Free Only for You by Marquita Valentine

Parker says, his voice all thin.
    “ Actually it’s Flores, but
my granddad changed it when he emigrated from Cuba,” Ford says. “He
wanted to sound more American.”
    “ So there’s a possibility
that I could be related to Pit Bull?” Parker grins.
“Sweet.”
    I know my brother. The more
outrageous stuff he says, the worse he feels. And all of this is my
fault.
    “ Could be worse,” I say
and Parker gives me this are-you-shitting-me look. “You really
could be Everett’s.”
    A ghost of a smile
flickers. “Yeah, guess you drew the short stick on that
one.”
    “ Cole,” a little voice
whispers, and I turn my attention to my baby sister. She’s still
sitting at the table, her wide-eyed gaze going from me to Parker to
Ford, then back again.
    Walking to her, I kneel by
her chair and hold out my arms. “You okay, bug?”
    She goes to me, without
hesitation, and I stand up. “I don’t want a new daddy, just you and
Parker.”
    Ford clears his throat. I
glare at him and Crystal. “I think we’ve had enough drama for
today.”
    “ I think it’s time for us
to leave,” Ford says, rising from his chair. He pulls out my mom’s
and she looks up at him, adoration all over her face. “We have a
lot to discuss on the way.”
    “ You always did know
what’s best for me.”
    “ No, you know what’s best
for you, only you choose to ignore it because it’s too
hard.”
    “ I’ll try harder,” she
says softly. “For you.”
    It could be worse. She
could still be fixated on my dad or the next hit. She could want to
take Kelly and never come here again.
    Ford shakes his head. “No.
Not for me. Only for you. And that’s another thing you’re going to
learn at Winding Creek. Now, give Cole the money.”
    She digs into her pocket
and pulls out a folded piece of paper, spreading it out and placing
it on the table. It’s a certified check from one of the local
banks. “This is what I took from you, minus what I’m using to pay
for Winding Creek and what I’ve been living on.”
    I hadn’t forgotten about
the money she stole from The Double Deuce. Despite her owning it,
she’d never worked in it and so, when she cleaned out the bank
account and ran, I never thought I’d see it again. And I sure as
hell never thought she’d be paying me back.
    It’s why I didn’t bring it
up in the first place. Better her say or get what she needs, and
then leave, than argue and fight over what she took.
    “ Thanks,” I mutter, then
grab the check and shove it in my pocket. As soon as the bank is
open, I’m depositing it.
    They move to leave, but
Crystal pauses beside me. She tips up my chin, staring at me. “You
turned out all right, huh?”
    If she wants me to forgive
her of the sins she’s committed against all of us, it’s not
happening. At least not today. Maybe not even twenty years from
now. Right now, I’m okay with that.
    “ I’m me.”
    She looks me up and down.
“Yeah, you are.” Then she pats me on the cheek, the most physical
contact I’ve had from her in years, and the little boy inside of me
wants to go after her. Wants to hug her and ask her why. But the
man I’ve become won’t let him, because neither of us will like her
answer.
    The three of us watch as
Ford leaves with our mother. None of us says good-bye, but Kelly
waves.
    Parker shuts the door. We
all sort of shuffle into the living room and fall onto the couch.
He clicks on the television, and I keep Kelly in my lap. She’s
snuggled against me, and not going anywhere anytime
soon.
    “ Gladiator okay with you?”
Parker asks, not really looking for my approval. He just wants
things the way they were. Like me.
    “ Yeah, I’ll cover up the
bug’s eyes at the bad parts.”
    “ I’ll try to mute the bad
words.” He fiddles with the remote. “You want to text Rae and see
if she—”
    “ We’ll see her Sunday, at
her nana’s house.”
    He nods, not bothering to
argue. He was only asking to be nice anyway.
    Kelly relaxes against