The Love You Give

Digging Deeper

They all moved to the couch, while Ezra sat on Jackson's lap in the middle. She rested her head on his shoulder as Jace rubbed her legs to the left and Jacob held her right hand. "Baby girl," Jackson began. "What happened to your parents?" Ezra closed her eyes willing the tears not to fall. She did want them to get to know each other and that couldn't happen without asking questions. The boys shared a look as Ezra wiped a tear. "Princess, you don't have to if you don't want to." She shook her head and gave him a sad smile. "This is what I want. I want us to know each other, so when we do certain things or react a certain way it makes sense. Now that you all know about my Dad, I'd hope it would make sense why your actions hurt me so deeply." They nodded their heads.

"My Mom, Leticia Cole, was the best woman you'd ever meet. She was funny and beautiful and could cook her ass off." She laughed lightly. "She had a big heart and loved so fiercely. You say I'm selfless, but I'm nothing compared to her. She died in our one-bedroom apartment from a stray bullet in a drive-by shooting." Ezra wiped away another tear. "We didn't live in a good neighborhood, but my Dad wasn't paying child support or helping out in any way, so it was all she could afford." The boys watched as Ezra relieved her worst day. "I called the ambulance and they came after what seemed like forever. I just stayed with her. I tried to stop the bleeding. I knew she was in pain, but the whole time she was telling me things that would make me laugh or things she didn't want me to forget about culturally. She died while we were in route to the hospital, but right before she died, she squeezed my hand three times. It was our signal for I love you." Ezra let the tears fall as she hid her face in Jackson's neck.

Jackson rubbed her back as Jace rubbed her legs. They just let her cry it out. They didn't say a word. They just listened. After a few moments, she settled down. "She sounded like an amazing woman and mother, Princess." Ezra smiled at the compliment. "Would she be okay with us dating her daughter?" Jacob asked from beside her causing her to laugh loudly. "Fuck no!" They all laughed at that. "I say that, but you know after all my Dad has done, she probably would be down." They heard the somberness in her tone. "What happened with your Dad? When you were 10, you said he left, where to?" Jackson asked. Ezra sighed and laid her head back against his shoulder. "My Dad left us the night of my 10th birthday to move right outside of Dallas. My mom was served divorce papers a week later and three months after that he had married Gloria. She was already pregnant. He had moved on in every way."

Ezra blew out a breath. "My mom died the night of my 13th birthday and I felt I was cursed. I had already sworn after my Dad left that I would never celebrate that day again, but after my Mom I felt like I shouldn't even exist. Social Services found my Dad and took me to him. He wouldn't even let us in the house. He barely looked at me. They told him what happened to my mother and he didn't even blink. A little boy ran up to his legs and I knew he had finally gotten the son he'd always wanted. He told the social worker that he didn't want me and that he'd sign away whatever rights he had." The guys vibrated with anger.

"I realized then that what matters is how you treat others and how you allow them to treat you. My Dad's intent was to make me feel like shit just like he made my Mom feel years before and it worked for a little while. They asked if I wanted to be in the system in Texas or Rhode Island where we lived and I opted for Rhode Island. I had nothing in Texas for me anymore and I'm glad I did. If I hadn't, I never would have met Hannah who would have never connected me with you guys. In the end, it all really does work out." She tried her hardest to give them a smile, but they weren't buying it. "Your Dad is an asshole," Jace said matter-of-factly. Ezra chuckled at that. "He wasn't always bad. He used to be my best friend. I still have a lot of good memories of him, but I try not to think too hard on whether it was an act or not and just accept it for what it was. They nodded sad that their girlfriend had such a tumultuous life.