“But you have to understand that Claire feels like she’s running out of options, and she’s suffering for it. The one single road left was to bide our time, and somehow, someway, show you that we’re sincere when we tell you that we want you back. ‘Baby Steps’ is what Danny called it. So, Claire got it into her head that giving you a proper Christmas with the whole family would be a good start. Instead, you had to work through the Holidays while the rest of the family had fun after taking your money. Not only did that ruin her hope for Christmas, what you told them also made us realize that we can’t simply bide our time anymore. You can’t be sure we’re not just doing it so you’ll help with Logan’s next tuition payment, until that’s actually due and they
“But why would that make her think about separation from Aaron?”
“Tim, I’m saying that she feels like she lost you, her youngest child, because of Aaron’s latest screw-up.” he explained gravely. “By the time you could be sure that she’s not doing it to keep you from filing for emancipation and retain access to your bank account, you’ll be eighteen and probably skip town, and she’ll never see you again.”
“True.” No sense in denying it, since I had just told Ava how I indeed planned to do just that once I graduate.
“Don’t get me wrong. There is no question that she will keep trying for your forgiveness, but we can all see that she doesn’t have much hope left. Nonetheless, she will always try to be a mother for you, and if there’s even the slightest chance that Aaron could cost her yet another child by continuing to screw up with Ava, she
“That’s ... drastic?”
“Not for her. Not anymore.” he concluded dryly.
It sure sounded nice, but I was utterly unprepared for any of it. I needed time to digest it all.
“Look, I’ve...” I stopped to think about what I even wanted to say. “Okay. Right now, that’s just too much for me to handle while I’m running solely on caffeine and sugar. Go ahead and buy the houses. If you need more money, give me a call. Can you find someone who’d be happy with cash payments to fix them up?”
“I don’t think that would be a problem.” he nodded, obviously trying to suppress a smirk.
“And ... tell Claire...” I sighed, and noticed him looking at me in hope. “She didn’t lose me because of Aaron’s actions. She lost me because of her own actions.” The hope instantly vanished from his face as his shoulders slumped. “If she really wanted to have a relationship with me, maybe Danny should help her to find out how we got to this point in the first place.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, confused, causing me to groan.
“I’m gonna be perfectly honest with you, John. It’s awesome to hear she’s standing up for her daughter, but why the fuck couldn’t she do the same for me? I spent four fucking years learning how to care for myself while listening to you all fuck each other senseless! Ignoring my injuries whenever I got beat up in school may have been Aaron’s idea, but no one forced her to go along with it. That, and everything that came after it, were her own damn decisions.” I had to calm down quite a bit, before I could continue. “You’re right about one thing, though. There’s no way I’d believe anything you say, as long as Logan’s tuition-crap isn’t solved. So, maybe she can use that time to find out what exactly made her think she only had two children instead of three. Then we’ll see if this is even worth trying.”
Adding that last part was a big mistake. The way his eyes suddenly lit up was slightly disturbing. I think his only takeaway from what I had said was that his sister may still have a chance to get me back, as long as she was willing to work with Danny. At least that was the impression I got from that huge-ass smile that crept onto his face. In reality, I had no hope of her finding out anything that could excuse her behavior in any way, or make me believe it wouldn’t just happen again.
I had to admit, however, If Claire was truly suffering so much from me not wanting to be with them, the chances of her screwing me over once more were relatively small. IF it was true. And if I couldn’t get a good reason for why I should risk letting her back into my life, she at least had to explain her earlier behavior to me, so I could avoid going through all that shit again if I ever find a wife. Not that I had high hopes for that.
“Thank you, Tim!” he said as we rose from the sofa, to suddenly crush me in a bear hug I was totally unprepared for.
“Yes, fuck off already, I’m tired!” The irritation in my voice did not phase him in the slightest.
After he left, I cleaned up the table, and finally made my way into my bedroom. Lying in bed, I couldn’t help but think about how nice it would be to have a tight female body pressed into me again.
