Page 115 of Truck Me

“Is Rayne okay? The poor thing was so upset.”

“I told her to go to Grams’ house. Once I get Jim’s hand clean, I’ll call and check on her.”

“Thank you.” I turn to head back to the kitchen when Lois calls out for me. “Garret.” I glance over my shoulder. “You’re a good man. I just want you to know that. I’m sure you had your reasons for keeping your secret. I don’t hold that against you.”

I nod, and for what feels like the millionth time tonight, I choke back tears. “Thanks. That means a lot to me.”

Just then, Charlotte comes back into the room with a pair of tweezers held out. Our eyes meet for a split second before she looks away. I take the tweezers and head back to the kitchen with my head down.

Her mom may not hold it against me, but she clearly does.

That knowledge cracks open my wounded heart even more. All the pain and anguish I have over the decisions I made crash through me and sucks whatever hope I’d been hanging onto right out of me.

I closed up my heart a long time ago for a reason. If recent events have taught me anything, it’s that I should have kept my heart locked up tight.

Now my heart no longer belongs to me. Whether she wants it or not, it belongs to Charlotte. Unfortunately, I don’t think she wants it.

I push my shoulders back and harden my outer shell. Now is not the time to fall apart. I can do that later when I’m home and alone with the memories of my mistakes.

Right now, all that matters is taking care of Jim and making sure everyone is okay.

Chapter 25

When recovering seems impossible.

Charlotte

Three days have passed since the incident with my dad. And it’s been three days since I saw Garret. He looked just as broken as I feel.

The pain and anguish in his eyes were almost enough to make me hug him. Despite the secret he held onto—a secret that ripped my heart to shreds—I wanted to comfort him. I wanted to tell him everything would be alright even though I don’t know if it will be.

As much as I want to tell him that I forgive him, I don’t know if I can.

How can I be with someone who was also with my sister? It makes me feel dirty like I’ve somehow disgraced her memory. I’m still struggling with moving past her death and now I have to add sleeping with the same man to the list of issues to work through.

I rub my hands over my face before I fall back onto my bed. Thinking about him is the last thing I need to do right now. I need to be focused on my parents and Rayne.

Rayne hasn’t gone back to school yet. We decided to keep her home for a couple more days until we figure out what’s going on with Dad.

Dad is still in the hospital, and Mom has stayed with him even though he doesn’t recognize her. He lost a lot of blood and needed several stitches to close up the wound on his hand. Not even a hint of his memory has come back. His doctor is monitoring him closely. The hard truth is if he doesn’t know us, he can’t come home.

I’ve never seen Mom such a mess before. My mom has always been the strength of this family. When Carol died, Dad and I retreated into our sorrow. Dad shut down for a while, unable to even look at Rayne without breaking down into tears. And I ran away and rarely came back. Being home was a constant reminder that I’d never hear my sister’s laugh again or see her smiling face.

But Mom stood tall and pushed forward with life. She hurt just as much as we did, but she buried that pain and did what needed to be done for Rayne. I wish I could be half the woman my mom is. Maybe then I’d be able to face Garret and move past this.

I squeeze my eyes closed as more tears form and I wince at the pain. My face hurts far worse than I ever imagined.

Pushing to my feet, I step over to the mirror and inspect the damage. Dad got me good. My left eye is a little swollen and black and blue. My cheek is discolored too. Even my arms are bruised from where Dad grabbed me.

At least I stopped him from hurting Mom. I’d never be able to forgive myself if he did this to her. I’m young and will recover quickly, but injuries like this could have been much harder on someone Mom’s age.

Just as I lean forward to take a closer look at the swelling, there’s a knock on the door. Stepping up to the window that faces the front of the house, I see my car in the driveway.

Garret.

My belly immediately feels light, and a tingling sensation washes over me. My heart kicks into overdrive and my chest feels tight at the mere thought of seeing him.

He knocks again, causing me to jump. Maybe if I ignore him, he’ll leave. I’m not sure I can handle it just yet. My mind is telling me to maintain distance, but my body is begging to feel his touch.