Page 9

WENDY

No matter what life has thrown at me, I've always been my own rock. But that doesn't mean I haven't wanted someone to help me. There are many things I can't do on my own, so I often ignore them. The main example being my nightmare of a family situation.

I'm pretty much resigned to living at home until Naomi turns eighteen. Honestly, as bad as it sounds, I've always hoped that something might happen to my dad and Veronica, allowing me to get custody of her. The sooner the two of us are away from them, the better.

Wolff said he would help me, but I don't think he can.

He promised me he wouldn't hurt either of them, and if he goes back on his word, that's going to say an awful lot to me.

I don't think he'll be able to do anything to alleviate these problems. Dealing with my dad is, to say the least, difficult, and I doubt he'll be able to handle the situation.

Honestly, killing him might be the only thing that would work, and I don't want that on my conscience.

I try not to think about it while I work.

Susan and Walter can tell that something's wrong, that I'm distracted by something, but they don't mention it.

Susan knows about Wolff, and it's clear she's assuming my reaction has something to do with a bad date.

Maybe she thinks the wound is still too tender to ask about it.

Every time the door opens, I expect to see Wolff walking through the front door, taking his usual seat in the corner of the room.

Every time I see someone else's face, I get disappointed.

I try to force a smile on my face and maintain a friendly customer service demeanor, but I don't think I'm as cheerful as I normally am.

Whatever Wolff is doing is hopeless. I'm going to have to go home after my shift and see my father and Veronica in the living room partying once again, and I'm going to have to forget about what happened yesterday.

I'll have to do that until Naomi is old enough to at least get a job so we can move out together.

As time ticks on and he doesn't show up to join me in the bakery, I start to worry. Whatever he's doing has to be a lot because it's taking him hours.

I'm so lost in my own head thinking about everything going on that I barely notice when my shift ends.

Tara walks over to me and nudges me on the shoulder to remind me that I get to go home.

Leaving work is never a relief, to be honest. I would rather work nonstop at the bakery than go home some days. Today happens to be one of those days.

My life is typically unpredictable, but I usually know what I'm walking into. Either my dad and Veronica are in the living room shit-faced drunk at three o’clock, or they're not home. Right now, I have no idea what's waiting for me.

For all I know, I might walk in on a giant wolf ripping them to pieces. I reluctantly hang up my apron in the back and walk out the front door of the bakery, bracing myself for whatever I may find at home.

Almost as soon as I walk out, Wolff walks around the corner of the building with a wide smile on his face.

My entire body freezes, and I feel a range of emotions.

Should I be afraid right now? Seeing this grin on his face makes me think something good will happen.

But perhaps the two of us have different definitions of what constitutes good.

“Care to tell me what's going on now?” I say, cautiously approaching him with my arms folded across my chest.

“I told you I would take care of everything, and I have,” Wolff replies, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and guiding me toward his car. “Just come with me. I'll explain everything later.”

He opens the passenger door for me, like a gentleman would, and I slide into the car, wondering what I'm getting myself into.

The last time I was here, I was heartbroken and confused, just trying to wrap my brain around something that seemed so impossible.

I've still never seen Wolff shifting, but I think I might have come close to it this morning.

If he really can fix the situation with my parents, I would be very interested to know more about this part of him. If not, then I guess we'll have to say goodbye for good.

“What is—” I start asking before he holds a finger up to silence me.

“You'll have to have a little patience. I promise you, everything's going to be fine,” Wolff says, grabbing my hand and squeezing it.

It's comforting, even though I am currently in some level of purgatory due to my lack of understanding here. I stare out the window, and the closer we get to my house a knot forms in my stomach that makes my entire body tremble.

We turn the corner, and I close my eyes, leaning my head against the headrest, repeating a peaceful mantra to myself over and over to fight against the building anxiety.

“Wendy?” Wolff asks cautiously, turning off the car and resting a hand gently on my forearm. I open my eyes and look directly at him, refusing to address the fact that I'm even at my house to begin with. “We're here.”

I take a deep breath and look forward, spotting something unusual on the front porch. My dad and Veronica are both standing with their tattered suitcases at their side. I have to blink a few times to make the situation make sense.

They don't have the money to go on a vacation, and all their respective relatives cut them off a long time ago. Where the hell could they be going?

