Desmond Harris was coming over for dinner tonight.
I continued to fidget with everything. Desmond had been at school now, three months and for those three months he became one of my best friends. Ever since the day I "tripped" him in the hallway, he hasn't left my side. Everyone loved him, even Analina tolerated him. Although Chad didn't seem to be around as much, but when he thought I wasn't looking Chad and Desmond would bond.
I couldn't exactly place it but Desmond seemed like a brother figure to me. I didn't want to date him, I didn't find him attractive like the other girls did I just found him to be a best friend of mine. Maybe that's why I didn't get asked out on many dates, every guy I meet turns into a best friend of mine.
"Taylor?"
"Huh?"
"The doorbell." Grace smiled.
I mumbled an apology, and went to grab the door.
Standing behind a bouquet of pink carnations, stood someone who I did not go to school with. Desmond had small curls and kept his hair short, tonight Desmond had brushed out his curls and on this head stood out beautiful waves. Desmond met my gaze with twinkling brown eyes and winked at me.
"Checkin' out the merchandise huh?"
"You brought Wal-Mart goods?" I joked.
Desmond shook his head. "Sorry we're late, traffic jam, bad accident on the highway."
"No worries, just glad you and your family could make it."
"Actually, it's just me and my mom tonight. Dad got held up at work."
I shrugged my shoulders.
"Desmond? Did you get the dessert out of the car?" A voice spoke.
Lifting my gaze stood a beautiful woman in red. Just eying her height she had to be about 5'6, 5'7 and didn't have an ounce of visible body fat on her. She stood like a model, and had beautiful brown eyes. Her hair was tousled and rested a little past her shoulders.
"Oh shoot, no I forgot it in the backseat." Desmond handed me the flowers and gestured his hand out. "Taylor this is my mom, Annie. Mom, this is my friend Taylor from school."
When my eyes locked on with Annie's; she let out a slight sigh but covered it up with a cough. She stuck out her left hand.
"It's very nice to meet the girl my son has been constantly talking about."
I smiled at her. "It's nice to meet you too Mrs. Harris."
"Please, call me Annie."
With Annie getting her last words out, Grace walked to the front door.
"Hi, you must be Mrs. Harris. I'm Grace Johnson, Taylor's mom. Please, come on in."
I'm not sure if I saw Annie stumble or if she was going to say something to Grace, but whatever made her stop short she handled it and followed Grace inside.
Jesse and Grace were in a fit of giggles and Desmond and I had smiles on our faces. Annie was telling a story about how she was pregnant with Desmond, when Brock walked in.
"Sorry to interrupt," Brock locked eyes with me. "But Taylor, Nadine is requesting you to sing to her before she goes to bed."
I stood up and excused myself. As Brock and I left the room I could hear Desmond explain to his mom what a beautiful singing voice I had.
"I'm really sorry to pull you away from your dinner party Taylor; I just couldn't get Nadine under control."
"Not a problem Brock."
A few moments passed when Brock turned to me and grabbed my wrist.
"I'm so sorry Taylor."
Tilting my head to the side, I look at Brock. "What are you sorry for?"
"The way that I treat you, I haven't made living here easy on you, it's bad enough Analina gives you such a hard time."
I shake my head. "No need for you to apologize, I am intruding on your turf Brock."
"This isn't just my turf anymore Taylor. You've lived with us for two years, and for two years I've made your life just as hard. Analina doesn't take well to not being the only girl in the house anymore."
"Trust me Brock, if my 18th birthday wasn't in October and if it wasn't six more months off I wouldn't be stepping on Analina's toes like I am. Soon as Amanda gives me the go ahead, I am so out of here."
"You don't like it here Taylor?" A voice asked.
Brock and I whirled around. Aiden was propped up against his bedroom frame quietly watching from the shadows.
"I. . I. .It's not that I don't like it here; it's just that I know it's time for me to move on. "
"And move onto where? You don't have a job, you won't have graduated from high school yet, where will you go?"
I bit my lip for a second. These were all things I always had in my head to think about.
"What's this about someone needing a job?" A new voice called out.
Turning around, Annie was in the hallway with Desmond, Grace and Jesse. How long had they been standing there? I didn't know.
"I…I, well, it would be good to have my own spending money."
Annie walked closer. "It would be nice to have an assistant help me with my patients during some of our busy days."
"Mom, you are not considering making Taylor work in the clinic with you."
Annie looked at me. "Well, it would be her choice of course, but I could use the help and I would pay you for your hard work."
"I would love to." I smiled and looked behind Annie at Grace and Jesse, "If it's okay with Grace and Jesse that I work for you."
