Kimberly shakingly had her hands in the steering wheel. "Maybe I should drive. You are too shaky." Anton frowned worriedly.
"I know. I just-" She a deep breath and faced the road ahead of her. "I'm nervous. I hope grandma is okay, but it's so frustrating…"
"We will switch. I shouldn't have let you drive in the first-"
"No…." Kimberly started at something in front of her in shock. "Huh? What happened.?" Anton asked.
"It's her….I think it's her. God, no way.' Her fingers trembled and she tightened her hold on the steering wheel.
"Kim brake now! It's dangerous, stop the damn car!" Anton yelled.
"I-I-"
"R-right sorry." She swallowed hard noticing her mistake and she quickly pressed her foot on the brake and stopped the car. She sighed in relief.
"Oh lord…." Anton too let out a deep breath in relief. When he realized they had caught the attention of the passerbys. He then also realized that they almost ran over a woman and her daughter.
"What the- did you forget how to drive?!" He yelled and Kimberly bit her lip at his tone.
"It's okay. Take a deep breath. I will go talk with them and stay here." Anton sighed and exited the car.
Kimberly looked at the woman who was already staring at her through her shades and she gulped."It has to be her…" She determined and weakly exited the car. The shock was enough to make her legs go weak.
The information was so much harder to swallow now. The woman she thought was dead was standing right in front of her.
"Is it really you?" She asked.
Adriana furrowed her eyebrows. "For our first meeting, don't you think trying to run over us is a bit….excessive?" She remarked and Kimberly laughed with tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Yeah...It's really you." She pursed her lips deciding whether she should step forward or not.
Adriana smiled and she removed her shades. Seeing her face Kimberly burst into happy laughter mixed with tears. Relief washed over her and she ran to Adriana's arms hugging her as tight as she could.
'Dummy, I wasn't supposed to meet you this early on.' Adriana thought knowing this was not part of her plan. She was also surprised at how Kimberly recognized her from so far.
She gritted her teeth trying to hold back her true emotions but in the end she couldn't. She really wanted a hug from a big sister. She wanted someone's comfort. For all the pain she has been through there was never a person who could offer her a hug nor a smile to cheer her up.
Not even Crysty was there by her side. Those moments were too traumatic for her to tell even her best friend.
She hugged her back and she cried along with her. She smiled brightly knowing she would not be alone again.
"I missed so much…" Kimberly whispered. "I did too…" She whispered back. After a few minutes a small voice interrupted them.
"Mommy this aunt...do you know her?" Aria asked.
"Oh…." Kimberly kissed Adriana's cheek and she started wiping her tears away. "Ugh, I can't believe I'm meeting such a cute girl, looking like this." She mumbled referring to her red puffy eyes and her red nose.
Aria removed her glasses and she smiled knowing this aunt made her mom smile. The people who made her smile had always been her, James, Crysty and Uncle Bryan but after that there weren't more.
Her mother would be very aloof in public so an emotional scene like this was very rare. Her eyes scanned Kimberly curiously. "I actually knew your mommy since a looong time ago. But then she disappeared without telling me." Kimberly smiled and she was now standing to Aria's height.
Adriana smiled sadly at her words. She could tell Kimberly was holding a grudge against her for that.
"Oh really?" Aria turned to her mother to confirm her words and her mother nodded. "This must be the little princess brother told me about…" What Kimberly said made Adriana stiff.
"You have a beautiful daughter Adriana." Her creepy smile made Adriana laugh nervously. "Of course. My mommy is the most beautiful in the world so I must be the second most beautiful!" Aria once again lifted her chin arrogantly. Kimberly chuckled and pinched her cheek.
"There is definitely not denying that" Kimberly replied and stood up.
"Hi!" Anton smiled awkwardly feeling as if he interrupted something important. "Oh right. This is my umm friend Anton." Kimberly introduced him. "Nice to meet you, Adriana Price and this is Aria." Adriana introduced herself and Aria.
"Hello!" Aria smiled. Anton gave her a grin back. "Are you guys going in for lunch?"Kimberly asked and Adriana nodded.
"Is it fine if I come along?" She asked. Adriana smiled and gave her another hug.
"We have a lot to catch up."
Kimberly nodded.
"Please go to my brother and tell him I will be there soon. If something happens please call me." Kimberly turned to Anton and he nodded. He then took his leave and headed to the hospital.
"Ralf, stay here we will go inside." Adriana told him and Ralf nodded.
Aria held her mother's hand and walked inside with Kimberly following along. "What's your name aunty?" Aria asked with her hands supporting her head, her elbows placed straight on the table.
"Aria." Her mother glanced at her.
"Oh.."
"It's weird eating with someone who almost ran over us mommy. I can't help being a bit hopstile." Aria whispered sitting straight in her chair and bringing her hands off the table.
Her mother laughed and whispered back, "It's 'hostile' baby." She corrected her. "Oh got it!"
Kimberly, who watched their interactions, smiled. "You guys are indeed mother and daughter. You guys look so ALIKE and act so ALIKE." She narrowed her eyes.
"It's difficult not to think you guys are biologically related…" She added.
Aria noticed the tense atmosphere and she frowned. She looked around and smiled when she saw a small group of kids playing in the kid's section of the restaurant. "Mommy I want to play there!" She tugged her shirt taking her attention from Kimberly.
"Okay, I will call you when the food is ready, but first order what you want to eat." Adriana smiled at her daughter's intention but the reason why they are inside the restaurant is because she's hungry.
"Try this, I promise it's delicious." Kimberly pointed at a kid's meal on the menu. "Aunty you eat meals made for kids?" Aria asked.
"Cough* I do….sometimes."
Aria gave her a dead stare.
"Fine fine. Every time I come here I order the kid's meal. It's that good." She admitted and pinched Aria's cheeks. "You caught me." She chuckled.
Aria smiled brightly. For some reason the pinching in her cheeks made by Kimberly did not make her annoyed and uncomfortable like it usually would. She liked the warmth the woman showed her and she felt that Kimberly looked at her as if she was her family, this made her really happy!
If there is one thing Aria loves is when people treat her kindly. She can feel the intentions of the people around her so when she saw kindness from someone she couldn't help but warm up to them. No wonder she ran off with the 'handsome uncle' without telling her mother.
A few minutes ago she was still a bit sketchy but seeing how her mother didn't have her guards up against Kimberly assured her that she isn't a bad person.
She decided to order the kid's meal Kimberly recommended and she reluctantly headed towards the playroom. She sighed knowing she would probably spend her time sitting down and just observing the other kid's play.
When Aria was gone Kimberly turned to Adriana. "She is-"
Adriana smiled and she took a sip from the water already prepared for them in the table. "Noah's daughter." She finished.
Kimberly was quiet. She folded her hands together and tried to sink in the information. She was already suspicious about it but hearing her admit it was so much different.
"And…." Adriana paused. "James." She said simply.
"James?" Kimberly asked. "Ari and James are twins." She replied.
"W-what?"