Tears sprung up in her eyes at the longing in Peter's voice. Through a tightened throat, she said, "Well, if you want a license, then you'll get one."
Peter shook his head. "I didn't get my birth certificate. He wouldn't give it to me and I ran out before he could land another hit."
Maddie's heart squeezed and anger at the disgusting human being that was Peter's father overwhelmed her. How could anyone harm the gentle, sweet kid in front of her?
"He … he said that my mom ran off last month," he whispered, eyes unblinking. "With some guy from down the block. He blames me for it. Said if I hadn't gone away, she'd still be around."
"Peter," Maddie said, brushing his hair back away from his face. "You know that's not true."
The teenager stayed silent and Maddie felt a little piece of her heart break at the acceptance on his face. She'd do anything to change it.
So she asked, "Do you know where he keeps your birth certificate?"
Peter lifted his gaze slowly and nodded. "I think it's in the closet in his bedroom."
"Then let's go get it."
He shook his head, eyes wide. "Are you nuts? Caleb would never let you."
"Well, he doesn't have to know until after we've already gotten it. He won't be home until later tonight. And we can wait at your house until your dad leaves or falls asleep. We'll go in for a quick minute and then leave."
He tilted his head to the side and eyed her. "I don't feel good about this."
"I want you to get what you want, sweetheart," she murmured. "You could have your license by the fall if we do this today." Maddie could sense that she was wearing him down. "Do you know if your dad leaves the house at night?"
Peter slowly shook his head. "No, but he usually passes out on the couch by six or seven."
Maddie looked at the clock. That was a little under three hours away. "Caleb won't be home until nine at the earliest, so that'll give us time."
"Maddie … I don't know. I don't think-"
She smiled down at him. "Don't you worry. I'll leave him a note if it would make you feel better. Let me deal with Caleb after we've gotten your birth certificate, okay?"
Peter swallowed hard, but finally nodded.
THIRTY-THREE
As luck would have it, when Maddie and Peter pulled up to his dad's house later that evening, they only had to wait about a half hour until his dad passed out on the couch. Peter would pop out of the car every now and again to peek through the windows, navigating through trash and dead, long grass, but this last time, he turned and gave her a thumbs up.
Maddie got out of her car and quickly walked up to the house, glancing around. They weren't in the best neighborhood, but luckily, most of the houses on the street were dark and no one was walking around outside.
Just as she reached the front porch, Peter pulled out his key and opened the creaking door. His eyes were wide and panicked, so Maddie tried to be calm for his sake, although it didn't stop her heart from trying to beat its way out of her chest. During the drive, all she'd been doing was second guessing herself. It wasn't because she was scared of what might happen if Peter's dad caught them, but how Caleb would react when he found out. Every time she talked herself out of going, every time she told herself that they were being stupid and reckless, she would remember the longing in Peter's voice.
All he wanted was one little thing. He was a great kid and, as far as she was concerned, he was a part of their odd little family. She wanted to give him whatever he wanted because he deserved it. If he wanted his birth certificate, then he'd get it.
Maddie would just have to deal with Caleb later. She couldn't keep something like this from him.
The two of them crept inside the dark house. The smell hit Maddie first. The air was stale and sour and the unmistakeable smell of rum lingered. It didn't take much for Maddie to become nauseous these days. She'd read that morning sickness was only supposed to last sixteen weeks-which was almost exactly how far along she was-but Maddie had a sneaking suspicion that she'd be one of those lucky women who got to enjoy that stage for longer.
Her face must've paled because Peter whispered, a little embarrassed, "You should go wait outside."
Maddie shook her head, trying to ignore the smell and just focus on what they came there to do. "No, I'm okay. Let's hurry."
A quick peek into the living room showed Peter's father-a middle-aged man dressed in a stained navy blue t-shirt and beer gut hanging over his jeans-sleeping, the television playing a history documentary of the Prohibition era of all things.