Lisa's P.O. V.
"He left it to you, Lisa." Anthony had just shocked the hell out of me. Dad had left the business to me. After everything he had done and said, he left it to me. "So what do you want to do?"
"Sell it. I'll create my own business from the money. Whatever money is left anyway. I know with dad embezzling that we probably owe people money."
Dad can go fuck himself if he thinks I am going to keep this business.
Did he think that I would fix it up and he would get out of jail and still have it to come back to? He was sorely mistaken. He's even more mistaken if he thinks this fixes anything he's done. This must have been what he meant when he said he hoped his actions would speak louder than his words. Only his actions were confusing, too. Did he do this because he really felt bad? Or because he wanted me to fix his business? Maybe it was because he still wanted to have some kind of hold on me. Whatever the case, I won't fix the business that caused him to be this way.
"Alright, I'll get the liquidation process started."
"Thank you. Let me know when it's done."
"You'll be the first person I call." He nodded his head, scribbling away in his notepad.
I left his office with thoughts of dad stirring in my mind. It's impossible to tell what he was really thinking. Could he really be trying to make up for everything?
Don't fall for his shit. Lucas' words rang in my head.
He's right. I can't let this affect the way I see dad. He turned his back on me and left me to be raped by the Darnell's. There's no amount of apologizing that would ever make that okay. He can be as remorseful as he likes. I won't be forgiving him anytime soon.
I made my way home, thinking of Calliope and all she's probably gone through. I decided to start taking her to a psychologist to try and help. The hope is that she'll start to open up more, and perhaps one day tell us all the horrors she'd seen in her short life so far.
I need to talk to Davis. It isn't what I had originally said, but I really want to adopt her. I want Calliope to be the girl that makes me a mom first. Once she's better we can revisit surrogacy, because I still want a little Davis running around.
Liv: I told you my medical stuff and that I was pregnant and you never told me about your womb. I am sorry, Lisa. Liv's text surprised me, arriving out of the blue as I made it home.
Lisa: It didn't feel that relevant with everything you told me.
Liv: Your news matters too.
Lisa: Thanks, but don't worry about me. Stay focused on yourself, Abi, and the little bean you're growing. I expect you to come dress shopping with me next month, though.
Liv: I'll be there! "How'd it go?" Davis asked me the moment I entered the house. Calliope was at school, leaving Davis alone at home. We had enrolled her in a private school nearby, noticing how intelligent she was. We could tell she needed a more challenging place and thankfully we could afford to send her there. "He left me the business." "Seriously?" "Yup, but I'm liquidating it and taking the money to create my own. I just need to figure out what I want that to be." "I know you'll think of something."
I love how confident he always is ofme.
"Thank you, I hope so." I sat beside him on the couch, allowing him to wrap me in his arms, sending me to my happy place. "We need to talk about Calliope."
"I know we do."
"I want to adopt her," we both said in unison, smiling real wide, knowing we wanted the same thing.
"Let's talk. There's a lot we need to figure out first," he said and I nodded, feeling the same way.
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"Is that okay with you, Calliope?" I asked her, really hoping she'd say yes. It's been a month now since she came to stay with us. I fell in love with her the moment I laid eyes on her and I wasn't
willing to give her up. Davis and I stayed up most nights discussing our parenting plans with her. We knew it was a big decision, so we tried not to rush it, but we just kept falling more in love with her everyday. It was obvious we wanted her, so we came up with a plan and mapped out everything we wanted to do for her and with her.
"You want me?"
"Very much so," Davis said, grabbing her hand from across the table. She'd grown more comfortable with Davis, but she still flinched when his hand had approached her.
"So I can keep living here with you?"
"Yes. You would live with us, and be a part of our family. You'd be our daughter," I explained,
wanting her to understand what it really meant.
"You'd be my new Mommy and Daddy?"
"If you want us to be." I nodded at her with a smile.
"You mean it?"
"Yes, we mean it. Do you want to be our daughter?"
"Yes!" she said with a smile.
I was elated to hear her answer. I am going to be a mom. She's going to make me a mom and I couldn't be happier.
"Thank you Calliope," I said through tears.
"I am sorry! I didn't mean to make you cry." She seemed panicked as she apologized, so I shook my head at her.
"No, silly girl. These are tears of joy. You have made me so happy that my body couldn't contain it all."
"You can cry when you're happy?"
"Yes of course."
She began to cry then too.
"Good, because I am very happy."
Oh, heart ofmine.
"There's a lot we need to talk about. There are rules and you must promise to follow them," Davis got right to it.
"Okay."
"Number 1: We will never physically hurt you and you have to believe that. Number 2: You are not allowed to leave the house without permission or a grown up by your side. Number 3: You must do well in school, and if you're ever struggling with it you must tell us so we can help you. Number 4: If you're having problems of any kind you have to tell either Lisa or me, or both of us preferably. And finally Number 5: You can never doubt that we love you."
"Okay, I can do that." She sounded so determined as she said that. She really wanted to make it work. I could see it in her eyes. She didn't want to be scared of Davis.
"Also we won't rush you, but we do want to know about your childhood and your time on the streets. You share with us however much you want at whatever time you want. We just want to help you and we want to understand what you've been through, okay?" I added.
"Okay, Mommy." She smiled at me, melting me with the way she called me Mommy. I began to
cry again. "Did I make you happy again?"
"Yes, you did. Very, very happy."
I love her so much already.
"My mommy before is nothing like you. She was nice and she would stand up to daddy for me sometimes, but she didn't take care of me the same way you do. She never brushed my hair while she sang to me, like you do. She also wouldn't make me bathe, or give me clean clothes everyday. She'd make me food sometimes, but it's not as often as you and this Daddy." I could see Davis' chest rise with pride as she called him her daddy now. There was no hiding he was angry at the news she was sharing. She had been neglected. "Still I sometimes miss her. I hope that doesn't make you mad."
"Never," I quickly told her. "She gave you life. I'll never be mad at you for missing her."
Even ifshe was a shitty mom.
"Good, because she was much better than Daddy. Daddy would hit us both if we ever made him mad. He liked to hit me more than Mommy, but Mommy would take care of me after, so it was okay."
The fact she thought that was okay broke me.
"That's not okay, Calliope. No matter what, it's never okay for someone to hit you. You hear me?" Davis used his serious tone so she knew he meant business. She nodded her head timidly. "Good."
"When Mommy wouldn't wake up one day, Daddy made me get in the car. He drove us far away and then told me to get out. I always listen to Daddy so that he won't hit me as much. He never came back."
I was crying again, making Calliope furrow her brow.
"Are you happy?"
"No, baby. I am sad. I am sad that you had to go through that. I promise you that will never happen again. You're ours forever."
She nodded her head again. I know it will be a while before she believes those words, but I'll make sure that she does. She will know what real love feels like. There will be no doubt in her mind that she is wanted and cared by us.
"I stayed at that spot for a few days, but then I got hungry and people kept saying they were going to call the police. I knew Daddy would be mad if the police came to his house. I ran from that spot and got more lost. I kept wandering around and people would give me food or drinks. Some gave me money. The scary part was sleeping, until I started sleeping in the treetops. I fell once though, so I made sure not to go too high."
We were both listening to her attentively with tears in our eyes. This little girl is strong, so damn strong when she shouldn't have to be. She told us everything right then and there. My heart shattered for her as she told us her story.
Don't worry, Calliope, I'll make sure you never go through something like that again.