Chapter Four
All three of us sat there in shock.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, breaking the silence, "Mama was pregnant,"
Fred shook his head, "No, that wasn't real, we wanted people to think they were our kids so we made it look like she was pregnant," he explained.
"I can't believe it," I breathed.
Erin still hadn't said a word. I looked over at her and she had the faintest smile on her face. Fred glanced at her uneasily.
"Wow, this is great," she said finally. I saw the hurt register on Fred's face and I immediately felt awful for what Erin said.
"Thank goodness you aren't my father," she said.
"Erin," I whispered and nudged her a little.
"What?" she asked innocently, "Did you expect me to be sad or something?"
No one answered. She got up and walked out of the courtroom.
I looked back to Fred. He had a sad look on his face.
"I'm not surprised by her reaction," he said, "I suppose none of you will ever want to see me again,"
I started to get up to leave but stopped when I felt Derek's hand on my arm. He pulled me back down to him and whispered, "He is your uncle,"
I had forgotten about that. Somehow when he revealed he wasn't related to Erin and Tyler I had assumed he wasn't related to me either. But my father was his brother; I was his niece.
I reached out and took my uncle's hand. He looked up, surprised at my gesture.
"You are my uncle, I am not going to storm away from you like Erin has," I told him. His eyes brightened a bit.
I wrote my address on a piece of paper and gave it to him.
"You can write," I said. He looked a little disappointed that I wasn't asking him to be my father again.
"We have to take it slow and you need to get a job and get back on your feet," I told him. I didn't know if he had really changed, but I wasn't taking any chances. I would not allow him to live in my house where I had a three-year-old.
"Thank you," he said. Derek and I got up to leave.
"Skye?" Fred called.
I turned around to face him.
"I'm sorry," he said.
I smiled a little, grabbed on to Derek's hand and we left the courthouse.
On the way home Erin sat silently. I couldn't tell what emotions she was feeling. She just sat like a stone statue, not moving, barely breathing it seemed.
I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I was no longer afraid that my stepfather would come searching for me. I didn't feel like he would try to deliberately hurt me anymore. I knew he wouldn't try to take Tyler away from me. I felt like all the loose ends of my formal life were now tied up. Maybe now I could finally relax and be happy.
I couldn't wait to see Hope again. I imagined she'd have a lot of stories to tell me about her day with Greg.
Just as I suspected, she came running into my arms as soon as we walked in the door. Her dark hair was a mass of tangles on her head. Greg came running out after her and threw his arms around his mother's neck.
Derek picked up Hope and hoisted her onto his shoulders. She giggled.
"Did you two have fun today?" Derek asked the children.
Hope nodded enthusiastically.
"Can we come and live here, Mommy?" Greg asked innocently.
Erin looked flustered for a moment then she just let out a forced laugh and ignored her son's question.
"Would you like to stay for dinner Erin?" Derek asked. I wasn't to happy about that idea but I didn't object.
"I don't know." Erin said.
"Please Mommy!" Greg pleaded.
"Yeah, please Aunt Erin!" Hope said along with him. She was yanking on Derek's hair and I could see the discomfort on his face. I laughed.
"Hope, dear, stop pulling Daddy's hair," I told her.
"I'll be bald tomorrow with the way you are pulling on it," Derek teased. He swung her down from his shoulders and started tickling her. She giggled and squealed in joy.
I saw a yearning look on little Greg's face. I knew Anthony was always at his shop in town. He was rarely home to plat with Greg and Erin wasn't the most exciting person to play with either. I felt a pang of sympathy for the little boy. I imagined he had to play by himself every day.
"Why don't you use the phone in the den to invite Anthony over," I told Erin. This was a big sacrifice for me. Anthony and I did not get along but I was willing to have him over so Greg could be with his father for a while.
Erin's eyes darkened a little. I knew she would jump at any chance to make me uncomfortable.
"Okay, thanks," she disappeared into the den to call her husband. Greg and Hope ran off to play until suppertime. I wondered where Tyler was.
"I'm going to go find Tyler," I said.
"Want me to come with you?" Derek asked.
