brightly at her, hugging her back tightly. There was no woman he loved in the world more than his mother. No matter how old he was, he always felt like her little boy. When they break apart, Aiden follows her into his childhood home, passing family pictures of him and their family along the hall walls, the quaint living room decorated in bright colors, and then to the kitchen where she has started preparing lunch for the three of them. His father stands at the island of the kitchen chopping up various vegetables for what looks to be for a salad. Aiden walks over to him and slaps him on the back.

“Hey, Dad,” he says, and Greg Daughtry smiles. He wipes his hands off on his khaki pants and hugs his son.

“Hey, son. Good to see you,” he says, hugging him tightly. Aiden walks around the island and has a seat on one of the stools.

“Hope you’re hungry, son. Your mom made some amazing chicken salad and baked an apple pie.” Aiden smiles and nods enthusiastically.

“I’m ready. You know I never leave home without my stomach,” he says. Charlotte laughs.

“If it’s one thing you always remember, it’s your stomach, baby. Want some sweet tea?” she asks in her sweet southern accent. Aiden laughs and nods his head as she goes into the fridge to get the pitcher. “So how is everyone? How has life been for you? I know we talk on the phone every couple of weeks, but it’s different hearing about your life in person.” Aiden smiles. She pours him a glass and gives it to him.

“Everything is going great. It was rough for a little while because I was being…well, me, but things are getting better every day. Jamie and I are closer than ever, and me and Harper are friends.” Charlotte points at him with her finger threateningly, and Greg just smiles.

“That is so good to hear. I’m glad you finally gave up on pursuing Harper. I know you always loved that girl, and you probably always will. She’s the mother of your child, but she has a right to live her life the way she wants to live it. Jamie is a great boy, and it’s not for lack of bad decision-making. She’s a good mother.” Aiden nods his head.

“I know, Mama. I know. I guess I thought I could move there and make up for everything I’ve done my whole life. Not being there. Being so selfish.” He takes a sip from his tea. Charlotte kisses him on the forehead.

“We all make mistakes. You learned from yours and righted the wrong. That’s all you can ask for.”

“Thanks, Mom. Your pep talks are legendary,” he says, teasing her. She points at him. She was famous for her threatening point. That was all she really needed to do his entire childhood, and he would know he was in big trouble. Except for when he got Harper pregnant. For that he actually got poked…repeatedly.

A couple of hours later, they had finished lunch, satisfied and full, and retired to the living room. Aiden and his dad enjoyed an old school basketball game on the television while his mom read one of her guilty pleasure romance novels on the loveseat beside them. Aiden clears his throat, his heart racing with nerves. He had been putting off the real reason he came to them since he walked in the door. He told them stories of Jamie and a few moments about him and Harper communicating, and he even told them about Casey, a topic his mother was happy to pursue for nearly an hour. It was now or never, really. He would never get the answers he’s looking for if he stayed to himself.

“Hey, Ma, Dad…you think I could talk to you about something? It’s kind of serious.” Mamma Daughtry looks up from her novel and nods her head. She removes her reading glasses and sets them in her lap, closing her book with her finger to save the page.

“Sure, honey,” she says. Daddy Daughtry picks up the remote and turns the television down slightly.

“Is everything okay, son?” he says, concern in his voice. Aiden turns his body to face them.

“I don’t know, to be honest. I just…I have some questions about what happened a long time ago when I was a kid. I remember that you, Daddy, were gone from the house for a few months, and you told me that you and Mom weren’t getting along and you needed some time apart.” His mom and dad frown slightly.

“Well, you were maybe eight or nine years old then. What about it?” his father asks curiously.

“I need to know why you left. Even when you came back and everything was back to normal, we never really talked about it. I know it was for my own protection, but well, I’m an adult now, so I feel like I can handle it.” Aiden’s mom sets her book and glasses on the table beside her, saving her page no longer on her mind.

