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I pull away from him. I can’t do this anymore. This is too much all at once. “I’m tired,” I tell him as I walk away. “You should go.”
“Come home with me.”
“Are you crazy?” Reluctantly, I face him.
“I just…I feel like if I leave, then I’ll lose my chance. Come with me. You wouldn’t have to hang out with me. Lily could keep you company.”
“No. I can’t think clearly with you around. Just go.” I walk to my room without waiting to see if he leaves.
I watch her disappear into her room. I finish cleaning up her spilt soda and then I leave. I have no other choice. There’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll be back. Giving up isn’t an option. Not when she still loves me. I’ll work through her hate for me until all that remains is her love for me.
Lily goes nuts when I arrive home. I reach down and rub her head. “Sorry, girl. Didn’t mean to be gone all day.” I grab her leash, deciding to take her for a walk. She could use the exercise and freedom. Plus, there’s a nice breeze to make the June heat bearable. My phone rings, so I pull it from my pocket to answer.
“Hey, Dad.”
“Hey. Doing all right?”
“I talked to Brittany,” is all I say.
“It didn’t go well?”
“Nope. She’s not doing so great and she wants nothing to do with me.”
“Are you really surprised?”
I sigh. “No, but that doesn’t make it easier.”
“Nothing good ever comes easy.”
His response makes me laugh. “I’m pretty sure I’ve told Brittany that before.” We talk for a while longer. Dad calls to check in more than he did before I told him, but it’s not too
bad. Our relationship is as good if not better than it was when my mom was alive. We hang up and the rest of my walk is spent in silence.
Lily suddenly tugs hard as we approach my house. I don’t expect it and her leash leaves my hand. When I follow my gaze to what she’s running toward, I nearly fall to my knees in relief and surprise. Brittany is sitting on my porch steps. My gaze travels over her while she loves on Lily. She’s wearing shorts and a tank top. Her hair is pulled up into a messy ponytail.
“Hey,” I say softly.
Brittany looks up at me. “Hey.”
I take a seat next to her. Why is she here? Did she change her mind already? That seems too good to be true. “She missed you. We both did.” Lily is resting her head on Brittany’s knees while she pets her. She doesn’t say anything, and finally, I ask, “What brings you here?”
“My mom called me after you left. I told her everything.”
“And?” I hold my breath.
“And,” she sighs, “for some reason, she thinks you deserve a chance to prove yourself. My dad disagreed.”
“What do you think?”
“I don’t know yet. I have questions.” ‘I don’t know yet’ is a better response than the firm ‘no’ I got earlier. “How many attempts were there?” she asks quietly, keeping her focus on Lily.
“Only those two.”
“So while we…” She trails off, glancing at me. I shake my head. “Or after?”
“No.”
“When did the thoughts start?”
