My mom hugged me and I let her. Something about our moods made me feel like I was saying goodbye to her. At the very least, I was saying goodbye to the lie of my mother as someone who tried her best and regretted her mistakes. Instead, she just accepted they were part of Hancock legacy. No harm, no foul.
Watching her leave, I wanted to be different. I wanted to take after another part of my family. On Mom’s side was a history of failure. On Dad’s side was a history of crime and addiction. If legacy and fate were any indications, I wasn’t the only one awaiting a failed future. I just hoped the baby took after Aaron.
Chapter Thirty Six - Aaron
Lark had a fake happy smile plastered on her face. She had also covered her freckles and brushed her wild hair into a ponytail. While she looked hot in the pink jumper dress over a purple tee, I knew she was planning to pretend to be anyone except the real Larken Dawn Foster.
My mother would have none of it though.
Maryann Barnes wasn’t a woman to buy into pretensions. She had a way of making everyone feel comfortable. When she and my dad worked as a team, they could get anyone to smile and open up as if speaking to their oldest friends.
Lark never had a chance. The minute Mom hugged her then Dad surmised she was a tiny little bruiser, my girl was charmed. She immediately lost her fake smile and revealed the grin that warmed my heart every time.
“It’s time to make Aaron squirm now,” Mom said and I knew the photo albums were coming out.
Lark must have known too because her eyes lit up. “I hope our baby looks like you.”
My mother heard the word “baby” and squealed. When I told my parents on the phone, I warned them not to freak out Lark. Of course, they weren’t intimidated by my threats. They just wanted a grandbaby before it was too late for them to enjoy the experience.
“How are you feeling?” Mom asked, sitting with Lark on the couch while Dad retrieved those embarrassing albums.
“I’m still dizzy off and on, but I’m on prenatal vitamins and iron pills. The doctor said I’m doing fine. I don’t have to go back in until my second trimester.”
“Oh, I remember when I was pregnant with Anna. I felt great the whole time. Those last weeks were a pain, but I was due in July. The heat will drive a pregnant woman mad. Otherwise, it was easy. Don’t let anyone tell you horror stories and scare you.”
“I won’t. Farah is trying to have a baby. Maybe we’ll go through it together.”
“Baby Cooper and Aaron running around causing trouble,” Dad said, setting an album on Lark’s lap. “Aaron was a very good baby. Didn’t cry at all. Not once.”
When I laughed, Dad gave me a wink. “Here was our boy at three months.”
Lark looked at the picture and laughed. Knowing exactly what she thought was so funny, I explained, “They thought they were adopting a girl, so I wore pink those first few months.”
“Babies grow so fast at that age,” Mom said. “No reason to waste money on new clothes when he wouldn’t know the difference.”
Lark laughed at this comment and kept laughing until the pictures reached when I was three. Her eyes moistened and again I was the one to explain.
“Lark’s little brother died around that age.”
As Mom and Dad descended on her with hugs, I never saw my girl look so startled. Life was different for her now. No longer was she struggling to survive in a dysfunctional family of revolving fathers and a cold mother. Now, she was a Barnes and we were fully functional and only slightly on the weird side.
“You have curls,” she cooed, running her finger over a picture of me at five.
“I loved those curls,” Mom said.
“She put barrettes in those curls,” I muttered, standing behind the three of them as they looked through the album. Ignoring my parents’ laughter, I continued, “I begged to have my hair shaved short. Once it was, I never looked back.”
“I hope the baby has curls,” Lark said.
When she looked up at me, I knew for the first time she was truly excited about our baby. No more fear or guilt, Lark embraced her future as a mom.
Even young and inexperienced with kids, I felt fearless too. Lark was my girl and she was having my baby and everything just fit.
Chapter Thirty Seven - Lark
A few hours after the sun set, I heard a knock on the door. Aaron was out back with the dogs. Even though he said not to answer the door at night because he had loser friends who showed up drunk, I peeked out the curtains to find a familiar grumpy face.
Throwing open the door, I smiled at my sister.
“Preggers, huh?” she said, pushing messy blonde hair away from her blue eyes. “Aunt Raven has a nice ring to it.”
Lunging for her, I melted in her embrace. All those months of anger at her leaving faded as she embraced me back. I had called and she hadn’t ignored me.
“I missed you,” I whispered. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
Raven looked down at me and sighed. “I fucked up and it was easier to pretend otherwise without you knowing the truth.”
“I don’t understand.”
When Raven glanced around, I realized we should go inside.