A Sweet Mess - Jayci Lee Page 0,93
the wherewithal to grab herself a carton of Ben & Jerry’s before plopping down on the sofa. She put her feet up on the coffee table and played her favorite playlist. Being home so early felt like she was playing hooky, and she let the goofy fun times roll.
Digging into her Cherry Garcia, she belted out eighties’ tunes at the top of her lungs in between bites. She almost missed the knocking at the door during her rendition of “Take on Me.” Aubrey wiggled her butt to the edge of the couch before she hefted herself to standing with a grunt. Getting out of a chair was going to get very difficult in a few more weeks.
When she pulled open her front door, her jaws dropped and dangled from their hinges.
“Hello, baby.”
Her mom stood on her front porch with two small suitcases by her feet. Aubrey didn’t hesitate. She launched herself into her mom’s arms and held her tightly. She had no intention of wasting any more time to close the gap between them. With a sound between a sob and a laugh, her mom hugged her back, being careful not to squish her granddaughter.
“Mom. What are you doing here?” she said, picking up one of the bags and tugging her mother into the house.
“I left your father. He forbade me to help you. Ha! My baby is having a baby, and he tells me I can’t help? I won’t let anyone keep me from you.” Her mom dragged in a shaky breath, straightening her shoulders. “I stayed away these few years because you needed to make your own way. But now, you need my help even if you don’t know it. I’m not letting you do this alone.”
“Thank God,” Aubrey said with a heartfelt sigh.
The everything will be fine mantra Aubrey had been hypnotizing herself with flickered and showed its cracks. She’d been doing this on her own, but it hadn’t been easy. She was constantly afraid, sad, and so alone. But not anymore. She didn’t have to do it alone. Her mom was with her to love her and take care of her. The relief liquified her knees, and she sank onto the nearest sofa.
“I’m here, baby. Everything is going to be fine.” Her mom sat down beside her and enfolded her into a warm, healing hug, and Aubrey sighed into her arms. “If your father dares come between us, I’ll expose his secret overseas accounts.”
“I’ve always thought the Korean markets were a front for something more sinister, but overseas accounts?”
“Your father is very good at keeping secrets, so I don’t know the details either. All I know is it involves powerful politicians in Korea and possibly money laundering.”
“Money laundering?” Aubrey gasped. She’d known her father was a scoundrel, but finding out he was a hard criminal shocked her to the core and destroyed any lingering hopes for a reunion.
“Before I left, I broke one of his passwords. I was afraid to take any photos on my cell phone, so I copied out as many account numbers as I could.”
“Wow. So this is the real you.” Aubrey giggled and hugged her again. “You’re a total badass.”
“Yeah,” her mom said as though she were savoring the thought. “You and I both. We get that from Grandma.”
Aubrey’s laughter was smothered by a yawn she couldn’t hold back.
“Why don’t you go take a nap? I’ll keep myself busy.”
“Busy?” She quirked her eyebrow. “There isn’t much to do in the house except to settle in. That sage-colored room straight ahead? You could use that room. It’s a bit cramped with all my cook books and baking toys, but the bed’s comfy and cozy.”
“I’m sure it’ll be perfect.”
Her mom kissed her on the forehead and headed to her room. After another huge, teary yawn Aubrey shuffled her slippered feet to bed. One of her pregnancy superpowers was to fall asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. Even the happiness and anticipation of having her mom with her didn’t diminish her power.
* * *
When Aubrey’s eyes opened to a dusky room, she remembered hearing her grandma singing in her dream. She swung her feet to the floor and then paused, struggling to get her bearings. Her house smelled just like Grandma’s. Confusion marring her forehead, Aubrey padded out to the living room, following the aroma. She stopped in her tracks when she reached the kitchen.
“Mom?”
Her mom was wearing a slim pair of jeans and a pullover with her hair tied loosely at the