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Feeling her here, next to me. Reminding me that she’s okay.
We head downstairs, and to our surprise, there is no one in the kitchen or living room. The glass doors and windows are open, causing the curtains to blow all around. The rain is back and drowning out the voices outside.
As I guide us to the doors, Natalie pulls back on my arm. “The storm sounds angry. I don’t know that I want to go outside.”
“Maybe it’s not angry. Maybe, it’s washing away the day. Giving us all a clean slate for tomorrow.”
“I guess I need to go face everyone now, don’t I?”
“Yeah, Sweetheart, you do. But I’m with you. If you need me, I’m here.”
Leaning against me, she wraps her arms around my waist. “Thanks, Brady. I wish I could go back to sitting on that couch with you. You know, before everyone came over. I wish I could have a do-over. I would have never left with him.”
“Why did you, Nattie? Why did you go out there with him? I thought… I was looking for you but couldn’t find you.”
“You might have been looking at some point. But first, you were playing beer pong with someone else. Darby texted, and I figured why not. God, that sounds so stupid now. I’ve got about a million reasons why not.”
“Beer pong?”
“Yeah. You were playing with a pretty girl. Tall. Looked like a pink-haired barbie.”
“Kenzie?”
Natalie shrugs her shoulders. Of course, she doesn’t know who Kenzie is.
“Kenzie goes to the all-girls school in Kroydon Hills. She’s related to my Uncle somehow. We’ve just always said she’s a cousin.”
Nat’s arms are crossed protectively as she listens.
“She is tall, and she’s pretty, but I have a newfound need for someone short and gorgeous. Someone who looks like a pixie. Someone whose brother I was planning on talking to tonight before all hell broke loose. I need to talk to him so that he doesn’t kill me when I kiss his sister.”
Running both hands up and down her arms, I go on.
“I know you don’t need to hear this shit tonight, Nattie. But, when you’re ready to hear it, you let me know. I promise I’ll be waiting.”
Those big baby blues are so big and bright right now, and those pretty pink lips have formed the sweetest O.
Heavy footsteps fall across the porch, warning me that we are about to have company.
Cooper pushes ahead of everyone else, and Natalie walks right into his arms.
He’s whispering in her ear. I can’t hear what he’s saying, but I can see she’s crying again.
Jesus, I can’t take this.
Quietly, I extricate myself from the room and walk outside.
From here, I can see the angry waves crashing in the distance. Their white peaks are slamming against the shore. The salty air is clinging to everything like a second skin. The fat raindrops seem almost cartoonish, they are so big and defined
I can’t help but feel like I let this happen. It was under my roof, and I don’t know how to reconcile that. I’ve always beenthat guy.
The one to take care of everything.
To take charge and fix the problems, organize the solution.
Keep everyone safe.
“Brady, man, don’t take this on by yourself. You couldn’t have known what was going to happen.” Sebastian walks up beside me and leans against the rail.
