“I was completely open with you,” I say. “I shared everything with you, and you kept this from me!”
“I know!” he answers, kissing my hand gently.
“And I had to find out from your best friend’s wife! Do you have any idea how shocking that was?”
“I can imagine, and I’m so, so sorry.”
Even though I want to hold out, his pain makes a deep impression on me. His eyes are rimmed with red, as if he hasn’t slept in days, and with every secret he exposes, he seems to crumple, as if life leaves him with every admission.
And I can give it back to him. Only I can.
“Please, Alisha, come home with me,” he says. “I know I don’t deserve it, but it doesn’t have to be reconciliation. Just let me keep you safe. That’s all I ask.”
The idea of being trapped in his house with him makes my heart lurch, but it’s not entirely in fear or mistrust.
I slipped up before…and slept with him. It would be easy to do it again.
Brad grips my knee, his eyes wide and pleading. “I can’t bear the thought of you being hurt,” he says.
Even though my defenses try to rise, I realize I can’t put them back up. He genuinely cares for me, and he’d sacrifice himself to keep me safe—that much is clear.
I look into his eyes for a few more minutes, thinking about my own secret, and how it feels like there’s still too much in this town I don’t know about.
Why do I feel like I still don’t have the whole truth?
I examine Brad’s face one more time, and I know, when it comes to us, his soul has been scrubbed clean. I can sense other things—dangerous things—but it doesn’t have anything to do with the two of us, or anything that happened in our past.
“Please, Alisha,” he says. “Come home with me.”
I think about it for only one more moment, considering not just myself, but his child that he doesn’t even know about yet.
“Okay,” I answer. “I’ll come home with you, Brad.”
And this time, I’ll be the one holding back.
Chapter 19 - Brad
On the way home in the truck, I keep glancing over at Alisha just to make sure she’s real. I spent so much time worrying about her that now, I can’t make the feeling go away.
As if I know, deep down in my bones, that Grace is right…
The idea spooks me, but I still decide not to tell Alisha about the spirit. I could be scaring her for absolutely no reason. A few heat signatures and glowing rocks don’t mean the thing is going to be jumping out of its shallow grave anytime soon.
It might just go away. We have no evidence at all that it’s going to come back, and the old legends are of no use anymore. Maybe it just wants to go back to its rock and sleep.
When we get home, Alisha seems extremely tired, as if just the short drive has worn her out. I help her up the path, and I can tell she wants to do it on her own, but lets me hold her, anyway.
Like she’s afraid of falling.
“How about you rest up,” I say, gesturing to the living room. “I’ll start some dinner.”
“That sounds good,” she answers. “And I wouldn’t mind putting my feet up for a bit.”
“I could make some pasta, or—”
“Do we have any steak?”
“Yeah…I think so.” I give her a curious look. It’s unusual for you to eat a big chunk of meat.”
