He Brought Me Home, But Never Made Me Family Chapter 06

He Brought Me Home, But Never Made Me Family Chapter 06

Before we left, Mom and Dad took me to my birth parents’ cemetery.

The four of us laid flowers in front of the graves.

I stood there for a long time without moving.

In my heart, I thanked them for bringing me into this world. -.

I thanked them for letting me meet the wonderful Caldwell family.

I thanked them for showing me that two families had loved me in this life.

Then, finally, I said goodbye.

From now on, I would live my own life and put everything back where it belonged.

I hoped they could rest in peace.

After I finished, Dad placed a bunch of white flowers down.

“Thomas, Evelyn, don’t worry. Willa has us now. We’ll take good care of her.”

Goodbyes were never very long.

In the car, I took one last look at their headstone and whispered goodbye.

A breeze blew by.

Light and warm.

The road home felt the same as always.

Tyler was still as annoying as ever.

He kept poking me and making silly faces just to irritate me.

But my heart felt full.

After three hours, we finally reached the familiar house.

The second that familiar smell hit me, the weight I had been carrying finally dropped.

We had barely walked inside when Mom got a call from Uncle Ray.

“The residency is done. You can start packing for Eastbridge.”

Mom’s eyes filled with tears.

“Really? You’re not joking?”

The whole family forgot about dinner and started packing.

Tyler nudged my shoulder

“What are you standing around for? Trying to make me do all the work again?”

“Hurry up. Move it. The sooner we finish, the sooner we get to the new place.”

I wiped my tears and started packing too.

Mom and Dad did not stop for a second.

By noon the next day, we had everything ready.

On the fourth day, we finished all the residency paperwork.

On the fifth day, the four of us walked into our new apartment in Eastbridge.

It was a two-bedroom in an old brick building.

The neighborhood was not fancy.

Tyler scratched his head.

“It’s not as big as that guy’s house, but it sure feels more like home.”

“You better study hard. We’re counting on you to get us a bigger place later.”

Mom smacked the back of his head and glared.

“Your sister can do whatever she wants. We support her because we’re family.”

“Besides, what’s wrong with this place? You and Dad take one room. Your sister and I will take the other. What’s the point of a huge empty house?”

Mom’s words hit me right in the chest.

My nose stung.

Yeah.

No matter how big a house was, if no one was waiting for you, it was still just a house.

I threw myself into Mom’s arms.

“Thank you, Mom.”

Dad and Tyler stepped in and wrapped us all together.

“We’re going to be just fine from now on.”

Once the residency was settled, the enrollment paperwork went through quickly too.

When I walked out of Hawthorne Institute with my finalized residency paperwork and newly printed admission confirmation, Hooked up at the sky and let out a loud shout.

Tyler snatched the papers from my hand

“Look at you. Let’s go home. Mom and Dad made dinner. We’re celebrating.”

I laughed and kicked him lightly.

“Let’s go home.”

Mom and Dad made pot roast, mashed potatoes, and apple pie, all our favorites.

The windows were fogged up from the heat.

Outside, lights glowed warmly in every house.

I finally had a real home in this city.

Until Adrian’s message popped up at the worst possible time.

“Who got you the Eastbridge residency? Do you know once it’s set, you can’t transfer it for three years? You don’t want to come home anymore?”

I read the accusatory message calmly.

Then I blocked him and deleted the entire thread.

Whether I could transfer or not did not matter.

Because I was never leaving this residency file again.

This was my home.

My only home.

When Adrian learned that Willa had secured her Eastbridge residency and completed enrollment, he was

lounging with Isla at a Caribbean resort.

Last night, he had a dream.

In it, his mother, his father, Willa, and he were sitting together in the small house they had lived in before

moving to the Whitmore estate.

His parents celebrated at the table because Willa had gotten into a top institute.

“You two kids, one in business, one in research, need to look out for each other from frow on.”

“We can rest easy seeing you like this.”

His mother smiled as she served Willa food.

His father patted Adrian’s shoulder.

Adrian smiled and raised his glass, about to speak, when his phone rang.

He woke up.

The warmth from the dream still seemed to linger on his shoulder.

He closed his eyes, trying to go back.

But the phone rang again.

Sleep was gone.

He saw Isla’s name on the screen, and the corners of his mouth slowly fell.

Reality was too different from the dream.

He answered.

“Adrian, I had a nightmare. I’m so scared.”

Adrian instinctively walked to her guest room door.

When he saw her red eyes, he still softened.

Isla threw herself into his arms.

“I dreamed that after you brought Willa back, you didn’t want me anymore and kicked me out.”

In the past, Adrian would have felt bad for her lack of security.