35. Finally found my mother

Chapter 35: Finally found my mother

Kelsey's POV

*****

I woke up the next morning to the smell of bacon and sausages being cooked, the scent practically dragging me down to the kitchen as my stomach started rumbling.

"Good morning Ethan," I said as I went down into the kitchen, only to find him cooking breakfast again.

"Morning princess," he said with a smile as soon as his eyes landed on me.

"I know Ellie said she likes your food better but cooking breakfast is my job," I said, not wanting him to work more than he had to.

I was starting to enjoy the split work between Ethan and I, but I was starting to feel guilty about getting paid for a job which I wasn't even doing on my own. The Walkers hired me because they didn't know if they could trust Ethan with the job, who would have been working for free, and yet there he was, practically working harder than I was.

The more time passed, the less I understood the lack of faith his parents had in him. I couldn't have asked for a better partner when it came to babysitting, and I wished that there could have been a way for his parents to know that. It was evident that Ethan wasn't appreciated enough, and that hurt me.

"But you work too much, I wanted to do something nice for my girlf- g-girl bestfriend," he said, his face turning red as soon as he realised what he was about to say.

I could feel my stomach churn at the fact that he had nearly called me his girlfriend. After the previous day it was very clear that Ethan and I were more than just best friends, yet neither one of us wanted to make a step forward just yet. He knew that I wasn't yet ready, and that I still needed to find myself before jumping into a relationship. He seemed to respect that, something which I appreciated a lot.

If I was being honest with myself, I knew that ever since Ethan became a recurring figure in my life, I could see just how much I was learning from him. I had done things which I wouldn't have even dreamed of doing before, and I also started seeing myself in a new light. My confidence was being boosted time and time again, and not just by Ethan. The respect that all of the Walker kids showed me was enough to make me see that maybe I was worth a lot more than I had previously thought.

"Alright then, if you want to do something nice for me, could you maybe look after the kids for a while? There's something I really have to do," I said as I started making toast for everyone, knowing just how much they all loved it.

"Yeah sure, but if I do that, you have to tell my mom that I'm not as irresponsible as she thinks," he replied, making me smile. I was already planning on doing so, even without having him take care of the kids for a couple of hours.

"If everyone is still alive when I come back I will," I joked, making him roll his eyes before letting out a laugh.

"Don't worry, they're gonna be alive. You're going to be able to see first hand just what an amazing dad I could be one day, you know, if you're interested," he winked.

"In your dreams," I choked, his words making me swallow my toast badly, leaving me gasping for air.

"Dang it, I thought you were gonna say yes," he pouted. "After all, you did say you liked me."

"Whatever," I replied with a roll of the eyes as he smirked. I was no longer ashamed of letting him know about my feelings for him. It was already enough for him to be waiting for me, and I didn't want him thinking that it was all for nothing. My feelings for him were real, and I couldn't wait for the day where I would allow myself to act upon them.

*****

After doing the dishes, I uttered a quick goodbye to everyone before getting into Meg's car which she had lent me for the short drive to my house, given that I still couldn't afford a car of my own, and drove towards my house. I hadn't seen dad in such a long time and I really missed him. Needless to say, I was ecstatic when he called me in the morning, saying that he had something important which he wanted to pass on to me, and so I took that as an occasion to go and see him.

My father and I had never been away from each other for that much time, and I did miss him a lot. The thought of him being alone at home everyday, eating his meals on his own and not having anybody to watch his favourite shows with pained me. He was like my best friend, and I knew that I was his. Even if he hadn't told me directly, I could see it in his eyes that he wasn't ecstatic about the fact that I was leaving him for a couple of months.

I parked Meg;s car in the driveway as soon as I arrived, but it took me a while before getting out of it. I looked around me, the lack of change in the area reminding me that even if I felt as if I had been gone for ages, it had only been a couple of weeks. A wave of nostalgia hit me as soon as I got out of the car and walked up to the door, reminding me of all the times I would return home from school to find my dad cooking some of my favourite foods to make sure that I ate it.