“Well, yes, we did decide to keep the problems in our relationship back then a secret, but I just don’t think there’s need to bring up anything from the past. Has it really been bothering you not knowing what happened?” Aiden nods.

“It has recently. I don’t mean to cause any discomfort or to start any trouble. I just really need to know, and I’ll tell you why shortly.” His dad sighs deeply and glances at his wife. She nods her head, giving him permission.

“Back then when I left, it was because I made a terrible mistake and cheated on your mother with a woman I met in town.” Aiden nods his head, figuring that was exactly what they were hiding. As a kid, he didn’t notice it, but once he was a teenager he could put two and two together and get the answers a little better.

“You cheated on Mom?” Aiden says. His dad nods, shame on his face having his dark secret out for his only son to hear.

“Yes. It was stupid and selfish, and I have regretted it every day since.” His mother takes her husband’s hand and smiles warmly at him.

“After I found out, I told your father to leave, and after a few months I realized that it might take some time but I could forgive him for what he had done. We loved each other, and even though I hated him for what he did to me, we had made vows to each other, and we could make it through it. Nobody is perfect, baby. Everyone makes mistakes. Big ones…little ones…and even medium-sized ones, if you can imagine that.” She chuckles slightly. “But I don’t want you to look at your daddy any other way than how you have been looking at him your whole life. He’s a good man who made a bad decision. I forgave him, and so can you.” Aiden takes a deep sigh.

“Of course I can forgive you, Daddy. I’m not here to judge. I’m not here to judge at all.” Aiden hugs his father, reassuring him, and his father nods.

“Now why are you asking, son?” Greg asks. Aiden pauses for a second or two, trying to figure exactly how he’s going to say this.

“Well…” Aiden pauses again. He gets up and starts pacing the room. “You know Dakota? Harper’s fiancé?” The two nod, their eyes narrowed curiously. “Well, we’ve been really getting to know each other lately, and he’s actually not the devil I assumed all these years.” They chuckle slightly.

“He’s actually a really great guy, and I completely understand why Jamie is so fond of him and looks up to him.”

“That’s great, baby,” his mother says, smiling warmly.

“One of things I found out from getting to know him is that he grew up in the foster care system. He became permanently stationed at a group home in Virginia and volunteered in a Big Brother Big Sister program as his senior project to graduate, and that’s how he met Jamie and Harper. He’s never met his parents. Doesn’t really know anything about them.”

“Okay. So what does that have to do with us?” his father asks, confused.

“I found out at the wedding that Dakota’s last name…” He stops, pausing, and looks at them. “I found out that his last name is Daughtry.” Charlotte gasps and covers her mouth with her hand. Greg just stares blankly at Aiden. Aiden sits back down on the sofa.

“And I also found out that all he knows about his mother was that she was from Atlanta since…that’s where he was born.” Charlotte gets up from the sofa, holding her chest as if she is about to have a heart attack.

“That…that can’t be. It could just be…a coincidence,” she says, a little breathless. Aiden shakes his head.

“I think this might be too big of a coincidence, Mom. Daddy had no brothers or sisters, so after Pappy passed away, Dad and me were the only ones to carry on the Daughtry name. How could he have that name…unless…”

“Unless…he’s my son,” Greg says softly, finally speaking up. Charlotte looks at her husband with wide eyes.

“Oh my goodness,” she says and keeps repeating it as Greg looks at Aiden.

“I never…I didn’t…She never told me anything,” he says.

“So you don’t think I’m crazy for thinking this, Dad? Could Dakota be your son?” Greg takes the longest breath he can without passing out. He runs his hands over his face.

“It is extremely possible that this boy is your half-brother.” Charlotte comes back over to the sofa and sits down. He looks at her, a deep frown on his face.

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I’m so sorry that all of this has to come to the surface again. I know it took us a long time to be back in a good place. If you need some time to take all of this in, I completely understand.” Aiden looks at his mom, sadness in his eyes for her. He can’t imagine what she must be feeling. She swallows thickly and sighs.

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