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“Why would we be mad?” Dad asks, eyeing my sister and me.
“Because you hate her? Because of what she did to Maverick?”
“Oh, Willow, honey.” Mom steps forward, taking my sister’s hand. “Things are so complicated with all that, I know. But we don’t hate Beatrice. We were angry for a while back then, but time and perspective, it really helped us see that she wasn’t in the wrong, sweetheart.”
“She sent him to jail.” Willow flicks her thumb in my direction, her nose wrinkled in disgust as her head shakes.
“No, Willow,” Dad answers, sighing. “Your brother’s actions sent him to jail. And he was punished for them, lightly in the grand scheme of things.”
“But she retracted her statement, he might not have done any time if she hadn’t.”
It’s my mom’s turn to sigh then as she lets go of Willow’s hand and wraps an arm around her shoulders. “And he still could have served the full year he did, if not longer. Beatrice had her reasons for pulling her statement,” she says, and my brows dip.How does my mom know?“She was just a kid, Willow. As were you and your brother. We failed as parents, letting our anger get the better of us when we should have taken the time to look at the facts.”
“But, Mom—”
“I beat that guy to a pulp, Will,” I say, stepping in front of her and placing my hands on her shoulders as she looks up at me with sad and confused eyes. “And I don’t regret it. I deserved the time I served, Willow. Just as he deserves way more than that. But that isn’t something I get to decide.”
“So, what? We all just forget?”
“No, Willow. But we move on,” I tell her, pressing a kiss to her head. “If Bea and I can get past it, then everyone else needs to. We were the ones who suffered for our actions.”
“You really forgive her?” she breathes.
“There isn’t anything to forgive.” I step back, my eyes lifting to the sky as rain clouds hover over us. “She made a choice, and I understand it. Just as I made the choice to hurt Sebastian. We both made mistakes back then, but I can’t regret them.”
“You really are in love with her?” She gasps, her chest heaving.
“Yeah, I really am. And as I told you, Willow, if I have to choose . . .” I turn to face my mom and dad then, flicking my gaze between them as the words flow out of my mouth. “It will always be her. She’s not just a girl I love. She’s my lifeline.”
“I-I—” Willow chokes on her words, her eyes swimming as she spins on her heels and rushes off the field. I close my eyes, turning to face my mom and dad who stare on in shock, matching sorrow dripping from their expressions.
“I’m sorry,” I tell them, my head dropping to the floor.
“You have nothing to apologize for. I think your dad and I are to blame when it comes to Willow’s strong emotions with Beatrice. We weren’t exactly great role models back then,” Mom says, tucking her arm around my back and leaning into my chest. “We, as your parents, didn’t do our job well back then. We let our anger get the best of us, instead of asking questions. I regret that, especially knowing that in the long run all we’ve done is hurt the three of you. Your dad and I, we reconnected with her parents a few months ago.”
“You did? How come you never told us?”
Mom shrugs, her lips turning down. “We didn’t want to hurt you, any of you. But we made mistakes. We made them back then and we made them now. We all have things to atone for when it comes to that girl. She was just a kid in a terrible situation that not many would survive, but she did.
“If you want to be with her, Maverick, you have our full support, you know that, right? Even if we still had reservations about her and those days, all we ever want is for you to be happy, and if she is the person to give you that, then we could never stand in your way.”
“While I appreciate the sentiments—” I laugh without humor. “It’s a bit late for that one, she left me. Dropped out of college and everything just to get away from me.”
Mom steps in front of me, her hand cupping my jaw. “I saw her this morning.”
“You did?”
She nods. “She was shopping with her mom. I don’t know what led to her leaving you. But if I had to guess, I’d say she’s pretty miserable without you,” she says, and her voice dips as she speaks for only me to hear. “I don’t know the full extent of her trauma, Maverick. But I do know that she struggles with her mental health, and I think that girl deserves some happiness after everything she’s been through. Some of those thingsweput her through, I can never forgive myself for the way we spoke about her back then, and I don’t ever expect her to forgive us either. But I do know that you two are magnetic. You always have been. If she’s the one, Maverick, you go and get her.”
“What if she doesn’t want me back, Mom?” I ask, feeling like a lost little boy again. “She says we’re not good together, and I don’t know how to prove her wrong.”
“You don’t let her go,” my dad says, clapping his hand over my shoulder. “You hold on tight and show her every single day who you are.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Beatrice
“Youshouldn’tbehere.”My mouth gapes as I stare at my ex in front of me, his hands tucked into the pockets of his black jeans, his coat long and expensive. His dark hair is slicked back, showcasing his prominent jaw and cheekbones. The swing stutters to a stop, my heels dragging through the mud.
