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“But you wouldn’t do that.”
“If I was strung out, who knows? In my right mind, I wouldn’t do that to anyone. Hunter was responsible for what he did, don’t get me wrong. I am not minimizing it. The coke, however, did make him violent.”
I studied his face and I realized that I’d held in my breath. No words could give him comfort for how he and Hunter had been torn farther apart as brothers. Chase didn’t seem to want to strengthen his relationship with his parents, but he did with Hunter. He loved Hunter like I loved Cindy, but acknowledging it meant that something had to be done about it. He could possibly be rejected but I knew in my heart that Hunter wouldn’t reject Chase. Hunter was as desperate for Chase to be in his life again as I’d been for Cindy to come back to me.
“To outsiders, it looked like my parents were showing us tough love. I rented a room with some college students and I couldn’t believe how fast the five thousand went. I worked at a local fast-food joint. Did a lot of carpentry. God must’ve been looking out for me, ’cause I always made enough for the rent. And when I got into UM, I paid for one flight, took one suitcase with me, and didn’t look back.”
I pushed him down on the sand and I held his broad face in my hands. “I love you.” I squeezed the tip of his nose. “And don’t think you can ever stop me from saying it again.”
Chapter 17
Bethany
“I know one other lady who drinks a morir soñado.” Nico arched one pale brow.
Brianna was serving tables. We’d started carpooling to work this week. We saved money on gas. Plus I liked having the company to and from work. Chase was knee deep in his current project and we’d stayed in his guestroom. Since we hadn’t been able to keep our hands off of each other, he had to work in the living room.
“And she likes her ice blended in. I like mine crushed or regular,” I said.
He started making Cindy’s drink when her lilac perfume wafted in the air. As she looked at me, she beamed. It reminded me of the good times we’d had when she pushed me on the swing in our former backyard, and the time she’d made a sand castle with Jake, Mariska, and I in the park.
Nico gave Cindy her morir soñado.
“I was beginning to think you’d keep ignoring me, Bethany.”
“And I’d begun to accept that I may never see you again, Mom.”
“It was a spur-of-the-moment decision to go—”
“Bullshit. You were gonna stay in our old house if yo
u and Mr. Baxter hadn’t run off into the sunset together. I would’ve found work and paid all of the bills, like I did in high school. Like a dummie.” I opened my satchel and took out the note she’d written me and dropped it on the counter. “What is this? The sixtieth or seventieth time you’ve gone after”—I made air quotes—“‘the one’?”
“John couldn’t make it with me through thick and thin,” she said with an edge to her voice. “No, he wasn’t the one.”
I put my hand on my hip. “I bet he decided that keeping his job and his family mattered more than his affair—”
Cindy interrupted me and pointed her finger at me. “Don’t go judging me or making assumptions.”
I drank some of my morir soñado and heaved in a breath. “I tried not to judge you. Really. I did. But you made the judgment that I wasn’t worth a simple explanation. Some respect. Would I have tried to change your mind? Hell yes. If Uncle Anton and Aunt Deborah hadn’t taken me in, what would you have done if Mrs. Landry, Mrs. Cox, or Mrs. Muldoon didn’t take me in? I gave up a great summer job because I wanted to be with you.”
She twisted her lips and rolled her eyes. “Those are all what-ifs. None of that happened. And perhaps I am mistaken, but things ended up real good on your end.”
I gave a dry laugh. “And what about your judgment that what you wanted was more important than Mr. Baxter’s family?”
“They haven’t slept together in a year,” she replied with a look of disbelief racing across her face. “They were just living in a home together. Not as husband and wife.”
I slapped my thigh. “Is that all that you think a marriage is about? Why’d he go back to his family, then? Huh?”
She sipped her drink slowly, feigning composure, but I saw the fire in those dark blue eyes. Minutes had passed when she said, “I want you to move back to Franklin Parks with me. We can get an apartment if— ”
“I’d stay right here if I were you,” I interrupted. “Start fresh. I am not living with you again. You need to work and pay Uncle Anton something for your stay. Play time is over.”
“Looking for a good man is work.”
“Being a decent person is never-ending work. You may wanna start there first.” Taking my drink, I slipped down from the stool and walked to an empty table Brianna was cleaning off.
***
