Page 30 of Call You Mine
The three of us wait with bated breath, and even though I think I know what she’s about to say, the words are like a punch to the stomach.
“We’ll need your marriage certificate.”
It’s like all the air is sucked from the room, and the ground is pulled from beneath me, all in a matter of seconds.
They’ll need us to show that this isn’t all just words—CPS needs proof.
And I planted all these seeds so deep that I don’t know if I can dig them back up carefully enough to salvage them.
I’m fucked.
CHAPTER 10
ANDERSON
“What the actualhell?”
Ava barely has the door shut behind Patricia before Ava’s little sister saysexactlywhat I’m thinking.
“Georgie!” Ava turns to face her sister, her brows furrowed as she puts her hands on her hips.
“Don’t act like me saying ‘hell’ is worse than you not telling me that you’re getting married to whoeverthatis,” Georgie argues, pointing a finger in my direction before putting her own hands on her hips, copying Ava’s stance.
The two face off, and it gives me a moment to recognize the similarities between them. At first, it was hard to tell they were related. Ava’s red curls are a stark difference against Georgie’s straight dark blonde hair, her cheeks missing the freckles that lightly dust Ava’s.
As I volley back and forth between the two sisters, they share that same exact set jaw, the same refusal to budge, the same stubborn spark.
And those same hazel eyes—the ones that show every single emotion, even when they think they’re hiding it.
A moment passes before Ava sighs, closing the distancebetween them and pulling Georgie into her arms. At first, Georgie’s body stays rigid, even as Ava holds her.
It takes a few seconds, but Georgie’s defiance fades as her shoulders slump, her bottom lip curling as she wraps her arms around Ava’s waist, pressing her head into her chest. “The social worker made it sound like they weren’t going to let me stay with you.” Georgie’s voice is muffled from where she talks against the fabric of Ava’s sweater, and I feel like I’m witnessing something I shouldn’t be—an intruder to such an intimate moment.
Ava closes her eyes, resting her head on Georgie’s. “You aren’t going anywhere. I promise.”
I wait for Ava to say more, maybe clarify that I’m not her boyfriend, that we aren’t engaged, that we can’tactuallylie to Child Protective Services.
That we aren’t going to getmarriedjust so she can have a better case.
But she doesn’t.
Georgie leans back enough to look up at Ava. “Why didn’t you tell me you were getting married? I didn’t even know you had a boyfriend.”
“Well, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but things have been a little busy these days for me to update you on my life.” She says it with a smile, but I can see the tension wracking her body, closing her palms hard enough for her knuckles to turn white.
Georgie’s arms drop, pulling the sleeves of the huge sweatshirt she’s wearing over her hands. I recognize it as Ava’s.
“So, what happens now?” Georgie asks.
“What do you mean?” Ava manages, but she seems distracted as she shoves her hands in the back pockets of her jeans with a little too much force.
“Patricia said she needs your guys’ marriage certificate.” Georgie turns to look at me before her gaze goes back to Ava. “Doesn’t that mean you have to get married before you can adopt me, or I’ll have to go back to Mom’s?”
My heart cracks at her question—the way she makes it sound so simple.
I hate how someone as young as her has to even be concerned with any of this. It has me thinking of my own brothers and what I would do to make sure they were taken care of, just like Ava is doing for Georgie.
Ava doesn’t say anything right away, letting out a harsh sigh as she lets her head fall back. “Georgie, it’s complicated, and I need to talk to?—”