"Great! I could get you set up sometime this week and. . . ." Annie began to list off of the things that I could do.
Looking at Desmond, he was shaking his head with a smile on his face. "You're gonna regret this Taylor, you are soo going to wish that you didn't say yes."
Turning around, I was met with Aiden's closed door. I was curious as to know how he felt about me wanting to leave. I mean, why shouldn't I? He didn't care if I was alive or dead, all he cared about was that I was still here every time he came home from college and that I was eating up all the food. It's not like when I turned 18, that he and Analina had places picked out for me to live and they had already packed my bags.
After Desmond and his mom left to go home, and after I got Nadine her bath and song out of the way; I was preparing for bed when there was a knock at my door.
"Come in."
Grace popped her head in and quietly closed the door behind her. I wasn't sure how much of the conversation she and Jesse had heard, but I was about to find out.
"Taylor? Do you have a minute?"
I nodded my head and sat down on my bed. If I was waiting for a deal breaker, this is where it would happen.
"Sweetheart, are you really that unhappy here with us? Still?" Grace questioned.
I sighed. "It's not that I'm unhappy, it's just that I know how hard I've torn this family apart."
"You haven't torn anything apart. If Analina is being mean or cruel to you. . . "
I shook my head. "It's not Analina or anyone, it's just that." I took a breath. "I know how different I am from this family. I know I've been different from every family I've lived with, it's just that. . . Since I've been in the system, I know I won't really fit in with anyone's family. No matter what the family does. No matter how hard I try and fit it, I just can't change my stripes."
Grace nodded her head. "You know that I was adopted as a child."
I turned and looked at her. "You were?"
She nodded her head. "Jesse and I were both adopted as children. So we both know how it feels to not truly fit in with a family. That's why we've always tried and adopted certain kids."
"Jesse and I both wish we would have found you when you were a young child. Because no matter how many families you've been with and the older you get, the more confused you feel."
Grace placed her hand on my knee. "You know that you are more than welcome to stay as long as you want to, after you turn 18. We aren't going to kick you out onto the street like that Taylor. We want you to be comfortable and be able to go into the world and be able to handle your own."
I wanted to tell her; since I've been 8 years old, I could handle my own.
"I want to make a deal with you Taylor."
Grace sighed. "Jesse and I would like it very much if you stayed with us until you graduate from high school. And we hope that you will, but if a lucky break comes up or you feel like moving in with a friend or something, you can do that too. Jesse and I just hope that you'll let us share your big day with you. Anyway, if you do end up staying with us until you graduate high school Jesse and I will gladly pay for all of your years at college."
I couldn't help but gasp. "All four of my years?"
"All six or eight years, However; long it takes for you to graduate from college."
"But as soon as I move out, the deal is no more?"
"Not entirely, depending on the situation we'll still pay for something."
"Grace, you know how much it would bother me to let you guys pay for my schooling and not pay you and Jesse back."
"You'll be paying us back with your degree." Grace smiled.
"But I-"
"You don't have to make a decision tonight. You don't have to give us an answer right away, but we'd like to know by your birthday. So you have six months to think on it."
"Six months is a long time."
"Six months will be here before you can finish blinking, hun." Grace stood up and walked to the head of my bed. "Let's get you to bed; you have school in the morning."
I stood up and let Grace pull back my covers. I climbed into bed and Grace tucked me in, once I was all tucked in; Grace kissed my forehead.
"Goodnight Taylor. Please don't feel like we don't want you here, Jesse and I love having you here. So does Nadine."
I smiled at her and kept my comments to myself. "Thank you Grace."
"You're very welcome, get some sleep."
"Goodnight."
"Goodnight sweetheart."
Grace walked to my door, turned out my light and quietly closed my door behind her. After I heard her footsteps move away from my door, I turned on my side and looked into the darkness.
Grace and Jesse wanted me to stay? Even after they heard what I said earlier? I couldn't believe it. Foster parents stopped receiving checks after the child turned 18, so why did they want to keep me?
Because they actually love you
There was no way that could be possible. Could it?
Closing my eyes I sighed and forced myself to sleep. But before I went to sleep, I thought about that I would finally have a job and I could start saving up for my own place to live. Smiling to myself, I snuggled deeper into my covers.
That night I dreamed about Annie Harris and that instead of her just being Desmond's mom, she was my mom too.
Happy spring surprise all. I had to decide between, Dirty Truth and Big Sister on which one to update. Guess Big Sister won, anyway, the semester is coming to an end, so what does that mean? Hopefully summer updates for both. I'm going to try and update Dirty Truth this weekend as well, but if it doesn't happen this weekend it'll happen the weekend after next. I hope you guys enjoy this update, till next time.