I stopped in front of the door, questioning whether I should knock or open the door with my keys. It was, after all, my home, but my father never did specify a time I should have been there, and I did not want to frighten him. After going over it for a moment, I decided to just open the door with my keys and announce my arrival to my father from the doorway.

"Dad, I'm here," I said as soon as I opened the door of the house, basking in the scent which I had grown up with.

I only noticed just how much I missed my house as soon as I stepped foot in it for the first time. The Walkers' house was beautiful, that much was true, but to me, nothing could compare to the house I grew up in-the house where most of my memories were made.

"Kelsey!" My dad said, coming out of the kitchen and coming in straight for an embrace."I missed my baby girl so much."

"I missed you too paps," I said, holding him tightly.

"How's the job going?" He asked as we walked towards the living room and sat down on the sofa, one next to the other.

I smiled at the question, seeing the genuine interest in his eyes. After the phone call where I told him that I felt like I didn't fit in, my father quickly started worrying about me. The fact that every time he tried to reach me I was busy doing something with them didn't make him happy either, and it even made him think that I was being swarmed with too much work-which couldn't be far from the truth.

"It's great, the kids are awesome, I love them all so much, dad. They all treat me like family, and  I couldn't be happier with them," I replied honestly.

"I'm glad that you found a job that makes you happy, I wouldn't want you to be miserable," he said, raising his eyebrows as if he was questioning my previous statement.

"I'm not, I mean, it was kind of hard at first, but then I got used to it, and they all got used to me," I said, wanting him to understand that a lot had changed from the first time I got there. It wasn't just the situation in the house that had changed, but even I had, and I wanted him to see that.

"I'm glad to hear that honey," he replied with a small smile, "but actually, I didn't tell you to come here to talk about your job."

"You said you had something important to give me?" I asked, curiosity getting the best of me.

I had been thinking about what it could have been ever since he told me about it over the phone. No matter how hard I thought about it, I still couldn't figure out what the important thing could have been.

"Yes, and I think you're going to love it," he said as he grabbed a small box from his pocket. "Here you go baby, open it."

I started at the box in my hands for a second before looking back up at my loving father, who was gazing at me expectantly. Excitement was evident in his features, and the glisten in his eyes made him look younger than he usually did, quite youthful actually.

Unable to contain my excitement, I gently opened the box, the glimmering of a chain instantly becoming visible. Tears started to form in my eyes as soon as I realised what the important object he wanted to give me was, and I could feel a lump forming in my throat as I lifted it up and stroked its gorgeous, cold exterior.

"You found it," I choked out, my eyes never leaving the beautiful locket in my hands. My mother's locket.

"Honestly, it was never lost," he said as I opened it, my eyes landing on the tear jerking photo inside it, before snapping my eyes up at my father in confusion.

"But you said tha-"

"I know what I said, truth is that your mom gave it to me before she died, she told me to give it to you when you're seventeen, and your birthday is tomorrow. I hope this is enough to make you happy," he said cutting me off, the kind-hearted smile on his face making me feel as if I had the best father in the world.

"I'm beyond happy dad," I said as I gave him another hug.

Dad asked me to turn around and pull my hair up before he put on the locket for me, the cold metal around my neck feeling as if it had belonged there all along. I walked up towards the square mirror which we had hanging on the wall on top of our brown wooden cabinet, and smiled at how perfect the locket looked on me. I couldn't help but feel closer to my mother, knowing that I had a photo of her wherever I went on the memento around my neck.

"You look so much like her Kels, the way you look, the way you talk. I was blessed to have two beautiful women in my life," my father said as he smiled at me fondly, his eyes becoming glossy as tears started visibly forming in his eyes.

"Thank you dad. I love it so much, this is the best present I've ever gotten, thank you," I said before embracing him once more, unable to express in to words just how thankful I truly was.

"Don't thank me, that's a present from your mother. You must treasure it forever," he said, grabbing my face in his hands lovingly, before planting a kiss on my forehead.

"I will dad, don't worry."

Words couldn't describe just how happy I felt in that particular moment. It was as if I had found a missing piece of me which had been gone for years. It was like I finally found my mother.

*****