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“It was an accident,” Tyler stresses. “Bad things happen to good people.”
“It doesn’t take away the fact that my aunt and uncle lost their only child and refuse to talk to my dad. You and Gemma won’t have them in your baby’s life because of me. People treat me like I'll break into their houses and kill their family. It makes me want to pack up my shit and leave, then start new where no one knows who I am.”
Tyler looks at me with pity, which I hate, but I just laid a bunch of shit on him. I take a bite of a donut as Tyler processes my words. “I understand where you're coming from, Noah, but leaving won’t fix you. The burden is carried inside wherever you go. You’ll still have to work through that. Being out of prison takes some getting used to, but I know you’ll eventually adjust. Things would be different if you went down to that bar that night with the intent to kill him. You just wanted him to go home to his pregnant wife. I know you’d take it back if you could, but you can't, so you need to work through that guilt. You deserve good things to happen to you, and you can't let people who whisper about you ruin it. You're a good son. A good brother. A good person. And not one damn person in this town will convince me otherwise. Not even you. The next few months will be the hardest, but I’m here for you, man. I promise you that.”
I appreciate Tyler so damn much and get emotional just thinking how I’d get through this without him. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but I hadn’t really known what to expect.
Just as Tyler and I finish our conversation, Gemma arrives. Immediately, she spots the box of goodies and makes a beeline toward the counter with a smile on her face. Leaning over, she peeks inside, then turns to us.
“Who's responsible for my sugar rush today?”
Tyler lifts his hands. “It wasn't me.”
Gemma smirks, then grabs a chocolate-filled one. “Thanks, bro. You know exactly what I like.”
I look at the donut, then back at her. “I thought you liked the blueberry ones.”
“Oh, I love all donuts. I’m not picky!” She nearly devours it in three big bites, then goes for another. When I give her a look and laugh, she glares at me.
“Hey, I'm eating for two here.” She points at her little bump.
Tyler playfully rolls his eyes. “Don't blame it on the baby. You would’ve gone for seconds regardless.”
She shrugs, taking another. “Don't judge me, or I just might take this whole box,” she says, then walks away laughing.
Gemma has a way of lightening my mood. There's no way I can tell her what happened today. She's already concerned I’ll move away even though I wouldn’t leave when she’s expecting.
Every person I’ve ever loved is here. I want to be in my niece’s or nephew’s life. It's important for me to make up for all the lost time. Plus, my dad's not getting any younger. Though now that he's busy most days with his girlfriend, I still want to be around for him.
After Tyler and I snag a donut for ourselves, I look over today’s list of tasks. The building’s old, and it's gonna take a lot of manpower to get it where it needs to be on time. I'm happy there’s a lot to do. If I was sitting at home doing nothing, I’d probably go crazy.
Thankfully, most of the walls are prepped since Smith had started before I was released. The drywall is hung, and all the nail holes have been spackled. This week, I’ll be painting.
I grab my supplies as Smith walks me through the list of things that still need to be done. He’s experienced in this stuff, and I’m happy he’s taken me under his wing. Learning from him has been a nice advantage of working here.
Based on his list, he suspects the grand opening will be in three to four months.
I've made a silent commitment to bust my ass and help make that happen sooner.
I’ll work extra hours and put in as much time as I possibly can to make sure they open ahead of schedule. There’s still a lot to do, like the plumbing and some electrical. Tyler wants to install a juice bar, which I think will do great since the gym is downtown. There’ll also be a boxing ring and a yoga studio. We still have to lay the flooring, hang all the mirrors, create an office space, and put together the workout equipment once it’s delivered. When the walls are painted, we can start tackling the larger items, so I spend most of my day on that.
