Reunited

Chapter 10

We must have looked at almost ten houses. All of which were about 15 minutes away from work, which meant they were also near my mother. Even though I didn't admit it to anyone but myself, after twenty years of not knowing her and then finding out she's this amazing and caring person, I didn't want to be far from her.
It was around 5 when we were done. I thanked the realtor for her time and made my way home. Jennifer and Cadence weren't home yet, so I started assembling Cadence's new car. When I was done I set it outside in the driveway for her and waited inside. I stared at the little package I had for my mother. The clerk had offered to gift wrap it for me and I'd written a little note on the tag. I'd set it on the counter when I walked in the door and hadn't touched it since. What I had written on the tag were words I normally reserved for Cadence and occasionally Nala, my cat. These words made me nervous, because I was saying them to someone who could choose to walk out of my life. My daughter didn't really have a choice until she was older, and I never had questioned my affections for her.
The door opened and my mother and daughter came in. Cadence came running to me. I caught her in my arms and hugged her tightly, happy that she loved her grandmother so much.
"I have something, for both of you." I simply said.
My mother looked up from her purse. "What do you mean?"
"Come here." I said to her. I gestured to the little box on the counter.
"Addy, you didn't have to." She told me.
"I wanted to. You've been so wonderful to Cadence and I."
"I'm your-"
"I know you're my mom, but I'm your daughter and I wanted to do something special for you."
She smiled and opened the box. She smiled this dazzling smile when she dangled the charm bracelet in front of her eyes.
"It's beautiful!" She told me.
I pointed to the charms. "There's a special charm there, it's a mother's charm. I saw the book one and I thought of your show. You put a lot of work in it and you love it so much."
Then she read the tag. I think she almost dropped the box. I wasn't sure why, but I prepared for the worst. Maybe because the one person, besides Cadence, I had told these words to had taken off. She read the words out loud.
"I love you, mom. Thank you for taking care of me." She choked out.
I shyly looked at the floor.
She charged forward and hugged me. "I love it! Thank you." She saw the look on my face and the tears flowing.
"Oh, honey. You don't have to be scared." She gripped my chin in her fingers, lifting my face so she could look me in the eye. "I know you haven't had me around for long, but I'm your mother. I'm here for you whether you like it or not. And I love you too."
The tears flowed freely now and she hugged me again.
"So does this mean I'm 'mom' to to you now?" She asked.
"Only if you want to be called that." I responded.
"I wouldn't have it any other way. Now what is it you said you have for Cadence? She looks impatient."
I smiled a gleeful smile and told her to follow me outside. I put Cadence down in the driveway and showed her the car waiting for her.
"Now she has her own set of wheels too." I told my mother. I put Cadence in the driver's seat and showed her how to push the gas pedal and steer it. It didn't take long for her to pick it up.
Jennifer and I watched her drive around the yard.
"How did it go with the realtor?" She asked.
"Great! She looked at my credit and income and we determined what would be in my price range. We looked at a bunch of houses and she's supposed to email me information on all of them by tonight. I can show you the ones I really liked and maybe you could offer an opinion since you've bought two houses?"
"Of course. What do you have your eye on?"
"A few three bedrooms. There's a couple of four bedrooms I could afford. But I really only need three. The only people who would come to visit would be you and Colin, and it likely won't happen since you both live close by unless there's some sort of emergency."
At that moment Cadence hit a nearby tree and upset herself.
"Did she nap today?" I asked my mother.
"The teacher said no, she's probably very tired." She responded.
"Poor baby! You must be tired. I think you'll go to bed early tonight!"
Jennifer POV:
She had finally come around to calling me "mom." Nothing made me happier! Except maybe when she told me she loved me for the first time. I thought my heart would burst.
I sat in the kitchen drinking a mug of tea while Adaline was putting Cadence to bed. Then it hit me. If this was what love felt like, then I was missing out when it came to Colin. Maybe Adaline was right, all I had to do was open up to him. I hoped it felt at least similar to what I felt when I read those four little words.
I love you, mom. Boom, I was down and out. For the first time since I'd been with Addy's father, someone bulldozed their way into my heart with no problem. Only what I had with Toby hadn't gone very well. The way it seemed to be going to Addy and Colin, it would follow a different path.
I smiled when Addy entered the room.
"I've never seen her pass out so fast. She must have had quite a day, even before she came home." She said.
"She did. The teacher told me she wreaked havoc. Do you want some tea?" I asked her.
"Sure. Thank you." She said with a smile.
While I heated up the water in the pot she opened her computer.
