Angela didn’t care that they were kinda sorta broken up. When she saw Isaiah, she knew he would help her find Cory. Since his fourteenth birthday was the following week, she’d agreed to let him stay home while she worked that night. He’d said he was just going to spend the time playing video games and watching television. He still seemed upset about the phone call with his father and said he didn’t want to hang out with Nate. Stupid, stupid, stupid of her to let him stay.
Her mind raced with all the possibilities of what was going on. Had someone knocked on the door and taken him? Had he left to go somewhere and gotten snatched? There was no good reason for him not to be here, which meant there were only bad reasons for him to have left.
Isaiah brought her into the apartment and sat her on the couch. His hands were stable and strong as they pushed the hair away from her face. She drew her first steady breath since coming home and finding Cory missing. Her entire body trembled.
“Now tell me what happened?” he said in a calm voice. He met her eyes and took several deep breaths.
She mirrored his breathing. “I got home about thirty minutes ago. I thought Cory was in his room. I changed, then knocked on his door. He’s wasn’t there. I called his cell phone, but it’s going straight to voice mail. There isn’t a note, but when I looked in his closet I noticed his book bag and some clothes are missing.” Her voice wobbled. “Where would he go? Do you think someone took him?”
She started to cry. Isaiah took her hand in his. “Shh…don’t automatically jump to the worst conclusion,” he said in a calm voice. “He’s had a rough day. Think back to before you left for work? Did he say or do anything before you left?”
She sucked in a voice and thought back. “He said he was just going to hang out. I think he was texting his girlfriend.”
Isaiah’s eyes lit up. “His girlfriend.”
“What—what do you know?”
“He said earlier this morning that she was the only person who cared for him.”
“How could he think that?” Anger mixed with her worry. “Of course I care about him. I love him. I’m going to try and adopt him!”
“You told him that?”
Her shoulders slumped. Fresh tears popped up. “Not yet.”
Isaiah wiped her tears away. “He’s confused and worried right now. He thinks Denise isn’t obligated to care for him. I’d bet money that’s where he went.”
“Where does she live?” Angela jumped up from the chair. “Let’s go get him right now. If he’s not dead I’m going to kill him for scaring me.”
“I don’t know where she lives, but we can call Keri. She’ll have the registration for all the kids and might be able to give us a phone number if not an address once we explain what’s going on.”
Angela nodded. “Call her.”
Isaiah got on the phone and Angela bit her lip to keep from asking him to repeat everything Keri said. It took a bit of convincing, but Keri agreed to at least go to the office and pull a number for Denise’s parents.
“We’ll meet her at the center,” Angela said after he hung up.
“What if he comes back?” Isaiah said. “Someone should be here.”
Angela ran her fingers through her hair again. “Crap! This is why I’m going to make a terrible mother. I shouldn’t have left him home.”
“He’s almost fourteen. You didn’t do anything wrong to trust him.”
“I shouldn’t be working at night.”
“You provide for him by doing that. You’re not the only guardian that has to work at night. You’re doing everything you can to take care of Cory. Don’t beat yourself up.”
The door opened and Cory walked in. Angela ran over to him. “Cory, thank God!” She grasped his shoulders and looked him over from head to toe. No bruises, thankfully, but he had his book bag on his shoulder. She let him go and smacked his arm. “Where in the world have you been? I’ve been worried sick.”
“I’m sorry,” Cory said. “I thought… I wasn’t sure if I should stay?”
“So you were going to run away? Are you crazy? Why would you do that?”
Cory looked at the floor. “My dad’s in jail. My mom doesn’t want me. I’m just a burden on everyone. I can take care of myself.”
“So can I, but that doesn’t mean I can’t accept a little help sometimes from the people who love me. I love you, Cory.” His head shot up and surprise filled his eyes. “Don’t look shocked. It’s true. I want legal guardianship of you.”
“You do?” he sounded hopeful.
