Something New | Discontinued

[ 4 ] The Cavalry of Texas

© 2018 Shay Spencer. All rights reserved.

Something New

[ Chapter 4 ] The Cavalry of Texas

. . . . .

Scarlett

9 1/2 Months

. . . . .

I had never felt like this; like I'd messed up so badly. That was until my mother showed up at my father's door unannounced.

"Mom," I breathed, taking a step back as she pulled me into a tight hug. The air jumped out of my lungs before I had a chance to hug her back, but she didn't seem to mind.

I hadn't seen her in almost a year.

"I thought it would be best if we spoke in person," she nodded, more to herself than to me. She hadn't made an attempt to contact me since I had left her a voice mail nearly two weeks prior. I was starting to think she would keep this going until I flew into town for the holidays. "Would you like to step out for lunch with your father and I?"

I frowned at her wording, glancing back over my shoulder to the man that had an obnoxious pair of beat headphones strapped to his head. Simon Cavalry would be damned if he got caught not working on his latest real estate project.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart. Elias, I mean. Your step-father is in the car," she corrected herself. "It won't be a problem if you'd like him to head back to the hotel-"

"No," I shook my head. Deep down, I wanted to whole story. I couldn't let myself move on from this until I found out what happened once Hayden and I had left the try-out's that night. Elias had been roped into all this nearly as much as my mother and I. "Let me get changed."

"Don't worry about your outfit," my mother waved her hand as if to dismiss me. I glanced down at my pair of jean shorts and the bright pink tank top I had put on this morning. The only redeemable mark on my attire would be the pair of brown ankle boots I had been planning to put on. "Elias is insisting on fast food."

That in itself left me in shock.

I took a deep breath, opting to leave my father to his business rather than interrupting him over his ex-wife stopping by to kidnap me. Quickly, I slid on my shoes and trailer after my mother like a child.

It felt like a step up after the way I had been feeling the last few weeks.

-

The Texas air was humid at best. It was a stifling kind of heat that I had never quite gotten used to. But in the moment, fleeing to my father's house in Dallas had seemed to be a better option than facing Axel and his band of brothers.

I wasn't sure how to treat any of them now.

"I got you another side of fries," Elias relayed as he set the greasy bags onto the picnic table. My mother smiled as he took his seat beside her, the woman watching me closely as I staked my claim on the opposite side of the table. "I didn't think you'd care for the salad."

"She never does," I muttered, more to myself but Elias did crack a smile at my statement. The two hadn't been a couple more than two years, but already I was starting to feel an ease settling over them. During my time growing up I hadn't once seen my mother look at my father the way she fixed her gaze on Elias.