Fifteen: Bailee

My knee bounced as we sat in the waiting room. I was nervous, but not because of my meeting with Mr. Collins.

I was nervous about giving Alexander the apology he was owed.

He had hurt me beyond belief when we were younger, but the way I had treated him today was unacceptable. Over the past twenty-four hours, he had been kind, stood up for me, brought me to a safe place to stay, and got medicine for my daughter.

He deserved an apology, and I had been so caught up in my head that I wouldn't have realized it if it weren't for the damn jalapenos.

After Brinley’s fever had been broken, I brought her into the kitchen to make breakfast, and the guilt I had been feeling tripled.

On the kitchen island sat a take-out bag with several containers. One with bacon and sausage, another with hashbrowns and scrambled eggs. The last sizable take-out box had biscuits, and my mouth watered when I realized he had ordered a side of sausage gravy to go with it.

Spreading them out onto the counter, I smil