Rush: The Season (Austin Arrows Book 1)(117)

Every day I pull up Facebook and I go back to that post to read more comments. I didn’t expect it to be so popular, but it is. Still. I get hundreds of comments from people telling me they hope I find my dad. At first it was so cool to have that many people paying attention. Now I’m getting questions from people asking me if I heard from him. I don’t answer because I don’t want to tell them no. It makes me feel like crap.

I can’t even ask my mom because she doesn’t know about the post. The phone number to the Penalty Box is on it, so if he did call her, I wouldn’t know. I figure as soon as he does, she’s going to ask me about it. Since that hasn’t happened, I don’t think he’s seen the post.

“Bianca! Can you come down here for a minute? There’s someone here to see you.”

My eyes dart over to the door, and a huge jolt of something shoots through my body. It’s like being on a roller coaster and feeling like my tummy fell to my toes. Is this it? Is it possible that I am going to get my Christmas wish? I dreamed about this. About how my mom and dad planned to surprise me for Christmas. Maybe it’s really happening.

I jump off the bed and bounce a few times on the balls of my feet, trying not to get too excited. I feel a strange swirling motion in my belly.

Is he here? Did he finally find us?

My hand is shaking when I turn the doorknob. I hope my knees don’t turn to Silly String as I head down the hall toward the stairs. I keep my hand on the wall, just to be safe. I peek around the wall but my mom isn’t standing down there. I don’t see anyone.

I pause, straining to hear what’s going on downstairs.

There are voices.

Oh, my God!

There are voices. Two of them. One is deeper than the other. It could be a man’s voice. I can’t tell. It kind of sounds like a woman, but it could be a man. I hope it’s a man. I hope it’s my dad!

Ohemgee! Ohemgee! Ohemgee! This could be it. He could be here.

My heart feels like it’s going to burst out of my chest. I force my legs to move, slowly going down the stairs. I have to grip the handrail to keep me steady. The voices get louder, but I can’t tell who they are. I can hear my heart beating in my ears.

“Oh, wow. She’s going to be so thrilled,” my mom says.

Taking a deep breath, I turn the corner into the living room only to find…

“Hey,” my mother greets, grinning ear to ear. “Look who came to see you.”





Ellie

The shock on Bianca’s face confuses me. As soon as she stepped off the stairs, her gaze traveled the room as though she was looking for someone specific. When she zeroed in on Noelle, disappointment instantly marred her features.

Not exactly how I thought she was going to react to the fact that Noelle came over to see her tonight. Then again, when she opens her present, I don’t think she’ll be at all disappointed.

“Hey, kiddo. What’s doin’?” Noelle asks, her voice deeper than usual because of her cold.

Bianca forces a smile. I wonder if Noelle notices it, too.

“I brought you something. Sorry I couldn’t come by yesterday. I’ve got a cold and it’s taken me down a notch. But I knew you would want your gift.”

From the box sitting on the island, a soft meow escapes, giving away the gift inside. Thanks to all the holes, it would be nearly impossible to hide, anyway.

“Is that…” Bianca’s eyes widen as they latch on to the box.

“It is. Merry Christmas, B,” Noelle says, grabbing Bianca and hugging her tight. “I talked it over with your mom. She said it’d be cool for me to get you a kitten.”

“I said it would be okay,” I clarify. “Never did I say it would be cool.”

“Yeah, but she meant cool.” Noelle smirks at me. “And I got the things you’ll need. Litter pan, litter, some food… All the good stuff.”

Bianca is already untucking the flaps of the box to get inside. Her eyes well with tears when she pulls out the tiny black-and-white kitten.

“Is it a boy or a girl?” Bianca asks.

“They tell me it’s a girl, but I don’t know how to tell, so I’m taking their word for it.”

Bianca holds up the kitten and stares at it. She’s smiling.

“This is awesome,” she whispers. “It’s the second-best thing I could get for Christmas.”

“Second-best?” Noelle asks, pretending to be affronted by the notion, her eyes darting over to me briefly.

Bianca smiles shyly. “Yeah.” She looks my way quickly. “The first would’ve been to meet my dad.”

My heart cracks in my chest. The sadness in her tone is enough to level me. James and I actually talked about him coming back down for Christmas. Since we’re still waiting for the paternity test results, I told him we should wait. It’s only been three weeks since he contacted me. I’m not sure what I’m waiting for before introducing them, but I’m taking this slow. He seems to be okay with that.

“Well,” Noelle says, clearly picking up on my uneasiness, “I’m happy to be second-best this year.”

“She’s so cute,” Bianca says, focusing only on Noelle. “Thanks. I promise I’ll take good care of her.”

“I know you will.” Noelle hugs Bianca against her side briefly.