AFOC Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Lucian POV
My feelings for Sam are so different from what I felt for Brandi. I planned a future with her, and it felt natural. But Sam puts my insides in knots. I want her in ways I told myself I can’t have her. And knowing she sleeps in her car gives me nightmares of epic proportions.
I can’t help but panic at the end of the day when Sam says she’s heading out. “Please, just crash here. You can sleep on the couch in here; my parents won’t care,” I beg for the umpteenth time.
She closes her eyes, breathing harshly through her nose. She fists her hands at her sides. “Lucian, I can’t stay here. Your family already does too much for me.”
I repress a growl. “Sam, I care about you, and I can’t sleep thinking you’re out there in some abandoned parking lot. I end up conjuring these images of someone breaking into your car and hurting you.” I grip the ends of my hair.
Her eyes narrow. “Not everyone grew up with a perfect family and a silver spoon in their mouth.”
I fist my hand over my chest as my heart tightens. “You do not understand how I grew up.”
Her jaw tightens as her eyes narrow. “Come on, Lucian, you don’t understand what it’s like to grow up on the other side. Never knowing if you’ll eat. I’ve been in so many foster places I lost count. You have no idea what it’s like living day to day.”
I throw my arms out. “All this is a new development. My mom had me at fourteen and my brother at sixteen. She got kicked out of her house when she graduated high school.” I take a step toward her as her eyes widen.” My mom worked her ass off making sure she could feed us and keep a roof over our heads. She would go days without eating! She never bought clothes for herself until six, almost seven years ago, when the only man that deserved the title of Dad walked into our lives.”
Her face drains of color. “I didn’t…”
I shake my head. “No, you didn’t, because it’s not something we talk about. But I didn’t think I needed to say that. I never thought you would think of me like that.”
When I hear the stairs squeak, I turn to find my mom hovering. Her gaze bounces back and forth between us. “Everything okay?”
With one last look at Sam, who looks sick, I answer, “As a matter of fact, no. Mom, Sam lives in her car.”
Mom steps into the den, moving toward Sam.
Sam wraps her arms around herself, tears slowly leaking from her eyes.
“Sam, hun, you’ll stay here tonight, and in the morning we’ll figure everything out.” Mom wraps Sam up into her arms as she cries.
Unable to handle it, I go to my room. I turn some music on and lie on my bed while I overthink everything. I wonder if she really thinks of me that way, or if it was just anger over me pushing her to stay.
It feels like forever before I hear loud steps and my door is pushed open by a smug and disheveled Damon. “This is some depressing shit.” His gaze roams over me.
I narrow my eyes at his towering form. “Leave me alone.”
He scoffs, coming in and flopping next to me. “Mom is comforting your girl. She find out about her living out of her car or something?”
“Yeah.”
He hums. “Why aren’t you down there? Isn’t that your thing, being romantic and comforting?”
“She thinks I’m some spoiled rich kid that would never understand what she’s going through. It pissed me off, so in retaliation, I told Mom about her living out of her car.” It hits me then that he knew. “How did you know Sam lives in her car?”
He shrugs. “Not that hard to figure out. I had my suspicions, but I wasn’t positive until tonight when I saw her car. Everything she owns is in it.”
I snort. “Figures.”
“Look, I’m glad you told Mom, even if the circumstances weren’t the best. She needs a safe place to live.”
I don’t answer him, thinking he’s right, but I shouldn’t have gotten so angry. It’s not like we ever talk about our past. We mostly pretend that Dad has always been here and that Mom was never a waitress at Paul’s Diner.
We don’t talk about the nights mom cried herself to sleep, or the permanent circles under eyes and the years of sacrifices she made.
He gets up. “Well, I’m off to bed. I got buzzed, had amazing sex”—he smirks—“twice, so I’m wiped out.”
I groaning in disgust, hitting him with a pillow as he leaves laughing. I hate his smug ass.