"No, I'll be fine," I started up the stairs, thinking he'd be in his room talking to Keely or doing his homework. I knocked on the door but there was no answer. I pushed open the door slowly but he wasn't inside. I looked in the TV room, the kitchen, and the library. He was nowhere to be found. Finally I found him in the basement. He was skateboarding. He hadn't skated down there in a long time. He always went outside or got Wesley to drive him to a skate park in town. I watched him for a minute. He was doing very complicated tricks. He had gotten very good at it since he had first arrived here.
"Tyler," I called after a minute.
He grabbed his board and looked over at me, "Oh, you're back," he said. He seemed to be expecting the worst, like I would have a social worker here to take him back to Fred. Or even worse, that Fred would be here with us.
"Yes, and I have something to tell you," I said. I sat down on the step and motioned for him to sit beside me.
"They are taking me back to him aren't they?" he said,
"No, of course they aren't, I would never let hat happen," I said. I hugged him tightly and told him what
Fred had told Erin, Derek and I at the courthouse.
He was silent when I as finished.
"So, I'm not related to him?" he asked.
"No," I said smiling, "And he's not going to try and get you back," I added.
He broke into a huge grin and a tear streamed down his cheek, "Oh thank you, I don't know what I would do without you Skye, I love you," he cried.
"I love you too, Tyler, very much," I held him to my chest and comforted him.
After a while Derek appeared at the top of the stairs, "Dinner's ready," he called.
We stood up and started up the stairs.
"This means that you aren't my sister," Tyler said quietly.
I nodded, "But I will always love you like a brother," I told him.
I thought I saw a flash of sadness and disappointment in his eyes but I ignored it.
We went into the dining room. Both Erin and Greg looked despondent sitting in the high backed chairs. Anthony was nowhere to be seen.
"Is Anthony coming?" I asked.
Erin shook her head; "He's busy at the shop," she said bitterly.
Couldn't he take two hours away from work to be with his family? I had seen this workaholic trait in him when I was married to him. He was selfish and inconsiderate. I didn't expect he would ever change.
His twin brother, Trevor had been so much like him. It saddened me that they never got to know eachother before Trevor died.
I tried not to think of him to often, it just made my feel sad and guilty. I had always felt responsible for all the bad things that happened to Trevor. I had no desire to ever go back to the scene of the crimes, La Vie.
I didn't know then that sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do.
All three of us sat there in shock.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, breaking the silence, "Mama was pregnant,"
Fred shook his head, "No, that wasn't real, we wanted people to think they were our kids so we made it look like she was pregnant," he explained.
"I can't believe it," I breathed.
Erin still hadn't said a word. I looked over at her and she had the faintest smile on her face. Fred glanced at her uneasily.
"Wow, this is great," she said finally. I saw the hurt register on Fred's face and I immediately felt awful for what Erin said.
"Thank goodness you aren't my father," she said.
"Erin," I whispered and nudged her a little.
"What?" she asked innocently, "Did you expect me to be sad or something?"
No one answered. She got up and walked out of the courtroom.
I looked back to Fred. He had a sad look on his face.
"I'm not surprised by her reaction," he said, "I suppose none of you will ever want to see me again,"
I started to get up to leave but stopped when I felt Derek's hand on my arm. He pulled me back down to him and whispered, "He is your uncle,"
I had forgotten about that. Somehow when he revealed he wasn't related to Erin and Tyler I had assumed he wasn't related to me either. But my father was his brother; I was his niece.
I reached out and took my uncle's hand. He looked up, surprised at my gesture.
"You are my uncle, I am not going to storm away from you like Erin has," I told him. His eyes brightened a bit.
I wrote my address on a piece of paper and gave it to him.
"You can write," I said. He looked a little disappointed that I wasn't asking him to be my father again.
"We have to take it slow and you need to get a job and get back on your feet," I told him. I didn't know if he had really changed, but I wasn't taking any chances. I would not allow him to live in my house where I had a three-year-old.
"Thank you," he said. Derek and I got up to leave.
"Skye?" Fred called.
I turned around to face him.
"I'm sorry," he said.
I smiled a little, grabbed on to Derek's hand and we left the courthouse.
On the way home Erin sat silently. I couldn't tell what emotions she was feeling. She just sat like a stone statue, not moving, barely breathing it seemed.
I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I was no longer afraid that my stepfather would come searching for me. I didn't feel like he would try to deliberately hurt me anymore. I knew he wouldn't try to take Tyler away from me. I felt like all the loose ends of my formal life were now tied up. Maybe now I could finally relax and be happy.