"I have an email from the realtor!" She exclaimed.
"Let's see then!" I said, pouring the hot water into the mug and adding the tea leaves. "It's still hot." I warned, placing the mug and a jar of honey in front of her.
She turned the computer so we could look at the houses together. The first was a cute three bedroom. It was only five minutes from here, and had a very rustic feel to it. The rest of them were similar in size, with the occasional four bedroom. All of them varied in style though. The one we both seemed to particularly notice was three bedrooms, a privacy fence all around, and one room was already painted with beautiful flowers on one wall. It practically screamed the cute family vibe. Large back and front yard, plenty of space for parking if she had gatherings.
"I love it! It's a perfect little house for me, Cadence, and the cat."
"Where is that cat?" I asked her.
"Hiding somewhere. Don't take it personally, but ever since I found her she's only liked me and Cadence. If the landlord or a neighbor came in for whatever reason, she hid." She explained.
"I see. I just haven't seen her very much." I said.
"She's around. She only comes out when I go to bed. Maybe if you bribe her she'll like you." Addy said with a smirk.
I giggled and turned back to the computer.
"It is perfect. I love the brightness of it!"
It was one story. The kitchen, bathrooms, and dining room all had tile. Light brown carpet covered the rest of the house. The master bedroom had its own attached bathroom with a garden tub, standing shower, and walk-in closet. The living room was absolutely enormous, plenty big enough for furniture and a play area for Cadence. The dining room and kitchen were separated by a bar, which left everything open. Laundry was done in the two car garage.
"You're going to have to buy a fridge, and a washer and dryer." I told her.
"Don't you worry about that. You wouldn't believe the money that insurance gave me." She assured me.
She looked so giddy, it was infectious. That was when my phone rang. It was a text from the director of the show. There would be night filming tomorrow night. I groaned.
"What is it?" Addy asked me.
"Night filming tomorrow night. But I do have the day off tomorrow." I explained.
"So do I." Addy said. "It's Saturday, I always have that day off."
"How do you feel about giving that house another look tomorrow? I'd love to see it." I suggested.
"That's a great idea. I want to look a bit closer this time to make sure before I buy it."
The next day at ten that morning we went to see the house. I loved it even more than when I saw the pictures, so did Addy. I advised her on what to look for and what questions to ask. She was overall satisfied and so was I. She put in an offer to pay the asking price and have the seller pay closing costs, something I had suggested. The realtor said she would contact them and let us know within a few days.
That afternoon while Cadence was taking a nap, I had a thought.
"Hey, why don't you come with me to set tonight? The day care is open when we film at night."
"That would be awesome! I've seen you guys film, but not up close." She said excitedly.
"I, uh, also think we should tell a few other cast members who you are. A handful of them are very close with me, I don't think I should hide it from them. They'll keep it quiet if I ask them too." I said nervously.
"Alright, if you think it's best I have no problem with it." Addy said with a smile.
That was a relief. I imagined she wanted to keep her privacy. The world finding out that she's my daughter might prove to be disastrous given her age. And I knew she didn't want her father trying to find her. Neither did I. The mere thought made me antsy.
So that night she rode with me to the set. I warned her to nap earlier during the day, and Cadence had taken an extra long nap. There was never any telling how long it would take. If need be, someone from set could drive her home.
I could tell she was excited. She watched the show, so I was careful not to tell her anything. I promised I would warn her if there would be any spoilers tonight so she could excuse herself. Right now she was probably excited about meeting the rest of the cast.
"So, who's your favorite character from the show?" I asked.
"I couldn't tell you that. It's somewhere between Emma, Hook, and Regina." She said.
"Why is that?"
"Well, Regina is such a smart ass. It's hilarious. Emma has a strong will. To be honest, she's a bad ass. And Hook is a great guy. I love that he changed himself for Emma."
"Should I even ask who you 'ship'?" I said with a laugh.
"Captain Swan of course!" She laughed with me. "You do know fans have a name for you and Colin, right?"
"Yes. I think it's adorable. I also think it sounds like cauliflower."
"I'd never even thought of that!"
It felt good to make my daughter laugh. At that moment we parked. Addy pulled Cadence from her car seat and we walked to the day care to drop her off. The teachers seemed surprisingly happy to be here at night. I supposed it was because they were paid double to work at night.
"Okay, remember. Be careful not to call me mom." I reminded her.
"I know. I'd hate to see what would happen to both of us if anyone found out." She replied.
