7th May- Los Angeles, United States
En route to Maria’s house
Letty’s POV
I took a glance back at Ava hoping she’d succumbed to sleep by now but sure enough there she was still glaring at me through the mirror. I thought for sure after a good twenty or so minutes she would have settled down but it had gotten worse. At one point I thought I’d have to pull the car over her screams got that loud.
After the first hour her tears had settled and she had spent the next hour whimpering into her puppy then when she finally realized we weren’t turning back anytime soon she turned on the glares.
I frowned at her and her frown deepened in response. The kid had an attitude that could rival mine and Dom’s that was for sure.
“We’re gunna go and meet nana.” I tried.
“Dada.” I let out a sigh but left it. God help me when she reached her teens.
Dom’s POV
O’Conner house
I don’t know how long I’d been sitting in the garage for but by the time the door creaked open and Brian stepped through the sky getting slightly darker.
“You okay?” He asked as he shut the door behind him. I didn’t answer him, instead I sat still, staring straight at the wall I had been staring at since I came in here.
“Mia’s worried about you.” I blinked rapidly as I fought back more tears. My ears were still ringing from Ava’s screams.
“Man don’t do this. Don’t shut us out. How the hell are you going to help Let if you shut down again?”
“She’d be better off without me.” I whispered.
“You don’t mean that and you know that’s not true.” Brian whispered softly as he sat down beside me.
“Maybe I should. I’m being selfish by wanting her back when I know it would be better to let her go.” I whispered.
“Dom it’s okay to be scared. She’s scared too.” Brian spoke quietly.
“I know she is and I hate myself for it.”
“Have you told her? About how you broke down the night Lexi was born. How you regret every minute from the time you walked out the door on her?” Brian asked softly.
“No. Rosie and I have talked about it a few times.”
“Don’t you think maybe you should tell her? Let her know how much you struggle with it just as much as she does.”
“Probably. Rosie said I need to work through the prison stuff first. Work through all the shit I saw in there.”
“Sounds like a fair place to start.”
“I wish I could turn back time Brian. I wish I could make it all go away. Everything I do in life I find some way to fuck it up.” I whispered as I finally let my tears fall.
Letty’s POV
Four hours later
I pulled into my mum’s street and slowed down. I had made sure a couple days before that she and James still lived here. They did. And judging by the look of the house from the outside it hadn’t changed a lot over the years.
It was late afternoon and there was only one car parked in the driveway, not one I recognized but I assumed it either belonged to James or mum.
“Ready Ava?” I asked as I parked a couple of meters down from the house. I turned to look at her when she didn’t answer and smiled, shaking my head. Now she fell asleep.
Quietly getting out of the car I looked at the big house as I moved to Ava’s side. Carefully unbuckling her I pulled her into my arms and shut the door. She stirred, blinking sleepily at me as she looked around confused.
“Shhh baby you can go back to sleep.” I whispered as I stroked her hair. I locked the car and tucked the keys away in my pocket.
I walked slowly up the driveway, the butterflies in my stomach making me feel ill as I got closer to the door.
Adjusting Ava onto my hip I took a deep breath in and closed my eyes, calming myself down before I breathed out. Opening my eyes I knocked lightly before pulling my hand away and dropping it to my side.
“Here goes nothing.” I whispered to myself as I heard footsteps coming towards the door. Whose I couldn’t tell but I was even more nervous to find out.
I swallowed nervously as the lock turned and the door opened. My eyes watered as I laid eyes on my mother for the first time in a long time. Time hadn’t changed her much, she’d lost a bit of weight, her hair was slightly shorter and she had a few more lines to her face but otherwise she hadn’t changed.
She smiled kindly at me as she opened the door opening her mouth to say something before recognition registered. She let out a gasp, her hand flying to her mouth as her eyes watered to.
“Letty.”