Chapter Eleven
Sienna
Itrail the pink ribbon behind me as I walk down the hallway. Tiger bounces around behind me, trying to pounce on it, and it makes me laugh. I scoop him up when I get to the stairs and carry him down before putting him back on his feet to chase the ribbon again.
“I figured you’d show up.” Margaret smiles as she uses the spatula to lift the cookies off the tray and put them on the cooling rack. I go for one, and she warns me like a mother hen, “Careful.”
“I love when you make cookies. It makes the house smell wonderful and gives it a homey feeling.” That’s not here much anymore, and I’m not sure if it’s ever going to come back.
I’m actually starting to hate this place more and more every day. I don’t know if it’s out of resentment because I’ve been kept here alone, or because it’s missing the magic of my mother.
“You’ve been moping around, so I had to do something.” She points at one of the cookies, letting me know it’s okay to pick up.
I take a bite and think that last week I would have said nothing tastes better than Margaret’s cookies, but that’s not the case anymore. Kai now holds that spot, and I have to make a conscious effort not to press my legs together when I remember what we did.
“Can I ask you about Mom and Dad?” I say as I take a seat on the high-top chair at the island. Tiger rolls over at my feet as I keep twirling the ribbon.
“You can ask me anything, you know that, sweetheart.” She rolls another ball of cookie dough and places it on the sheet.
“Dad said he knew the second he spotted Mom she’d be his forever.” I reach up and touch the locket around my neck. Sometimes I wonder if it’s a good thing I don’t really remember her. I can see the ache and loss of her in my dad’s eyes to this day. It’s a heavy grief to carry, and one I would never want.
“It was the same for your mom too.” She smiles, looking past me like she’s trying to see a memory that’s far away. “But it wasn't always easy. Your father was in this life and your mother was a preacher's daughter.”
My mouth falls open. Okay, I did not know that part of the story. “I didn’t see that twist coming.” I guess that’s the reason I’ve never met anyone from my mom's side of the family.
“In the end she picked love and she still has that love to this day.” My eyes start to water. “The one thing your father couldn’t fight took her from us, but even if it was only for a handful of years, she got to live their love story without regrets. She gave your father a daughter, and I think that’s the only reason he didn’t follow her to the grave.”
“I would rather have a few years of real love than a forever of never experiencing it.”
“I agree. Finding a soul mate is rarer than I think people understand. They settle for what they think will work out, but when it’s a soul mate, you know.” She winks at me. I watch as she picks up the cookie tray and puts it into the oven before she washes her hands. “I’ll start dinner in a few hours.” She comes around the island and kisses the top of my head. “When it comes to your own life you must make your choices and not worry about what other people will think. We only get one life, Sienna. Make it count.”
With that, she leaves me alone in the kitchen to ponder her words. It would break my heart if my dad couldn’t come to terms with Kai and me. If anyone should understand, it’s him.
Tiger plops down and lies across the ribbon so I can’t move it anymore. “All played out?” I ask as I get down from the chair and pick him up. I grab a couple of treats for him and another cookie for myself as I head back to my bedroom. I really hope Kai can call me again tonight.
When I step into my bedroom, I pause when I see Marco coming out of my closet.
“What’s going on?” I walk over and put Tiger down on the bed. He circles around a few times before he plops down, snuggles into the blankets, and puts his head on his paws.
“Security check. Something’s happened.” His face is blank, and he’s giving nothing away.
“What? Is someone on the property?” I debate if I should grab Tiger and go to the panic room, but that’s not always the escape plan.
He walks over to my bedroom door and closes it. What the hell is going on? My heart starts to pound because there’s never supposed to be anyone in here.
“Sit.” He grabs my hand and guides me over to the bench at the end of the bed.
“You’re scaring me.”
“Sienna, I just want you to know everything is going to be okay. You know I’ll always keep you safe, don’t you?” He runs his fingers up and down the side of my jaw. He’s being overly affectionate, and it’s only making me freak out more. He’s always so stoic that it’s rare to see any emotion from him. Even when Dad was arrested, he was so calm and put together.
He moves his hand away from my face and picks up the remote lying on the seat next to me. When he turns on the TV, there’s a breaking news story.
I gasp and go to my feet when I see the prison on the screen. A huge chunk of it is burnt to ash and has crumbled to the ground. My nose burns as tears start to fall down my cheeks. I don’t want to believe it, but he must be here to deliver the bad news.
“My dad?”
“I’m sorry, baby.” He pulls me into him and wraps me in his arms.