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If that would’ve happened ten years ago, I probably wouldn’t have walked away. Prison changed me, and now I'm a different man who has a lot more to lose.
Was he a friend of Gabe’s?
I walk inside with a fake smile plastered on my face even though shit like this eats away at my conscience. As I cross the large open room, I try not to smash the cardboard with the force of my grip. Tyler notices, and I give him a smile and open the box.
“I brought donuts for everyone. Where's Gemma?” I glance around but don’t see her.
Tyler studies me before meeting my eyes. “She'll be here any minute.”
He continues staring, and I forgot he’s even more observant than my sister. “Everything okay?”
“Honestly, no,” I admit. After I get my thoughts together, I explain what happened at the bakery and with the guy on the street. “It makes me feel awkward in social situations. Like this town would be better off if I weren’t here.”
Tyler shakes his head and places his strong grip on my shoulder. “You know, when I returned, people whispered about me in the grocery store and everywhere else they’d see me. They'd call me a convict under their breaths. I didn't think I’d even be able to find work with my past. Thankfully, your dad took a chance and hired me. Otherwise, I don’t know what I would’ve done.”
He smiles, then continues. “After a while, they got over it. People stopped talking shit and moved on to the next big thing because you know it’s something different every week. The same will happen for you too. They'll get over it,” he says confidently. “Or I’ll kick their asses.”
I chuckle, but my blood starts pumping again as I think about all the unfairness he experienced.
“You didn't murder a family member. Or your best friend’s husband. Or a man who was about to be a father.” I sigh, brushing a hand through my hair because those aren’t easy things to admit aloud. “Our situations aren’t the same, Tyler. I know why you’re saying that and being encouraging, but I’m not convinced it’ll ever get easier for me. You were helping a friend and got framed. Every single day I sat behind bars, I knew I was paying for the consequences of my actions and wishing I could take it all back. I never wanted my cousin to die. I didn't want Katie's husband not to be there for her or their son. I stole that from them. Everyone in town knows it too.”
“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 fixyou. 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 agoodson. Agoodbrother. Agoodperson. 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 lovealldonuts. 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.
