My hand instantly goes to my chest. “I would love to help you. I’m so honored you even asked. Yes. Absolutely. When is the wedding?”
“In two weeks,” Lexie says.
I look at Raffe, and he shrugs. “Welcome to the club. You never know what the fuck is going to happen next.”
My head swivels back to the two girls standing outside of Dirk’s window. “Okay. Can you come over tomorrow and we’ll see what we’re working with?”
They both clap. “Okay, we’ll see you then,” they say, walking backward to Lexie’s car. “We’ve got so much to do. We’re going to the junkyard next to see if Elizabeth has enough flowers for me too,” Kelsie says happily.
Lexie looks at Dirk. “But remember, we’re keeping this on the DL.” She draws a zipper over her mouth.
He ignores her and turns to me. “What the fuck does DL mean?”
“No idea.”
Raffe laughs next to us. “Down low.” He shakes his head.
Dirk and I both shrug.
When we pull up in front of Raffe and Rachel’s house, the three of us sit quietly. Eventually, we get out and go inside. Raffe shows me to Jackson’s room. I sit down on his bed, my gaze trailing over the space.
“I’m going to go grab my stuff. Feel free to look around.”
I nod, biting back tears. His room is nice. I lie back on the bed, chuckling at the pinup model staring back at me.
Dirk walks in and sits down beside me. He pulls his letter out of his pocket. “Did you ever get one?” he asks.
“Yes. It was a warning that your wife was about to show up.”
He laughs. “She really does feel bad about setting your shit on fire.”
“Yeah, I feel bad she had to be the one to get me to pull my head out of my ass.”
He looks back at me. “It’s a lot easier to breathe though, isn’t it?”
I chuckle.
He hands me his letter. “Read it to me.”
I sit up and scoot beside him. “Are you sure?”
“Wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t.”
Slowly, I unfold it and read:
“Dearest brother,
I bet you’re wondering why you are the last to get a letter. I wish I had a good answer for you, but I don’t. You’ve been the hardest one for me to come clean with. And I didn’t need to leave you a letter explaining the situation; I knew you’d eventually see it from my eyes and give Jenny a fair chance. You may seem grumpy most of the time, but I know you are quietly watching everyone, keeping things balanced and fair.
I also know you spent years looking for Jenny and me. I’m sorry for my hand in both of those situations. I’m sorry I wandered away from you that day at the park, and I’m sorry for hiding Jenny while you and Raffe still searched. I know it left you with a feeling of helplessness. I’m so incredibly regretful of that.
As you’ve seen, I’m trying to correct my mistakes. I know it’s late, and I’m already gone, but it gives me peace to know that someday everything will be aligned.
Now comes the part where I ask one last favor of my big brother. There is a file hidden under the drawer in my bedside table. Inside you will find the dental records for the girl who is buried under Jenny’s name. I know you’re curious as to how I pulled this off. It’s simple. I paid the coroner. It’s not something I’m proud of, but I panicked when Lily arrived with news of Jenny, and I didn’t know what else to do.
I’ve worked tirelessly trying to figure out who Jane Doe really is, and after months of searching I think I finally have a name. All I need you to do is find her family. I’m certain you will beable to find them with today’s technology. I would have done it myself, but it seems I’ve run out of time.
She deserves to go home, Dirk. Please help me make that happen so my soul can finally be free.
