Until Then (Cornerstone Book 2) (19 page)

“Hold on tight, Ava.” Robert pulled back on the chains and let go.

Ava giggled and let out a gleeful shriek.

A strong urge to flee overwhelmed her. She wanted to sneak out, grab her bags, and drive away before anyone saw her. This was not at all what she had expected.

“Michelle.” Grandma spotted her.

Darn it!

“Come sit with us. Have a glass of iced tea.”

Michelle hesitantly walked into the back yard. Her father looked over at her and waved.

She walked on without a response and sat next to her grandmother, who handed her a glass of tea.

“How was your drive?” Grandma asked.

“Fine.” She was mad, fuming really.

“Is something wrong?” Grandma was clueless as ever.

“Why didn’t you tell me Dad was gonna be here?” she asked quietly.

“He just showed up this morning. We didn’t know he was coming.”

Michelle didn’t know whether to believe her or not. She glanced across the yard.

“I thought you’d be happy to see Avey.”

Michelle turned her eyes on Grandma. “Why would you think that?”

“Because she’s your little sister.”

“I’ve never even met her before.”

Grandma’s mouth dropped open.

Did Grandma really not know that? Does she really not know her own son by now? This was a huge mistake.

Michelle crossed her arms. Before her stood this man, who was supposed to take care of her and love her and push
her
on the swing, but he had never done a single one of those things. He barely seemed to notice her presence. She watched him lift Ava and swing her around. Ava laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. He squeezed her and kissed her on the cheek, and all Michelle wanted at that moment was to curl up in a ball and die.

As Robert carried Ava across the yard in her direction, Michelle’s heart began to race.

“Hello, Michelle. How are you?”

“Fine.”

“Ava, say hello to your big sister, Michelle.”

Ava’s eyes grew as big as saucers. She looked back and forth between Dad and Michelle.

Michelle stared at the adorable little girl, not quite sure what to say to her.

Ava wiggled out of Robert’s arms and walked over to Michelle. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

“You’re my sister,” Ava declared.

Michelle nodded. “I know.”

Ava suddenly climbed into her lap and ran her little hand over Michelle’s long, brown waves. “You’re pretty.”

“So are you,” Michelle replied, touching one of her sister’s ringlets.

Ava wrapped her arms around Michelle’s neck in a hug. “I’ve never had a sister before.”

Michelle’s heart turned to mush. “Neither have I.” She held tightly to Ava and breathed in the smell of her strawberry-scented kid shampoo. Her eyes stung as tears threatened.

And just as quickly as their conversation began, Ava jumped down and ran back to play on the swings again.

Michelle glanced over at her father, who was watching his little daughter lovingly, and the jealousy burned within her.
What’s wrong with me? Why doesn’t he love me like he loves Ava? Why am I never enough? For anyone?

As the afternoon wore on, her father carried on long conversations with his parents and doted on Ava the whole time, but barely said two words to her.

When Grandma got up to begin preparing dinner, Michelle followed her into the kitchen. She could no longer take the torture. “I’m sorry, Grandma. I can’t stay.”

“But you just got here. I thought you were staying for the whole weekend. We were planning to go to Easter service. We can take Ava to the Easter egg hunt.”

“Well, you can still take her, but I have to go.”

Grandma looked at her with disapproval. “You should be here with your family.”

The tears burned Michelle’s eyes again. “Do you have any idea how hard this was for me?”

Her grandmother looked at her in confusion.

“I can’t sit here and watch Dad and Ava together. It’s too much.”

The back door opened and in walked her father. She could tell by the expression on his face that he had heard her.

“Great!” Michelle glared at her dad. “You know what, I’m just gonna say it. You suck.” It was a juvenile thing to say, but her teenage side started creeping in. All the things she had never had the guts to say to him when she was that age were about to burst out. “Would it have hurt you to spend a little time with me when I was Ava’s age? Would it have been so hard to push me on a swing or teach me how to ride a bike? Or buy me a bike for that matter?” Tears streamed down her face now. “You were never there for me. How could you just leave me? How could you do that?”

“Michelle.”

She wouldn’t let him speak. “And then you just broke Mom’s heart and got yourself a new wife and a new daughter. You act like I don’t exist. Well, I do! I exist, Dad. I exist!” She was yelling now.

Ava shuffled in behind their father and stared up at Michelle.

“I was your daughter long before Ava was, but you never treated me like you treat her. You never loved me like you love her.”

“That’s not true,” her dad replied.

“Are you kidding me? I don’t think you’ve ever hugged me once in my life. How do you think that made me feel?”

Dad hung his head.

“Worthless. That’s how I felt. That’s how I feel. That’s how
you
make me feel.”

Her dad looked up and took a step toward her.

She held her hand out to stop him. “That little girl standing behind you doesn’t even know me. She’s six years old, and we’re meeting for the first time, and that’s
your
fault.”