Wolff gets out of the car before me and runs around to open my car door. Veronica's eyes fall on me as I step out, and I brace myself for some rude comment that doesn't come. Wolff holds a hand over the small of my back as he guides me toward the two of them on the porch.

Naomi is nowhere around, but when I look for her, I see her peeking out of the front window with a curious look on her face.

“What's going on?” I finally ask, looking between the three of them to figure out where I stand in the situation.

Neither my dad nor Veronica seems to want to speak, but Wolff clears his throat and crosses his arms in front of him, urging them to say something.

“The only reason you're staying here is because of Naomi, right?” Dad asks, his voice flat and emotionless. I can hear him slurring his words slightly, letting me know he's already started drinking today. “If you want her so bad, we're not going to stand in your way anymore.”

I shake my head because I still don't understand what this means. Veronica rolls her eyes and cracks a knuckle, gripping her suitcase.

“We've signed Naomi's parental rights over to you. You're her new guardian,” Veronica explains, her voice tight and constricted, like she's angry about it.

Ever since Naomi was a baby, she never did anything to take care of her. The only thing she would be remotely upset about is losing a dependent for her tax return and welfare checks.

“I'm sorry, come again?” I look up at Wolff who is once again smiling down at me.

“You're Naomi's guardian now, so you can do whatever you want. You don't have to stay here with her,” he explains, pulling me closer to him and kissing the top of my head. “You can come home with me now. There's plenty of room for Naomi at my house. Both of you will be well taken care of.”

I don't know how to feel. I'm shocked and confused, but I'm thrilled. My dad has been making my life a living hell since the day I was born, and I won’t have to put up with him anymore.

Naomi won't have to put up with him. No more being locked in a room and going to bed without dinner.

No more walking on eggshells for fear he's going to drag her away and toss her in the bedroom, leaving bruises on her like he left on my arm.

Naomi and I can be happy for the first time in ages.

I look up at Wolff with a giant smile on my face as a cab pulls up for Veronica and my dad. Neither of them bothers saying goodbye before climbing in and leaving.

“Let's go pack. I want to hit the road as soon as possible,” Wolff says, smacking me on the butt playfully and urging me into the house.

One of the only benefits of being poor is not having a lot of possessions to pack when it's time to move. Naomi and I fit just about everything we care to take in a couple of duffel bags. It only takes about an hour before we're climbing in Wolff's car, ready for the road trip of a lifetime.

Naomi is understandably a little upset about it.

She's young, and I know she still had hope that things might turn around, that her parents loved her enough to change.

Today, she learned that they don't. Hopefully, I can be enough for her.

With Wolff by my side, I know we will do everything to make sure she's cared for.

After a few hours of driving and a very large celebratory meal at a diner near the interstate, we're back on the road and Naomi is passed out cold in the back seat. The sun has set, and stars twinkle above us as if guiding us toward the home we will share in Oregon.

I look over my shoulder to make sure Naomi is still sound asleep before leaning in and kissing Wolff on the cheek.

“Now that it's over, will you tell me how you did it?” I ask, forcing the sad puppy dog look on my face to convince him. He hesitates and shakes his head, clearly not wanting to give away his secrets. “If we're about to start a life together, we need to have it on a clean slate. No secrets.”

He nods, reluctantly glancing toward me before looking back at the road. “I didn't want to tell you because I was afraid it would hurt your feelings. But I paid them off.”

I sit upright and look at him, my eyebrows furrowed while I try to come to terms with what he's saying. “How much?”

“Fifty grand, all cash.” He carefully looks between the road and me to gauge my reaction. I just lean against the seat and think more about it.

My parents essentially sold Naomi to me for fifty grand. That's heartbreaking to know. Most parents would rather die than give up their children, and mine took a relatively small amount of money, all things considered, and will more than likely piss it all away within the year.

They've done a lot of awful things, but selling away their parental rights really takes the cake. That being said, I'm not mad about it. Maybe everything worked out exactly how it was supposed to. If they weren't such shitty parents, I wouldn't be on my way to Oregon with my soulmate.

They might be assholes, but I'm glad that's how they turned out. If it weren't for that, my future would look a lot less enticing.

I grab Wolff’s hand and squeeze it, silently letting him know I'll be okay. He holds it for the duration of the drive, and I know there's not a chance in hell he's ever going to let it go.