I showed her where to sit and where she could go if she wanted to walk around. I warned her of where to absolutely stay out of unless I brought her with me. I also warned her that when a bell went off, it meant we were filming and she couldn't talk until it sounded again.
"Alright. Before we get started I think I should tell them so there are no questions asked about you." I said.
"Okay."
"Sit here." I told her, pointing to my chair. "I'll be right back."
I set off to find everyone. Ginny and Josh found me. I sent them over to wait with Addy. Lana found me next. Then together we found Sean, Rebecca, Emilie, and Robert. I thought about telling Jared, but decided against it. I gathered everyone and led them to where Addy was.
"Okay, what I'm about to tell all of you, you cannot talk about at all, except with each other. This is Adaline, she's my daughter."
Reactions varied anywhere from shocked gasps to just staring.
"Oh!" Said Lana.
"What?!" Asked Rebecca.
Sean just looked her over curiously and Emilie and Robert just gawked.
"Well she does sort of look like you." Sean finally said, breaking the silence.
"How have you kept this a secret?" Lana asked.
"Well," I began, "she was born when I was sixteen, but I didn't keep her. I gave her up for adoption because I couldn't care for her. Her father took off before he found out I was pregnant so he doesn't know."
I gritted my teeth, waiting for their reactions.
"Well, it sounds like you cared for her. You made a difficult and responsible decision." Rebecca said, putting an arm around my shoulder. I smiled at her in thanks.
"She's lovely!" Rebecca added. "She has your eyes."
Addy smiled shyly at this. Everyone was observing her and making comments about how her face resembled mine and how beautiful she is. I absolutely swelled with pride.
"So are you just visiting with your mom tonight?" Emilie asked.
"No, I actually work here." Addy said.
"Really?" Lana said in a surprised tone. "I haven't seen you."
"I have." Robert piped up. "She works in the medical building."
"I help with first aid and physical therapy, and if one of you gets hurt I have to find you and treat you until medical personnel arrives." Addy explained.
"Everyone," I said, getting their attention, "please keep this to yourselves. If anyone asks, she's a friend of mine. Can you imagine if anyone else found out? Addy would be harassed. She has a two year old and the last thing she needs is to be hounded by reporters."
"You have a daughter too?" Lana asked.
"You're a grandmother?" Emilie asked me.
"Let's see!" Rebecca said excitedly.
Addy smiled indulgently and pulled out her phone, showing a picture of Cadence to them.
"Look how adorable!" Rebecca said.
"Hang on, so her dad doesn't know she exists?" Lana asked me.
"No." I said. "And it would be disastrous if he found out. He wasn't very smart but I bet even he could do that math if he got a look at her."
"So what happened exactly?" She said quietly. Addy was distracted by talking to the others so I hoped she wouldn't hear us.
"I was almost sixteen when I found out I was pregnant. I was just ready to tell him when he took off on me. He turned eighteen and I guess he wanted to go off and live his life. He left a note for me and that was that. I wanted to keep her but I couldn't find a job so I thought she deserved a family."
"So where are her adoptive parents? Do they know about you?" She asked me.
"She never found a family. She had one at first but they changed their minds." I said guiltily.
"That's not your fault." Lana assured me.
"I know. I just wish I had kept her and made it work. She grew up without a family because of me."
"You're here now, and that's what's important." Lana firmly said.
"I know. Can you do me a favor? Please?" I asked.
"Sure." Lana said curiously.
"I don't want Addy to have to explain herself. Tell the others so they don't ask if she has a family. All she has is Cadence."
"And Cadence's father." Lana pointed out.
I shook my head.
"What? Where is he?!" She asked.
"Cadence was born when Addy was eighteen. Not long after that, the father left them both. Didn't blink an eye and didn't look back. They were living in Texas. Addy saved what she could and moved to California for a fresh start, about thirty minutes away from me to be exact."
"Wow, talk about fate. How did you two find each other?"
"I hired a private investigator."
Then I heard Robert ask about Cadence's father. I panicked and was about to interrupt and change the subject but we were all called to set, thankfully. I eyed Lana knowingly and she nodded.
"Alright, do you remember where you can and can't go?" I asked Addy.
"Yes, mom." Addy said, faking annoyance, then she corrected herself. "Oops! Sorry."
"It's alright, no one's around." I assured her. Then I walked to set with a smile.
For the next couple of hours if anyone asked, Addy was a friend. I took so much joy in seeing my daughter's face light up.
Then I realized something, Colin wasn't here. When I got a break I texted him, asking if he was called to set tonight. He responded saying he was but he isn't needed for another half hour. I smiled to myself. In another half hour I could see him.