Whispers of a Broken Halo by Abbi Glines

“Rio, I have a casserole for you to take with you and one of the lemon pound cakes Henley makes. Tell Lloyd I am praying for him and give your grandma a hug for me,” Hillya said to me.

“Yes, ma’am,” I replied.

Our relationship wasn’t close. Henley had drawn close to Hillya, working here with her, but we had only found out a year ago she was our grandmother.

I shifted my attention back to Bryn.

“She pass—” I stopped when the boy’s eyes lifted to meet mine.

I had been that kid once. My mom would leave me home alone for days at a time. I had been his age, yet I had felt so much older. There had been no aunt living with us to watch out for me. He had security in Bryn. She shouldn’t be working nights. He needed her.

“She got tired and stayed over at a friend’s house. She’s awake now, and they are bringing her home,” I told Bryn.

That was the cleaned-up version for the kid’s ears. The truth was, Tory had gone home with a guy named Dillion. They had gotten high and then crashed at his place early this morning. I had threatened Dillion with a visit from the local police chief if he didn’t have her home in ten minutes even if he had to drag her body there.

Bryn’s lips were set in a tight line. She knew what I wasn’t saying, and I could see the anger she was trying to hide. Tory hadn’t changed at all, it seemed. Poor kid was growing up with a mother exactly like mine and an aunt who had her own set of issues. I hated to see it, but there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.

“Thank you,” she said, standing up and taking the to-go cup with her. “Let’s go home, buddy,” she said to the boy, and he picked up the crayons and gave them back to Henley. He then collected his drawing and handed it to Bryn before taking his doughnut and once again clasping her hand.

“Call me anytime,” Henley told her.

She nodded, and as she turned to leave, she paused to look at me. “I appreciate y-y-your h-help. Thank you,” she repeated, then started toward the door.

Just as she opened it, the boy looked back at me and held up his doughnut in a wave.

I held up my hand and waved back at him, and then they were outside and walking away. He was looking at Bryn, saying something, and she paused and bent down until she was at his eye-level. I couldn’t read her lips, but she was saying something to him as she held on to his hand. Then, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek before pulling him in for a hug.

“She looks like a crazed, messed up bitch to me. I’d better steer clear,” Henley said sarcastically from behind the counter.

I said nothing because I was too busy watching them. The boy hugged her back tightly. They stayed that way for several moments before Bryn stood back up, and they continued on their way. There was a lot I didn’t know about Bryn Wallace. What I had just witnessed was one of them. She did love the boy, but her priorities were fucked the hell up. He needed someone at home at night to protect him. She was too damn worried about money to think about that.





Chapter Fourteen

Bryn

Tory had already been fired from her new job within the first week. She wasn’t going out and searching for a new one. Instead, she was going out and not coming home for days at a time. It had been a couple years since she had done this. The last time, I had threatened to get custody of Cullen, and she had straightened up.

This time, I wasn’t sure I was going to threaten her anymore. The older he got and the more he was exposed to, the more he would remember. The more he would be affected by her choices. Marley had thankfully understood my family issues and given me two weeks off work while I worked on getting things handled at home.

It had been Tory and me most of my life. Saving her from her own mistakes was all I knew. It was what I did. But was it fair to Cullen for me to keep doing it? I couldn’t even leave him at home anymore at night with her, for fear he would be left alone. The trauma that caused him would never truly go away. It would leave a mark on him.

Last night, I had called Tory’s cell over and over but gotten no answer. It was getting closer to ten, and she still hadn’t called or come home. I sat on the sofa with Cullen curled up beside me while we watched his favorite superhero cartoon. Times like this, I could convince myself he was stable and he would be fine. But I knew his little mind was working.

His mother wasn’t here. She wasn’t here when he went to bed. She wasn’t here when he woke up. He knew she didn’t have a job. All of this was there in his head, and I never wanted him to feel as if his mother didn’t love him. I wanted him to feel loved, but was my love enough?

“Aunt Bryn?” His voice broke into my thoughts, and I looked down at his upturned face.

“Yeah, buddy?” I asked.

“Is Mama okay?”

That was it. What I knew was in his head. He was doing all the things normal little boys did, but he had fears no little boy should have. Such as the fact that he was worried about his mother. I honestly had no idea if she was okay. When I got my hands on her sorry ass, she might not be okay.

“Yes,” I replied, hoping it wasn’t a lie.

He frowned. “Why didn’t she come home again?”

When he had been little and she stayed out like this, he hadn’t known what was happening. Now, he was old enough for it to worry him. She was going to have to make a choice. Tory’s behavior had to stop now. Today.