The next morning, I’m the first awake. I wasn’t able to sleep through the night. Apparently, I’m not the only one, because a very sleepy Sam is sitting at the table with her knees pulled up to her chest and her head resting on them.
“Morning,” I greet her softly as I start the coffee.
“I’m sorry about what I said last night. I was just angry and… and…” I can hear the tears before I see them.
I walk to her, gathering her in my arms. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I just want you to be safe.”
She hugs me back fiercely. “I would have done the same if you insulted me as I did you.”
I sit in the chair, shifting us so she’s sitting on my lap. “What happened after I went to my room?”
She sighs. “Your mom got me some blankets and pillows and begged me not to run. She told me again she would take care of everything.”
I chuckle. “That sounds like Mom.”
A small sigh escapes her. “You’re lucky to have her.”
My lips curve up. “You have her now, too, you know.”
Her eyes widen, making me want to kiss her hard. But this can’t be the right time for it, can it? We still haven’t had our first kiss. I wanted that last night but drama happened instead. This can’t be the right time for it. Most girls want a romantic moment after a date, right?
As my brain battles, I hear the many footsteps coming into the kitchen.
“Little eyes!” Mike announces as he comes in with all our little siblings in tow.
I laugh, kissing Sam's nose. That’s innocent enough, I think. She quickly slides off my lap.
“Pancakes for breakfast, our little minions.” I clap my hands together, knowing my siblings need to eat and my parents need sleep.
Lily, Masen, and Maddie cheer, jumping up and down. Julie smiles, whereas Sarah just curls into herself and sits down.
Mike, Sam, and I easily work around the kitchen getting each of our little shadows a plate of food before sitting down ourselves.
Sarah is still red around the eyes as she moves food around with her fork. I lean back, putting my arm on the back of her chair. “You okay, sis?”
She leans against me awkwardly. “I feel stupid. Mama B told me she isn’t mad, just worried.”
I kiss the top of her head. “I love you, and if you ever need anything, I’m here for you.”
She nods as she takes two small bites. Mom walks in with her ear pressed against the phone, Dad casually walking behind her.
“Yes, Irina. You don’t understand how much this means to me. Thank you. See you in an hour.”
Dad leans against the counter next to the coffee maker in nothing but his PJ bottoms. “I really enjoy just waking up and having coffee. No running around like chickens with our heads cut off.”
Sam’s face is turning red as my dad sips on his coffee. Her eyes flicker to mine. “Do the men in your family not understand the concept of shirts?”
Dad laughs so hard he almost spills his precious life force.
Damon pops in, grinning. “Sorry, Red, we just like to show off the goods.”
Sam rolls her eyes, but her entire face is beet red.
“Anyway,” Mom chuckles, changing the subject. “Sam, your caseworker will be here in about an hour and a half. Tanya and Irina will be here within the hour. We would like to talk about a new arrangement for you.”
It doesn’t take much to figure out Mom’s plan.
“It’s all up to you and what you want to do, sweetie. I think you fit into our family so nicely, but it wouldn’t be right for you to stay here while you have a relationship with Lucian.” Mom sits down while Dad walks over, handing her some coffee and kissing her cheek.
They show so much affection, affirming how much they love each other. I want that. My gaze darts to Sam. Is she the one I want it with? Is this all too much, too soon? I’m only seventeen. There’s so much I want first.
“If they want me, I would be happy to stay there,” Sam murmurs, picking at her food.
I’m positive I missed part of the conversation while I was lost in my own personal dilemma.
“Good. We’ll have it all set by this afternoon. Remind me to call Sarah’s grandparents to let them know her phone will be in my possession until she goes home this Sunday.” Mom claps her hands together.
Sarah hides her face behind her hair. “Do we have to?”
“Yes,” Mom answers decisively.
Quietly, my sister whines how unfair it is. I keep in the chuckle that wants to burst out. It’s uncanny how similar she and Damon are.
