Choosing Us (Pierced Hearts Duet #1)(9)

Except this time, it was straight toward the back door.

“Aiden, stop! Where are you going?” Misty yelled from somewhere in the room, but I ignored her too.

Taking off into the yard where there was a playground, going for the first hiding spot I could find.

Under the green slide.

Where I finally, for the first time that day…

Felt safe.

I let out a breath. The one I’d been holding from the second I walked into this stupid foster place. Wanting so badly to just run away.

Where would I go?

Who would I find?

What would happen to me?

Even though I wanted to be left alone, I hated that I was by myself. With no one to talk to, no one to make me feel like everything was going to be alright. I had nothing but the lonely, afraid feeling in my heart.

“Momma, why?” I quietly spoke out loud, hoping no one would hear me. “Why did you leave me all by myself? Who’s going to protect me and love me? Who’s going to be there for me? Who, Momma, who?”

“I’ll share my dinner with you,” someone offered out of nowhere in the sweetest voice I’d ever heard.

My eyes flew up, and I came face to face with a small, little girl with pretty, bright blue eyes standing over me. Holding onto her plate of food because it was the only thing she had to share, to give…

Me.

As if Momma had magically made her appear.

Did she?

“I don’t like to be by myself either. It really sucks, but I can come under there with you, and then we can hide from the mean boy together.”

I didn’t know anything about girls, other than they whined and complained a lot. Especially the ones in my class at school. They were always telling on us.

“You’re not going to tell Misty where I’m at?”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because you’re a girl.”

She looked at me like I was crazy. “Well, that’s not my fault. I can’t help that I’m a girl, God made me like this.”

Maybe she wasn’t a tattletale because Momma knew I didn’t like tattlers, and she really did put her here for me. I guess that would make sense.

“I’m not hiding,” I added, needing her to know.

I don’t know why it bothered me, but I didn’t want her to think I was a little boy.

I wasn’t.

I’m a Little Man.

And for some reason, I just sat there and stared at her. My body starting to feel warm and funny with each minute that went by.

A smile appeared on her face, and it sparkled against the moon.

“It’s okay to hide sometimes. I don’t like Troy either, he’s a bully and smells like a butthole. Donna is always yelling at him to go take a shower, saying he’s never going to be adopted smelling like that, but who would want to adopt a bully butthole.” She shrugged, and I busted out laughing.

I laughed so hard my head fell back, forgetting all about the lonely feeling in my chest.

“Well, aren’t ya gonna ask me to sit down?” she let out, putting her head to the side. Placing her free hand on her hip.

Smiling wider.

I opened my mouth to reply, to say something, anything, but nothing came out. The only sound I made were these noises coming from the back of my throat I’d never made before.

She started giggling and wiggling and bouncing like she couldn’t wait for me to answer. It was then I saw she was missing her two bottom teeth. She was so weird and pretty all at the same time. No, she wasn’t pretty, she was beautiful. And she wasn’t laughing but giggling.

Loudly.

The sound took over everything around us, making it impossible to ignore. It was so catchy that I started laughing too, and I had no idea what I was laughing about. Only that I had to laugh with her, making my stomach feel tight again.

“You’re cute! I like you. Now scoot over for me.”

I did, only because I liked the way she made me feel, and I didn’t want her to leave me alone again. She sat right beside me as close as she could, leaving no room in between us.

“I’m Bailey Button, by the way.”

Her soft skin brushed against my arm, causing new bubbles in my stomach.

What was that?

“I hate my name. It’s so stupid. It sounds like I’m a belly button, but I’m not. I’m a girl, see?” Tugging on her hair that was in pigtails, she blinked her long, big eyelashes at me. “I don’t look like a belly button, right?”

“No.” Was the only word I could say when she sat that close to me.

She nodded, bringing a piece of chicken up to her mouth. Not paying any attention to what she was doing to me.

“I like your name, Aiden Pierce. It’s pretty.”

“Pretty?”

“Yeah, I like pretty names. Not like mine.”

Before I gave it any thought, I blurted, “Your name is beautiful just like you are.”

Her eyes flew to mine, and another huge smile took over her face. “No one has ever called me beautiful, Aiden Pierce!”

I smiled with her.

“Now we’re going to have to get married.”

“What?” I stopped smiling, jerking back. “We do?”

“Mmm hmm…” She chewed on her food, swallowing it down. “That’s what happens when you call a girl beautiful, you have to get married after. I don’t make the rules, I just follow them. Before my momma passed away, she always said to marry a man who calls me beautiful, and I’ll be happy every day of my life.”