Free Waiting For You by Natalie Ward Page A

back over the events of that night. It was a huge turning point for us, in so many ways. Not just because Evie came to live with us, and she and I basically moved in together, but because I proved to her, for the first time, that I really could look after her.
    As soon as I’d seen what they’d done to her, the ugly bruise that had formed around her eye, the swelling on her face, it was like something inside me snapped. She’d had bruises before, cigarette burns too, but nothing like this. Nothing so obvious and so violent. Suddenly, not doing anything just seemed like the worse thing I could possibly do, even when it felt like I’d already waited too long. When I’d already failed her in so many ways.
    Up until then, I guess I’d always just taken the easy way out. Yeah, I always made sure that she was at our house as much as possible. I mean she practically ate dinner with us every night. And I never used to walk her home until it was late, hoping to god her parents were already passed out so I knew she would at least be safe for the rest of the night. And on the odd occasion that she needed to be at her place, I always tried to be there with her too. I’m pretty sure her mum and dad hated me, but that’s okay because I hated them as well. We never actually spoke to each other, only crossing paths a couple of times. Those times were bad enough and I didn’t really bother to give them the courtesy of acknowledging their presence. Anyone who could treat their own daughter the way they treated Evie didn’t deserve to be alive, much less any respect.
    But that night I came home and saw what they did to her; it changed things. I knew taking the easy way out wasn’t going to be enough anymore. And I knew I had to prove to Evie that I meant what I said when I told her I would always look after her. So I left her in my bed and ran to her house to finally confront her parents and do what I should have done months ago.
    “So, am I to take it that you’d already talked to your parents about me moving in too?” Evie says, distracting me. She knows I hate this time in her life, these parents she was stuck with.
    I glance down at her, smiling. “Yep.”
    Evie shakes her head at me. “Why didn’t you ever tell me that either?” she asks.
    “I didn’t want to say anything until they’d agreed,” I say. “I didn’t want to get your hopes up until I knew it was really going to happen and I could get you away from those people.”
    “Did they take much convincing?”
    I shrug. “Yes and no,” I tell her. “I mean they’d obviously seen what had happened to you with the fire and everything. And I guess the bruises on your arms, they knew about those. I think they were more concerned about interfering, causing trouble with your parents, than anything to do with you actually coming to live with us. But that all changed after Christmas.”
    “Your mum and dad have always been so amazing,” Evie says. “So kind and loving and accepting of me.”
    I smile down at her. “That’s because they love you, baby,” I tell her.
    Evie nods. “I know they do, I love them too, always have. I’ve always thought of them as my real parents, more than any of the others I’ve ever had.”
    I chuckle a little. “I guess that’s pretty much what they became, huh? I mean after this time, you never really had much to do with those arseholes ever again.”
    “Not really,” she says, lost in thought.
    And she didn’t. Somehow, getting her away from them was easier than either of us ever expected. Either they didn’t really notice she’d ever left, or they really didn’t care. But when we went over to her house and packed up all her stuff, we walked out of there and never looked back. Her parents hadn’t been at home, but even when they must have come home that night, they never came looking for Evie.
    She left them a note to say she’d gone. Her idea, not mine. I didn’t think she owed them anything, especially as she’d