My Hart

Chapter 34

Things have been back to normal for a couple of weeks now.  The guys have been home right after work.  When Kaylee isn't at work in her dad's mechanic shop, she joins us at Aubree's pool.  Aubree and I have been living by the pool and working out in her home gym.  Their home gym is in the guest house, and from all the things they have there is no wonder Ayden is as ripped as he is.

The mall is having a huge sale this weekend, so we decided to splurge a little.  Kaylee is the money saving queen and she insisted that that's what we spent our Saturday morning doing.

"I still can't believe Senior year is almost over."  Kaylee said as we entered another shop in the mall.

"The whole experience of living here has been different that any place I have lived before."  I said pulling a shirt from the rack.

"That's because you belong here with us."  Aubree said.

"What am I going to do when you guys go off to college next year?"  I asked.  For the first time I was starting to feel safe about making plans for the future.

"I'm going to college at The University of Texas this fall."  Aubree stated.

"Me, too."  Kaylee added.  "What are your plans?"

"I've always thought I'd go to nursing school.  It doesn't matter where you live, everywhere needs nurses."  I shrugged.  It was the first time I had said anything about my future out loud.

"They have a great nursing program at UT.  You should go there with us."  Kaylee suggested.

"Maybe I will."  I smiled.  UT was a community college that was in the next town east of us. It was possible to still live at home and drive to school every day even though I wouldn't want to. 

"What do you think?"  Aubree asked as she stepped out of the dressing room.

"You have to get it!"  Kaylee and I agreed.  We had been shopping for a couple of hours.  The guys were done with theirs half an hour after we got here.  They were now watching us from the food court outside the store.  They were trying to be patient, even though we caught them checking their watches, they never complained.  While the girls were busy discussing accessories, I decided to check out lingerie for Ayden.  I wanted to surprise him.  I settled on a red one, and a white one.  I also picked out several bra and panty sets.  I joined them after paying.

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"Did you buy the whole store?"  Jonah joked as he got all of Kaylee's bags out of the trunk.

"I'm sorry that I need more than three pairs of jeans and a pack of white tee shirts."  Kaylee said slapping his arm playfully.  

The guys carried our bags into my house. Ayden and I carried mine upstairs to my room.  I started emptying bags. Ayden flopped down on my bed.  He watched every move I made with a smile on his face.

"Are you going to model this for me?"  He asked holding up a bra and panty set by his finger.

"Perv!"  I joked grabbing it from him.  I grabbed the bag and sat it in the bottom of my closet for safe keeping for now. I hung up the new outfits on a hook on the closet door.  I walked back over to the bed where Ayden was.  He pulled me down beside him.

"I know I'm a girl and all, but shopping is not one of my favorite things to do."  I said curling up against Ayden.

"You could have fooled me by how many bags I just carried up here."  Ayden chuckled.

"The girls are bad influences when it comes to shopping.  Kaylee does have an eye for bargains.  My mom is going to flip over how much money I saved today."  I rolled over to face him.  "Me and the girls were talking today.  I've never been in one place this long.  I don't want to jinx it, but for the first time in my life, I made some sort of plans for my future."

"Oh, yeah?  What kinds of plans?"  Ayden asked in almost a sad voice.

"About college.  I've never been in one place long enough to even consider what I'm going to do after I graduate high school."

"What do you want to do?"  He asked playing with my hair.

"I think I want to check out nursing." I spoke softly.  I wanted him to follow his dreams, but I hoped that it didn't include somewhere far from the first place that has felt like home for me.

"I'm went straight to work for my dad full time.  I've been around construction my whole life, it's in my blood.  I love turning nothing into something.  I'm actually pretty good at it.  Dad has been talking about not being able to wait to retire. I figure he can teach me better than a school can for what I want to do." He let out a breath he was holding.  "Where do you plan on going to nursing school?"

"The girls said UT had a really good nursing program.  I really hope I can get in there."

"You plan on sticking around here. Do Ya?"  He smiled.

"I love it here.  The people around here have kind of grown on me." I joked.

"You only like us a little bit, huh?"  Ayden asked crawling on top of me, tickling my sides.  

"Okay! Okay! More than a little!"  I screamed in a fit of laughter.  

"Makenzie!  I have to talk to you!"  Mom said busting through the bedroom door. Her face was pale, and her eyes were huge. I knew something was wrong.

"Mom!  What's wrong?  You look like you've seen a ghost!"  I said jumping up off my bed, Ayden was right behind me.

"I did see a ghost."  She said sliding down onto my bed.  "I can't believe it." 

"Mom, tell me!  What's going on?"

"Your dad.  I saw your dad today."

"My dad?  My dad is dead."

"That's what I thought all these years, too."

"Did you talk to him?"

"Yeah, he's coming over tonight to meet you."

"Wait.  Why did he let us believe he was dead all these years?"

"Well, according to him the women that told me that was his assistant who was crazy.  He said he ended up having her arrested for stalking him.  He said he had his private detective search for me and he told him I had married and moved on with my life. After his father passed away, he found out that his dad had the investigator to falsify the information because I wasn't good enough for his son."  She explained.  "This all still feels like a dream."

I just stood there in shock.  It felt just like mom said, like a dream.  

"I need to get ready.  What am I going to wear?"  Mom asked, starting to snap out of it.

"We will have Aubree and Kaylee help you with that."  I advised as my head spun.

"Are you alright?"  Ayden asked concerned.  I nodded.  "I'll go get them."  Ayden shot down the stairs.

My head was swirling with emotions and questions.  What was he like?  What did he look like?  Would he be glad to have me as a daughter?  Did he have another family?  Would he get back with my mom?  If they did get back together, where did he live?  If he lived far away, would I go live with them?  I would be nineteen soon, so I could stay here to be Ayden if I chose too.  I would have to think about this later.  Right now, I had to get ready to meet my dad.