“Yes. I’m not going to leave you high and dry. We’ve made out pretty well this summer—no need to mess that up.”
The hope in his eyes faded. “What if my mom says no?”
“We’ll deal with that when we get in touch with her.” Angela doubted Heather would say no. Not after she dumped Cory off without a look back. “Even if she does, I’m not going to lose touch with you. I promised to take care of you and I mean it.” Tears ran down her face. She was so thankful he was safe.
Cory’s eyes widened at her tears. He shuffled his feet and touched her arm. “I’m sorry I scared you, Auntie. I don’t want to be your burden.”
Angela swiped the tears from her face. “You’re not a burden. I want you here. I love you.”
Cory’s eyes glittered. He lowered them and sniffed loudly through his nose. Angela pulled him into a hug. He hugged her back. “If you ever run away again I’m hunting you down so I can skin you.”
He chuckled and nodded. “I won’t run again.” He stepped back and met her eye.
Isaiah came up behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Good. Running away from your problem doesn’t solve it.”
“Unless you’re being chased by a bear,” Cory said.
Angela shook her head but smiled. “This is not the time for jokes.” Her smile went away. “We’re serious. Understand?”
Cory nodded. “I understand.”
“Go put your stuff up and then we’ll talk some more,” Isaiah said.
Cory squeezed Angela’s hand, then went to his room. Angela let out a deep breath. “If he hadn’t come back…”
“But he did. And we’ll make sure he understands we mean it when we say we won’t put up with him running off just because he’s upset.”
“We?” Her voice croaked. She cleared her throat. Damn tears.
Isaiah took her hands in his. “Yes, we. If you’ll forgive me.”
“What am I forgiving you for?” She was the one who’d kicked him out.
“I shouldn’t have paid your bills without talking to you first. I’ll admit I’m ready to settle down. I want to have what my parents have. I want a family. Maybe I saw you and Cory and when I fell in love, I thought my family was ready. I should have consulted you on that first. I don’t want to take over your life. I want to be your partner in it. I want to talk about what’s going on and we work together for a solution. Not be the one making all the decisions.”
The happiness those words inspired in her was almost more than she could contain. “What about my job at Sweethearts?”
He took a deep breath. “It’s obvious you can take care of yourself. I heard about what Mark did.”
She frowned, then waved her hand. “That. I’d forgotten about it as soon as I got here and realized Cory was missing.”
“Still, I don’t like the idea of someone threatening you. I can’t lie, but that is your source of income. If you decide to stay there, I know you can handle yourself,” he said without a trace of insincerity.
“I’ve already decided that once I’m finished with school I’m done. I don’t want to work the late hours anymore or deal with guys like Jerry or Mark. Until then, I need the income. You paid for my larger expenses, but there are others. Can you deal with that for just a few more months?”
He tugged on her hands until only inches separated them. “I deal with a lot more if it means you’ve forgiven me?”
“Only if you forgive me. I overreacted earlier today. I was upset about my family, it brought up old memories and I took that out on you.”
“I don’t want you to do what I say or else. I love you and I want us to be equals in everything we do, especially when it comes to our relationship. Actions speak louder than words. I’m ready to work hard and go into overtime to show how much I love you.”
He kissed her. Angela wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed close to him. She let go of the fear and mistrust in her heart. She’d trust this.
“Ewww!” Cory’s voice interrupted. “Am I going to always have to break up you guys kissing?”
Angela and Isaiah broke apart, but he still held her against his side. “Get used to that, kiddo. We’re going to be together a while.”
Cory’s eyes widened. He looked at Isaiah, then at Angela. “For real?”
“Is that okay with you?” Isaiah asked.
Cory considered that, then grinned. “As long as you keep the kissing to behind closed doors.”
Isaiah laughed and turned Angela in his arms. “Sorry, Cory, I can’t promise you that.” He kissed her again, and this time, Cory just smiled.