A Million Mistakes

Chapter 25

I pushed the door open, peeking in. After the long day and that difficult conversation, it was refreshing to see May and Gerad's smiling faces. They were awake, and bickering, which I'm assuming is what they basically always do. May looked up.

"Ames!" She squeaked. "Your back!"

"Where did you go?" Gerad asked, leaning against the headboard.

I smiled, closing the door gently behind me. "I was just talking to some people. You guys were asleep so I thought you wouldn't mind."

"It's all good," May laughed, doing a little bounce on the bed. "So what are we going to do now?"

"Where did all your energy come from?"

I felt oddly serene right now. There was this weight that had been lifted off my shoulders and it was calming. I felt good. And it was weird. I've been happy and I've been sad and I've been angry. But I wasn't any of that right now. I was just good.

May giggled, wiggling around on the bed. It reminded me of when she was a toddler.

Gerad chuckled. "She just slept for like an hour. She took a power nap and she is ready for action."

"Well it's 8:00 at night and I'm raising a child who has a bed time."

"No," May groaned. "I wanna hang out with you."

"And you can. I never said my bedtime was 8:00. Just let me put my daughter to sleep."

I pulled out my phone, sending Celeste a text.

Can you watch Kenny? Hanging with Maxon and the siblings

Yes. Be right over :)

Mays eyes lit up. "Can we meet her?"

I frowned, mulling it over. I wasn't sure if I wanted my family to meet her because I didn't know how my conversation with my parents would go. And it didn't go great. But I think we got somewhere and I think we have an understanding. This is my daughter though, not me. She is young and she is my everything. I have to protect her. That's my duty as her mom. But this is May and...it's crazy to think that I need to protect her from May.

Because I don't.

"She will be tired," I relented.

"Oh my god!" May squealed. "I'm so excited. Where is she?"

"She's with her father," I sighed. "I'll have to go get her."

May looked at me expectantly. "Well........go."

I rolled my eyes, heading for the door. "I'll be right back."

"Don't be long!" She called.

I could hear her excited chatter as I closed the door behind me, and headed for the stairwell to the next floor. I was hoping they were in his room because they'd be a lot easier to find that way.

I passed by a guard. He nodded at me. I smiled back.

Aspen. I had loved him. Or at least I thought I had. He had been my best friend since childhood and when we were together, I had felt like more than just a five. But he broke up with me and it broke me. Aspen works as a guard in the palace now. I pass him in the hallways. He opens doors for me. We talked. We're fine.