Falls Boys (Hellbent 1)

“I’ll be okay,” Aro tells me, stepping forward.

Her mom approaches, only meeting her daughter’s eyes in short glances. I stay back.

She stops in front of Aro.

“Just don’t talk for a minute, okay?” Aro tells her. “I don’t want to fight.”

Her mom stands there, her shoulders squared, because she’s used to being in trouble and knows her daughter isn’t here for anything good.

“Thank you for leaving them with Mr. and Mrs. Trent,” Aro says. “I know you didn’t do it for them, but still…”

Everything is still up in the air, and no paperwork has been approved, but I’m pretty sure my parents are prepared to take the kids. Aro and I will help.

“And if they miss me?” Carmen asks.

“They’ve always missed you. But they’ll get over it.”

Pain hits her mother’s eyes.

“The only hard part about all of this is they’re going to think you don’t love them,” Aro tells her, “and that’s why you gave up.” She shakes her head, softening her voice. “I know you love them, Mom. I’ll make sure they know it, too. Just do me a favor, okay? Don’t show up in six months and try to get them back because a guy dumped you and you’re lonely. Let them start their lives. Have parents and pancakes and playdates. Matty has taken to Jax.”

I want to smile at that, but I don’t. My dad had to take the kid to work with him at JT Racing today, because Matty wouldn’t get off his back. Like literally.

“You’ll see them,” Aro assures her. “Just let them be. Don’t take them back unless you’re giving them something better. Please.”

Her mom doesn’t say anything, but her eyes say enough. They water, despair coming through. Did my grandmother look like this when she let my mom walk away? What was my dad’s mom thinking when she left him?

When she doesn’t say anything, Aro turns, and we start to leave.

But then we hear her behind us. “I never…”

Aro stops, and I look to see her mom approach again. “I never thought I would be like this,” she tells her daughter.

Aro’s lips tremble, and I don’t know if she’s sad or angry, but whatever it is, she doesn’t want to let it out. “I know, Mom,” she says with her back still turned. “Life just does things to people.”

We leave, heading out to the parking lot, and I wait for her to take my hand before I kiss her head.

I think about my dad’s mom a lot, hating her for never trying and not being there to protect him from all of the things that happened to him.

But then I wonder if she just would’ve been worse. Another abuser. Maybe it hurt my dad not to have her, but maybe it would’ve hurt more to love her and be disappointed.

I open the door for her, and she turns to look at me before climbing in. “You sure your parents are up to taking in three strays?”

I raise my eyebrows. “Three?”

I was confident she was staying, but I didn’t have a confirmation. She is eighteen after all, so she’s no longer obligated to be anywhere.

She shrugs. “It’s time to break the cycle,” she says. “And it’s just for a year, right? A year to finish high school.”

My chest fills up with something, and I don’t know what it is, but there’s a lot of it and it feels good.

“Are you sure?” I ask her.

I want her to have everything, but she has to want it too. I just want her to know she can have anything she wants, if she fights for it.

She nods.

I touch my hand to her face. “Solo un ano,” I tell her.

Just a year.

But her eyes flare. “You actually speak Spanish?” she yells.

I hold back my laugh. “I told you I spent a lot of time outside of America growing up.”

She slaps my arm. “Hawke!”

I pull away from her attack, chuckling. “What?”

She knew I understood her when she called me ‘motherfucker’. I guess she just assumed I only understood some swear words and nothing else.

“You should tell someone you speak their language!”

“Why?” I shove her into the car and close the door. “You only spoke Spanish when you didn’t want me to know what you were saying, which is rude,” I say through the window. “You deserved it.”

I walk around the car and climb into my seat. But in a second, she’s immediately straddling me and holding my neck with both hands.

She glares, but I can tell she’s playing.

“I’m sorry, baby.” I smile, brushing her nose with mine. “Te amo.”

“What?” she demands.

“Te amo.” I catch her nose between my teeth before her lips. “Te amo, Aro Marquez.”

She starts breathing hard and gives in, kissing me. “Oh, that’s hot. Speak more Spanish, Hawke.”

I snort. “Back at the tower. Let’s go.”

She drops back into her own seat, and I race well above the speed limit to get us back to the hideout. It’s only been a couple of days, but I’ve missed being in here with her. I almost wish we could cook up some more trouble so we could stay.