I couldn't wait to see Hope again. I imagined she'd have a lot of stories to tell me about her day with Greg.
Just as I suspected, she came running into my arms as soon as we walked in the door. Her dark hair was a mass of tangles on her head. Greg came running out after her and threw his arms around his mother's neck.
Derek picked up Hope and hoisted her onto his shoulders. She giggled.
"Did you two have fun today?" Derek asked the children.
Hope nodded enthusiastically.
"Can we come and live here, Mommy?" Greg asked innocently.
Erin looked flustered for a moment then she just let out a forced laugh and ignored her son's question.
"Would you like to stay for dinner Erin?" Derek asked. I wasn't to happy about that idea but I didn't object.
"I don't know." Erin said.
"Please Mommy!" Greg pleaded.
"Yeah, please Aunt Erin!" Hope said along with him. She was yanking on Derek's hair and I could see the discomfort on his face. I laughed.
"Hope, dear, stop pulling Daddy's hair," I told her.
"I'll be bald tomorrow with the way you are pulling on it," Derek teased. He swung her down from his shoulders and started tickling her. She giggled and squealed in joy.
I saw a yearning look on little Greg's face. I knew Anthony was always at his shop in town. He was rarely home to plat with Greg and Erin wasn't the most exciting person to play with either. I felt a pang of sympathy for the little boy. I imagined he had to play by himself every day.
"Why don't you use the phone in the den to invite Anthony over," I told Erin. This was a big sacrifice for me. Anthony and I did not get along but I was willing to have him over so Greg could be with his father for a while.
Erin's eyes darkened a little. I knew she would jump at any chance to make me uncomfortable.
"Okay, thanks," she disappeared into the den to call her husband. Greg and Hope ran off to play until suppertime. I wondered where Tyler was.
"I'm going to go find Tyler," I said.
"Want me to come with you?" Derek asked.
"No, I'll be fine," I started up the stairs, thinking he'd be in his room talking to Keely or doing his homework. I knocked on the door but there was no answer. I pushed open the door slowly but he wasn't inside. I looked in the TV room, the kitchen, and the library. He was nowhere to be found. Finally I found him in the basement. He was skateboarding. He hadn't skated down there in a long time. He always went outside or got Wesley to drive him to a skate park in town. I watched him for a minute. He was doing very complicated tricks. He had gotten very good at it since he had first arrived here.
"Tyler," I called after a minute.
He grabbed his board and looked over at me, "Oh, you're back," he said. He seemed to be expecting the worst, like I would have a social worker here to take him back to Fred. Or even worse, that Fred would be here with us.
"Yes, and I have something to tell you," I said. I sat down on the step and motioned for him to sit beside me.
"They are taking me back to him aren't they?" he said,
"No, of course they aren't, I would never let hat happen," I said. I hugged him tightly and told him what
Fred had told Erin, Derek and I at the courthouse.
He was silent when I as finished.
"So, I'm not related to him?" he asked.
"No," I said smiling, "And he's not going to try and get you back," I added.
He broke into a huge grin and a tear streamed down his cheek, "Oh thank you, I don't know what I would do without you Skye, I love you," he cried.
"I love you too, Tyler, very much," I held him to my chest and comforted him.
After a while Derek appeared at the top of the stairs, "Dinner's ready," he called.
We stood up and started up the stairs.
"This means that you aren't my sister," Tyler said quietly.
I nodded, "But I will always love you like a brother," I told him.
I thought I saw a flash of sadness and disappointment in his eyes but I ignored it.
We went into the dining room. Both Erin and Greg looked despondent sitting in the high backed chairs. Anthony was nowhere to be seen.
"Is Anthony coming?" I asked.
Erin shook her head; "He's busy at the shop," she said bitterly.
Couldn't he take two hours away from work to be with his family? I had seen this workaholic trait in him when I was married to him. He was selfish and inconsiderate. I didn't expect he would ever change.
His twin brother, Trevor had been so much like him. It saddened me that they never got to know eachother before Trevor died.
I tried not to think of him to often, it just made my feel sad and guilty. I had always felt responsible for all the bad things that happened to Trevor. I had no desire to ever go back to the scene of the crimes, La Vie.
I didn't know then that sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do.