AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“And when will that be, Easton?” She asks, her voice taking on an edge that I haven’t heard in a long time. Normally when we talk about this, she’s more soft spoken and tries to understand where my grief is coming from. This is a new side of her though. “Your daughter is getting older, and then she’s going to leave and be out on her own. What then?”
To be honest, that’s something I’ve thought about myself, not that I’ll admit to that right now. My mind conjures up images of Autumn standing next to Bethany at her graduation, a bright smile on her face as she celebrates my daughter's accomplishments as her own.
“I’m not ready right now, Ma.”
Beside me Bethany huffs and pushes away from the table, her cheeks pink when she looks at me. “I’ve tried not to say anything, but I don’t like seeing you like this, Dad.” She takes a deep breath and gives me a small smile. “I know about you and Autumn.”
My mother perks up at the mention of Autumn’s name and gives my daughter her full attention. Meanwhile, my face drains of color and I can’t look away from Bethany. “H-how do you know anything about that?”
She rolls her eyes and hugs herself. “That’s not important, Dad. Stop lying to yourself and be happy already.” There’s still a mountain of food on her plate when she walks away and I’m left staring dumbfoundedly after her at a loss for words.
Why would Autumn tell Bethany anything? I trusted her and now that’s all gone down the drain. It’s so quiet in the dining room when the front door opens that you can hear every single cricket nearby, along with Savanna and Dawson’s giggles in the entryway.
Savanna clamps her lips together when she comes to a stop inside the doorway, noting the serious looks on our faces, then she slowly backs away from us. “I’m, uh, going to see who’s winning the game.”
“Sav,” I holler, forcing her to stop mid-step. “Get back here. You aren’t out of the woods yet.”
She sighs and slowly walks into the room, while Dawson gives her a gentle kiss on the forehead before following the sound of the TV. I’m tapping my foot rapidly on the floor, trying to contain my anger before I flip out on everyone here, and level my eyes on my little sister.
“What’s up?” She’s fidgeting with her hands on her lap, which shows me she knows exactly what’s going on. Savanna is normally here when my mother gets into her matchmaking stage of the evening.
“How the hell does Bethany know anything about me and Autumn?”
Her eyes dart around the room, looking at everything except me, and I growl in frustration before she finally gives me her attention. “We may have been talking about it and Bethany overheard the conversation. But—.”
I throw my hands in the air to cut her off, then shake my head. “It was my business to tell when I was ready. There’s nothing going on with Autumn and me, got it?” I say as I look between Mom and Sav. Both of their gazes are heavy on me, but they nod when I look at them individually.
I’m more than ready to cut this night short.
My mother frowns when I push away from the table, her eyes sad, and it’s almost enough to make me change my mind. I need a breather though. Bethany is smiling at my dad while he repeats everything the sports announcer says and I watch them for a few moments, basking in the fact that they are able to have these moments at all.
There was a brief time months ago that I thought he was leaving us forever, but I should’ve known that his ticker would be strong. He gave everyone quite a scare, but it brought Dawson and Savanna back together when she came back to town to be with him, so that’s a good thing.
I clear my throat and catch everyone’s attention, choosing to ignore Savanna and my mother behind me as I tap on Bethany’s shoulder. “Come on, Bethany, we’re heading out early.”
She stares at me defiantly and shakes her head. “What if I want to stay?”
“Not tonight. You’re coming home with me.”
“That’s not fair!” She hollers, making everyone around us jump. Bethany can have an attitude at times, but it’s rare for her to raise her voice at me. “Just because you are upset shouldn’t mean that I have to go, too.”
My dad sighs and plants a soft kiss to the top of her head. “Sorry, kiddo, your dad is the boss and he wants you to head out with him. Maybe next time you stay we can do ice cream sundaes, yeah?”
No matter how many times I tell them she doesn’t need all kinds of junk food, that doesn’t stop them from giving it to her. Is it really that difficult for anyone in this place to listen to me? I hold my hand out and frown. “Let’s go, Bethany. Now.”
She huffs, then stomps away from the couch without grabbing my hand and pushes the front door open. I don’t say anything else as I walk away to follow Bethany out to the truck. She’s already sitting in the passenger seat when I step off the front porch, her gaze narrowed and pointed toward a cluster of trees in front of her window, and she doesn’t say anything as I climb into the front seat with her.
The rest of the ride is silent and it’s not long before I’m pulling in front of my house with Bethany still sulking beside me. I expect her to dash out of the car and continue ignoring me, but instead she sighs and looks over at me. “It would be cool, you know? I like Autumn; she doesn’t treat me like a little kid.”
I groan. “I don’t want to have this conversation again, Bethany. I’m not ready.”
Tears well up in her eyes and she snaps her head away from me, which makes me feel worse than I already do. I don’t like seeing her this way, but doesn’t she realize I’m trying to do all this for her? To protect her from the hurt that she would feel when Autumn decided she was leaving?
“It’s not that simple, Bethy,” I whisper while angling her gaze back over to mine and wiping at the tears that have escaped down her cheeks. “One day, you’ll understand.”
She sniffles and shrugs away from my touch, then jumps out of the truck without another word. My only hope is that after some sleep she’ll be more willing to understand my views come morning. There’s a light on in the living room when I walk up the front porch steps and it brings my anger rushing right back to the surface.
Autumn is sitting on the couch with a frown when I casually walk into the house and she looks at me in concern. “What’s going on?” You can tell she’s worried about why Bethany is crying, which only makes these feelings more confusing than before.
