Piece By Piece (Book #2)

Chapter Seven

We walked in and I heard my name being called from the other room. Dad's voice didn't sound right. It sounded almost horse. I hoped it wasn't because he was mad about me going to the principal's office.

I walked cautiously into the living room and found him. His eyes were bloodshot. It looked like he had been crying.

"Daddy, what's wrong?"

"Go ahead and take a seat kiddo."

Tyler looked like he wasn't sure of what to do. "Should I leave you two?"

Dad shook his head, "No, I think Lexi will want you here for this."

Fuck, this was bad.

Tyler sat next to me on the couch.

"Dad?"

Dad swallowed hard and then seemed to just go for it. "Your mother, your birth mother... Amanda, was in an accident. A bad one."

That's it? He was crying over that bitch?

Tyler grabbed my hand like he heard something I hadn't.

"So Amanda's hurt? Or did she hurt someone else? Is Elyse okay?"

Dad knew that I refused to call Amanda anything but Amanda.

Dad shook his head, "Elyse is fine. Amanda got hit head on by a driver going the wrong way. They worked on her for over an hour once she got to the hospital but she didn't make it."

Didn't make it.

I felt Tyler put an arm around me. Was he trying to comfort me?

Didn't make it.

The words weren't sinking in.

She didn't make it. To the hospital? No he said they worked on her. Was she running an errand and was late?

She didn't make it.

Tyler whispered, "I am so sorry, Alex."

Tyler's voice sounded like it was an echo coming through a tunnel.

I looked blankly at my dad and said, "Thanks for letting me know."

My voice sounded robotic. It didn't belong to me. I didn't know what to do or what to say. So Amanda was what? Dead?

Dead. She was dead. That was it.

I just sat there.

"I talked to Elyse. Her current husband, Ray, is setting up everything for the funeral. They are setting it for Saturday morning. You can get on a flight on Friday night and then come back Sunday. Jordan called and let me know you are welcome to stay with her."

Jordan and my dad had a civil conversation? That was bigger news to me than Amanda dying.

"Wait, I'm going to Dallas?" I was confused.

Dad looked pained, "Yes sweetie. Ray wants all six of Amanda's kids there and has scheduled it so that you can be."

Fuck. I was going to have to see my half siblings. Two of them were a few years older than Elyse and two of them were a couple of years younger than me. Amanda had a pattern. She would get with a guy, have a couple of kids, and then bounce on to the next guy without the kids.

Mother of the fucking year.

The last one stuck though. I think she just got too old to have more kids or this guy was rich enough to make her happy. But she finally stayed put and actually got married. Her and my dad didn't even tie the knot until I was one. They had had a civil ceremony that had been annulled less than a year later.