“Can you tell me what happened that made you run away from the Jamerson’s?” The frog-looking woman stares at Sam, who is clinging to my hand.
My aunts are sitting with us while Mom and Dad are with all the kids out in the yard, giving us privacy. The caseworker wanted me to leave, but Sam begged me to stay with her. Ms. Paine wasn’t thrilled about it, but Mom shut her down by immediately agreeing with Sam and ushering everyone outside.
She squeezes my hand. “Mr. Jamerson made me very uncomfortable. And when I tried telling you, you said I was being paranoid. So when I woke up with him hovering over me in my sleep, I took off.”
My gaze flies to the ugly woman whose face is now red as all eyes are on her. “Well. I will get that investigated. Now, Mrs. and Mrs. Denali, if we can just...” She shuffles some papers in her beat-up binder.
Aunt Irina’s jaw clenches and her lips are pressed tightly together, but it’s Aunt Tanya that speaks. “You ignored her. She told you something important, and you ignored her. Because of that, she’s been living out of her car for six months. You realize that for almost three months it was fucking cold as shit!”
My aunt’s bold statement causes Ms. Paine’s eyes to pop out. “Well...” She looks like a fish out of water.
Aunt Irina cuts her off. “Once we have Sam settled in our home, I will contact your superiors regarding the way you seriously dropped the ball, causing a seventeen-year-old to run away because she didn’t feel she would receive adequate help. You can leave now,” Aunt Irina dismisses Ms. Paine.
Sam burrows her face into my arm. I can feel her body shaking, I just can’t tell if she’s crying or laughing.
Irina scoffs at the caseworker’s hasty exit and turns her attention to Sam. “Now, we just want to go over a few things like expectations.”
“I’ll be outside when you’re all done, babe.” I kiss the side of her head, knowing I’m not needed for this.
Walking out onto the porch, I see Mom with tears slowly falling down her cheeks and the phone pressed to her ear.
Lucian POV
My feelings for Sam are so different from what I felt for Brandi. I planned a future with her, and it felt natural. But Sam puts my insides in knots. I want her in ways I told myself I can’t have her. And knowing she sleeps in her car gives me nightmares of epic proportions.
I can’t help but panic at the end of the day when Sam says she’s heading out. “Please, just crash here. You can sleep on the couch in here; my parents won’t care,” I beg for the umpteenth time.
She closes her eyes, breathing harshly through her nose. She fists her hands at her sides. “Lucian, I can’t stay here. Your family already does too much for me.”
I repress a growl. “Sam, I care about you, and I can’t sleep thinking you’re out there in some abandoned parking lot. I end up conjuring these images of someone breaking into your car and hurting you.” I grip the ends of my hair.
Her eyes narrow. “Not everyone grew up with a perfect family and a silver spoon in their mouth.”
I fist my hand over my chest as my heart tightens. “You do not understand how I grew up.”
Her jaw tightens as her eyes narrow. “Come on, Lucian, you don’t understand what it’s like to grow up on the other side. Never knowing if you’ll eat. I’ve been in so many foster places I lost count. You have no idea what it’s like living day to day.”
I throw my arms out. “All this is a new development. My mom had me at fourteen and my brother at sixteen. She got kicked out of her house when she graduated high school.” I take a step toward her as her eyes widen.” My mom worked her ass off making sure she could feed us and keep a roof over our heads. She would go days without eating! She never bought clothes for herself until six, almost seven years ago, when the only man that deserved the title of Dad walked into our lives.”
Her face drains of color. “I didn’t…”
I shake my head. “No, you didn’t, because it’s not something we talk about. But I didn’t think I needed to say that. I never thought you would think of me like that.”
When I hear the stairs squeak, I turn to find my mom hovering. Her gaze bounces back and forth between us. “Everything okay?”
With one last look at Sam, who looks sick, I answer, “As a matter of fact, no. Mom, Sam lives in her car.”