“You know where we live, Michelle.”

A laugh escaped her.
Unbelievable.

She turned swiftly and hugged her grandmother.

“Please stay,” Grandma whispered.

“I can’t.”

She walked over and hugged Grandpa, then grabbed her bags from where they still sat just inside the door.

A little shuffle of footsteps followed her, and her heart broke at the sound.

“Michelle.” Ava’s tiny voice was sad.

Michelle dropped her bags and turned around, crouching down to Ava’s level.

“Are you going home?”

She nodded her reply.

“Bye, Michelle.” Ava hugged her so sweetly.

She squeezed her eyes closed and did her best to swallow her sobs as she held her little sister tightly.

Ava let go and wiped tears from Michelle’s cheeks. “Don’t be sad.”

Michelle forced half a smile.

“I love you, big sister.” Ava had the most adorable smile.

Michelle kissed her on the top of the head as she stood, then grabbed her bags and walked out of the house.

When Michelle arrived home that night, she was surprised to see Simon’s car in front of the building. She got an uneasy feeling as she climbed the stairs to their apartment, afraid of what she might find. Simon was seated on a stool at the kitchen bar, while Maggie stood across the counter from him.

“Hey, Chelle,” he greeted her.

“You’re back early. How was your trip?” Maggie’s words seemed forced, like she wasn’t over their previous conversation.

Michelle eyed them suspiciously. “Fine.” She carried her bags into her bedroom and threw them down with a loud
thud
.

Simon followed her and laid his hands on her shoulders. “What’s wrong?”

She shook him off. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see you.”

“You knew I was going to Illinois.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I forgot.”

Unlikely.

“Why are you back early?” he asked.

“It’s a long story, and I don’t really feel like talking about it.”

“OK.”

“What were you and Maggie doing?”

“Talking wedding photography.”

“What? You weren’t trying to convince her to call off her wedding?” she asked sarcastically.

A sly grin crossed his face. “That’s a good idea. Someone should do that.”

He said it as a joke, but Michelle was not in the mood. She knew there was truth in his remarks.

“Can you just go?”

He was taken aback by her abruptness. “Uh … yeah. OK.”

“I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“All right.” He shuffled out of her room.

She hadn’t meant to be so rude. It had been a very long day. She turned to follow him and apologize, but through the bedroom door she saw him walk over to Maggie in the kitchen and put his arm around her.

“Goodnight, Canon.”

The sweet tone in his voice unleashed the green-eyed monster within.

On the morning of Maggie’s bridal shower brunch, as Michelle prepared the final decorations and food, Simon hovered about the apartment. He was fidgeting and looking genuinely bothered. Michelle was already in a bad mood because Maggie still wasn’t speaking to her, and his presence wasn’t helping matters.

“Maggie and her mom will be here any minute, and the guests will be arriving soon. You
have
to go.”

“She can’t marry him,” he blurted out.

“Simon, stop!”

He looked her in the eyes. “I’m serious.”

She had heard all of his reasons over the years, but now she wanted the truth. She stopped what she was doing and rested her hands on her hips. “Why not, Simon?”

He didn’t reply.

“Why not?” She needed to hear it.

“She can do better than that jerk.”

She let out an exasperated sigh. “You’re a coward.”

“What do you want from me?”

“Just be honest with me, Simon.” She had seen it in his eyes. That day she had seen them fighting outside the dorm about Emma. The day he walked into the bridal shop and saw Maggie in her wedding dress. The countless times she had seen him gazing at Maggie at the apartment.

“I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“It bothers you that Maggie hates you.”

He stared at her.

“It bothers you that she won’t give you the time of day.”

Still nothing.

“It bothers you that she’s marrying Ben.”

“Of course it does.”

“Why?” She already knew the answer.

“Michelle,” he seemed to be pleading for her not to make him reply.

“Say it!” she cried.

“Fine! I care about her, OK?” His eyes dropped away from hers. “I care about her,” he admitted softly.

Michelle cringed at the way he said
care
, because she suspected that
care
really meant
love
, and it broke her heart.

The bridal shower was small and personal, just the mothers, grandmothers, and bridesmaids. Michelle could barely concentrate after her conversation with Simon. She certainly didn’t feel like celebrating Maggie’s upcoming wedding, but she put on a happy face and made nice, pleasant conversation as best as she could.

Horrible thoughts filled her mind. She knew Ben was a cheater, but she wanted Maggie to marry him anyway so she would never have Simon. A part of her even hoped Ben would cheat on Maggie so her happily ever after fantasy wouldn’t come true. Why did Maggie get her dream guy
and
Simon’s love? She knew deep down that she needed to pray and ignore these thoughts, but at the moment, she didn’t care.
Why doesn’t Simon want me? What is wrong with me? When will it finally be my turn?