Always, Love (girlxgirl)

Chapter 1

I'm tired and the only thing keeping me awake is the sound of the other cars on the highway. I hate that my mom feels the need to find love in these worthless pieces of trash. She's such a good person, but I don't think she believes that. It is currently two in the morning and we have all of our things packed in bags, thrown carelessly in the trunk because Jeremy got sick of his new "family" unit. This is usually how it goes. Jeremy wasn't the first, and he likely won't be the last.

I reclined my seat as far back as it would go, and slumped down against it. I caught my mom glancing at me from my peripheral vision.

"Mia, you can't avoid talking to me forever" she sighed. I looked at her annoyed.

"You always do this and you never learn from it. No one wants to take in a woman and her seventeen year old daughter. You cannot tell me otherwise. The longest a man has stayed with you, with us, has only been five months. You never learn. Sometimes I feel like I'm the mom" I said sharply.

I could tell that what I said bothered her. There were tears swelling in her eyes and she didn't say a thing. She just kept her eyes on the road, and I kept mine on the trees passing by.

"Where are we even going?" I asked.

She wiped away a few of the tears that continued to run down her cheeks and inhaled deeply before answering. "I have an old friend from high school that offered to put us up until I can find a job and get us our own place. I turned my head and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "A friend?"

"Yes, a friend" she clarified quickly.

"Did you happen to date this friend?"

"Why, yes actually."

I rolled my eyes. Of course she did. I'm having to pick up and restart my life for the sixth time this year.

"Please don't be mad Mia. We really don't have much of a choice here. I'm sure you'd prefer a bed and central heating to the slushy snow outside. I know you're not fixin' to be a beggar neither" she pleaded. As upset as I am, she's not wrong. I know that we're kind of backed into a corner here, I'm just frustrated that we are in this position in the first place.

After I finished sulking I asked my mom more about this guy that we will be sharing a home with.

"Well, his name is Lachlan and he is a year older than me. I met him in my freshman year in French class when he was a sophomore. We clicked immediately and became very good friends. We did technically "date" for a few weeks before we realized we're just better as very close friends." She took a breath and continued.

"He was like a brother to me. We actually stayed in contact until you were maybe five or six. Then life just kind of got crazy and we didn't talk as much." She chuckled to herself before telling me a story I didn't know.

"When you were born, Lachlan was actually the second person to hold you. You father tried to show up to the hospital, but he was drunk. Lachlan actually fought him in the hospital parking lot. He had a lot of pent up rage towards your father. Every time he'd see a new mark on my arm, it only added to his hate for your dad."

I was kind of stunned. Not about my dad being an abusive dead beat, but that my mom had this amazing person in her life- and mine, and I never knew. I could feel that there was more that she wasn't telling me.

"Is that all?" I asked her.

She glanced over at me and shook her head before continuing.

"After Lachlan and your father fought in the parking lot, they both were arrested. Lachlan got out on bail, but your dad stayed in jail because he couldn't afford bail and didn't even have anyone besides me to use his one phone call on. After Lachlan posted his bail, he came straight back to the hospital...and put his name on your birth certificate. He is not your biological father, but he is your legal father. He sends money every month to help the both of us out. Your last name isn't from your dad, honey."

I didn't say anything, but instead waited for her to continue.

"His name is Lachlan James. Hence, you being Mia Belle James. He actually gave you your middle name as well. We knew a girl in high-school named Bellamy. She was an amazing person, and one of our closest friends. However, right before Lachlan graduated and I entered my senior year, she passed away from complications with leukemia. We all called her Belle. He thought it would be a great way to honor her. He also just thought you looked like princess Belle, with your long brown hair and big brown eyes. He called you his little princess."

I was speechless. My eye actually began to twitch. This was a lot to take in. This guy was my father? ...is my father? I'm about to meet my dad? I felt like I was going to faint. I always just thought that my dad was a douche who couldn't be bothered to take care of his own kid. Now I'm finding out that there is a possibility of me having an actual dad...maybe? He stepped up when my own dad wouldn't, and has been paying child support for seventeen years. Wow. There are still some details that I'm stuck on though. Why hasn't he tried to see me? I blinked slowly before speaking again.

"When both Lachlan and my dad were in jail, how was he able to post bail so quickly? And how is he affording to pay child support on his own?" I asked.

My mom licked her chapped lips and then began talking again.

"Lachlan is a very smart man. A very, very smart man. He runs a tech company that has locations all over the world. There are locations in America, Canada, Japan, England, Ireland, Dubai, New Zealand, Australia, France, Italy, Belgium, Germany, and so on" she said casually. My jaw dropped. "So he's rich?"

"Yes." She said without hesitation.

"Why are you so unfazed by this mom??" I asked incredulously.

"Because he's Lachlan. I don't correlate him with his money. He's still the goofy and humble Lachlan that would give his lunch to the kid who couldn't afford to buy lunch and then crack stupid dad jokes while they ate," she chuckled.

"It sounds like you love him, mom" I offered up.

"I don't know Mia. We tried that already and it didn't work for us. I do love him, but we're just best friends."

"Okay mama" I said sarcastically.

*******

I fell asleep in the car, but woke up hours later by the bustling noises of the airport? Why in actual hell are we at the airport? I looked over at my mom.

"Oh good, you're awake!" She said with enthusiasm.

"What is going on?" I asked with complete confusion.

"Get out. Let's go to our terminal."

"Wait- But mom what about our things? And where the hell are we going? I thought he'd be in like Florida or something? Where the hell are we flying to?" I asked frantically.

"Don't worry honey, they'll take care of everything." She points to the service officers who are in the process of collecting our bags and the valet standing close by with my mother's keys in hand.

I am still so confused when she grabs my arm and pulls me with her towards our terminal. There are so many bright lights, and I'm reading the signs as we go. Brazil, Jamaica, France, Germany, and we finally stop at a terminal that reads London, England. My eyes widen. There's no way we're flying to Europe. I should really start asking more questions around here.