Mom steps into the den, moving toward Sam.
Sam wraps her arms around herself, tears slowly leaking from her eyes.
“Sam, hun, you’ll stay here tonight, and in the morning we’ll figure everything out.” Mom wraps Sam up into her arms as she cries.
Unable to handle it, I go to my room. I turn some music on and lie on my bed while I overthink everything. I wonder if she really thinks of me that way, or if it was just anger over me pushing her to stay.
It feels like forever before I hear loud steps and my door is pushed open by a smug and disheveled Damon. “This is some depressing shit.” His gaze roams over me.
I narrow my eyes at his towering form. “Leave me alone.”
He scoffs, coming in and flopping next to me. “Mom is comforting your girl. She find out about her living out of her car or something?”
“Yeah.”
He hums. “Why aren’t you down there? Isn’t that your thing, being romantic and comforting?”
“She thinks I’m some spoiled rich kid that would never understand what she’s going through. It pissed me off, so in retaliation, I told Mom about her living out of her car.” It hits me then that he knew. “How did you know Sam lives in her car?”
He shrugs. “Not that hard to figure out. I had my suspicions, but I wasn’t positive until tonight when I saw her car. Everything she owns is in it.”
I snort. “Figures.”
“Look, I’m glad you told Mom, even if the circumstances weren’t the best. She needs a safe place to live.”
I don’t answer him, thinking he’s right, but I shouldn’t have gotten so angry. It’s not like we ever talk about our past. We mostly pretend that Dad has always been here and that Mom was never a waitress at Paul’s Diner.
We don’t talk about the nights mom cried herself to sleep, or the permanent circles under eyes and the years of sacrifices she made.
He gets up. “Well, I’m off to bed. I got buzzed, had amazing sex”—he smirks—“twice, so I’m wiped out.”
I groaning in disgust, hitting him with a pillow as he leaves laughing. I hate his smug ass.
The next morning, I’m the first awake. I wasn’t able to sleep through the night. Apparently, I’m not the only one, because a very sleepy Sam is sitting at the table with her knees pulled up to her chest and her head resting on them.
“Morning,” I greet her softly as I start the coffee.
“I’m sorry about what I said last night. I was just angry and… and…” I can hear the tears before I see them.
I walk to her, gathering her in my arms. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I just want you to be safe.”
She hugs me back fiercely. “I would have done the same if you insulted me as I did you.”
I sit in the chair, shifting us so she’s sitting on my lap. “What happened after I went to my room?”
She sighs. “Your mom got me some blankets and pillows and begged me not to run. She told me again she would take care of everything.”
I chuckle. “That sounds like Mom.”
A small sigh escapes her. “You’re lucky to have her.”
My lips curve up. “You have her now, too, you know.”
Her eyes widen, making me want to kiss her hard. But this can’t be the right time for it, can it? We still haven’t had our first kiss. I wanted that last night but drama happened instead. This can’t be the right time for it. Most girls want a romantic moment after a date, right?
As my brain battles, I hear the many footsteps coming into the kitchen.
“Little eyes!” Mike announces as he comes in with all our little siblings in tow.
I laugh, kissing Sam's nose. That’s innocent enough, I think. She quickly slides off my lap.
“Pancakes for breakfast, our little minions.” I clap my hands together, knowing my siblings need to eat and my parents need sleep.
Lily, Masen, and Maddie cheer, jumping up and down. Julie smiles, whereas Sarah just curls into herself and sits down.
Mike, Sam, and I easily work around the kitchen getting each of our little shadows a plate of food before sitting down ourselves.
Sarah is still red around the eyes as she moves food around with her fork. I lean back, putting my arm on the back of her chair. “You okay, sis?”
She leans against me awkwardly. “I feel stupid. Mama B told me she isn’t mad, just worried.”
I kiss the top of her head. “I love you, and if you ever need anything, I’m here for you.”
