“No,” Caine says, turning to Jack and me. “In the truck now!”
I practically jump to attention, like he’s a drill sergeant or something. But I’m not about to argue. I round the back to the passenger side and hop in.
Caine got a Ford F150, thinking we’d have more boxes. With my mom coming home early, any chance of me checking out anything of my father’s is squashed with her arrival.
My brother jumps into the front passenger seat, and we wait as Caine pushes back up the back hatch, locking it in place before jumping into the driver’s side.
I look out the window to see my mother, red-faced and crying as she watches us drive away.
“That was intense,” Jack says, leaning back in his seat and shutting his eyes.
“That woman could make a saint into a murderer,” Caine grumbles. His hands grip the wheel so tightly I worry he’ll break the wheel.
I reach forward, and through his headrest, I caress the back of his neck.
“Thank you,” I say to him, trying to calm his nerves.
Caine’s eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror. “I love you.”
“I love you,” I reply softly.
“That woman is never allowed in our home,” he adds. “There’s something wrong with her.”
Jack looks back at me, reaching his hand over the center console to the back. I take it and hold his hand as we drive to the hotel.
And as we drive away, I suddenly realize I’m homesick—for Crystal Falls.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Caine
I’d heard firsthand the way Micky’s mother spoke to her. I’d heard the woman say cruel things to me personally. But to see it with my own eyes, that was a whole other level of disgusting.
I tried to prepare myself for the possibility of running into her. I even attempted to be respectful of the jealous bitch. But as soon as she opened her mouth, as soon as she started spewingher hateful nonsense at Mikayla, I was done.
Her hate wasn’t merely directed at her daughter. It was aimed at her son. I understand why Jack defended his mother at first. I would have. I love my mother. I can only assume that Heidi, at one time, was a good mother to him. Maybe she was even a good mother to Mikayla, but the woman standing outside that house was hateful and angry. I wasn’t going to let her hurt either of them any longer, any more than she already had with her cruel words.
Mikayla needs her brother. And Jack needs his sister. I’ve a mind to tell him to stay in Texas. I know he joked about it the other day, but I think he should. It would be good for both of them.
I pull out my phone and call the company I used to charter the plane.
“Yes, Mr. Montgomery, we have a plane set to land in Seattle tomorrow evening at five oh five PM. It’s not the same one you flew in on. We can fly you back to Texas either later that night or first thing the following morning.”
“I’d prefer the following morning. What time?” I ask.
“Would nine AM work?”
“That’s fine, thank you,” I say before ending the call.
I’m relieved we don’t have to drive, though I can still see by the look on Mick’s face… she’d wanted to grab more of her father’s things.
I slide open the deck door and find Mikayla staring in silence, a sad expression on her face as she looks at the city skyline. She sitson a sofa, a blanket draped over her shoulders, with Jack beside her, his feet on the railing.
“I don’t think I’ll ever want to talk to her again,” Jack says after a few moments, before turning and seeing me. “Hey.”
They both look so dejected. I’m hoping that spending the day in town will make them happy. I’ve never been to Seattle and wouldn’t mind seeing the city.
“I got us a flight out the day after tomorrow.”.