She nods as she takes two small bites. Mom walks in with her ear pressed against the phone, Dad casually walking behind her.
“Yes, Irina. You don’t understand how much this means to me. Thank you. See you in an hour.”
Dad leans against the counter next to the coffee maker in nothing but his PJ bottoms. “I really enjoy just waking up and having coffee. No running around like chickens with our heads cut off.”
Sam’s face is turning red as my dad sips on his coffee. Her eyes flicker to mine. “Do the men in your family not understand the concept of shirts?”
Dad laughs so hard he almost spills his precious life force.
Damon pops in, grinning. “Sorry, Red, we just like to show off the goods.”
Sam rolls her eyes, but her entire face is beet red.
“Anyway,” Mom chuckles, changing the subject. “Sam, your caseworker will be here in about an hour and a half. Tanya and Irina will be here within the hour. We would like to talk about a new arrangement for you.”
It doesn’t take much to figure out Mom’s plan.
“It’s all up to you and what you want to do, sweetie. I think you fit into our family so nicely, but it wouldn’t be right for you to stay here while you have a relationship with Lucian.” Mom sits down while Dad walks over, handing her some coffee and kissing her cheek.
They show so much affection, affirming how much they love each other. I want that. My gaze darts to Sam. Is she the one I want it with? Is this all too much, too soon? I’m only seventeen. There’s so much I want first.
“If they want me, I would be happy to stay there,” Sam murmurs, picking at her food.
I’m positive I missed part of the conversation while I was lost in my own personal dilemma.
“Good. We’ll have it all set by this afternoon. Remind me to call Sarah’s grandparents to let them know her phone will be in my possession until she goes home this Sunday.” Mom claps her hands together.
Sarah hides her face behind her hair. “Do we have to?”
“Yes,” Mom answers decisively.
Quietly, my sister whines how unfair it is. I keep in the chuckle that wants to burst out. It’s uncanny how similar she and Damon are.
*AFOC*
“Can you tell me what happened that made you run away from the Jamerson’s?” The frog-looking woman stares at Sam, who is clinging to my hand.
My aunts are sitting with us while Mom and Dad are with all the kids out in the yard, giving us privacy. The caseworker wanted me to leave, but Sam begged me to stay with her. Ms. Paine wasn’t thrilled about it, but Mom shut her down by immediately agreeing with Sam and ushering everyone outside.
She squeezes my hand. “Mr. Jamerson made me very uncomfortable. And when I tried telling you, you said I was being paranoid. So when I woke up with him hovering over me in my sleep, I took off.”
My gaze flies to the ugly woman whose face is now red as all eyes are on her. “Well. I will get that investigated. Now, Mrs. and Mrs. Denali, if we can just...” She shuffles some papers in her beat-up binder.
Aunt Irina’s jaw clenches and her lips are pressed tightly together, but it’s Aunt Tanya that speaks. “You ignored her. She told you something important, and you ignored her. Because of that, she’s been living out of her car for six months. You realize that for almost three months it was fucking cold as shit!”
My aunt’s bold statement causes Ms. Paine’s eyes to pop out. “Well...” She looks like a fish out of water.
Aunt Irina cuts her off. “Once we have Sam settled in our home, I will contact your superiors regarding the way you seriously dropped the ball, causing a seventeen-year-old to run away because she didn’t feel she would receive adequate help. You can leave now,” Aunt Irina dismisses Ms. Paine.
Sam burrows her face into my arm. I can feel her body shaking, I just can’t tell if she’s crying or laughing.
Irina scoffs at the caseworker’s hasty exit and turns her attention to Sam. “Now, we just want to go over a few things like expectations.”
“I’ll be outside when you’re all done, babe.” I kiss the side of her head, knowing I’m not needed for this.
Walking out onto the porch, I see Mom with tears slowly falling down her cheeks and the phone pressed to her ear.
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