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I nod, thinking of all the times I could have intervened and didn’t.
“My Bethie, my sweet wife, died last year. When she was sick, she made me swear to not look the other way anymore. She made me swear to fight for the little guy and do what’s right. Since then, I’ve tried to be different. One of the things that is so very wrong with this town is your uncle. I’m hoping to take him down. And with him, your asshole cousin.” His gaze narrows. “I hope I have your support in that. I hope that you’re better than I was when I was younger. I’m prayin’ that you listen to that part of yourself that wants to do the right thing.”
I sit back for a moment. It’s a scary thing to contemplate going up against my uncle. I think of the way he’s always treated me. I think of the younger version of me that wanted to be like him or my dad. I wanted to wear the nice suit and have power over everyone else. Then, I think of the broken innocence on Ronnie’s face and I know what I have to do.
“I’m ready to do whatever it takes to make sure Ronnie is taken care of, even if that means breaking some family ties. “
Sheriff Taylor stares down at his desk and clears his throat. When he glances up, a broad smile takes over his face. “That’s what I was hoping you would say. Let’s take the fuckers down.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
My dad tried to give me a talk on the birds and bees once. It didn’t go well. He sweated through his shirt and couldn’t look me in the eyes for a week. - Ronnie
Ronnie
Sawyer is abnormally quiet on the way home after his chat with the sheriff. He grabs my hand when I start to open the front door to follow Dad in.
“I wish there was some way I could have made that better for you. I hated that you had to go through all of that.” Sawyer’s face is solemn and full of concern. I know the whole morning hasn’t been fun for him either, but he’s been exactly where I needed him; right next to me.
I shrug my shoulders. “It could have been worse. I had you and Dad there and it made things so much better. I’m not used to having two guys on my side.” I give him a weak smile and he wraps his arms around me in a tight hug.
“Well, I guess you’ll have to get used to it then because I’m not going anywhere.” I feel his lips kiss the top of my head.
I back up and stare into his dark brown eyes. Dang, those eyes pack a punch. He kisses me lightly on the lips, and I smile.
“Go get some sleep princess, and I’ll call you later.”
“Thanks, Sawyer.”
I start to walk away, but his hand grabs mine. “Oh, and princess, you and I have a date coming up, in case you didn’t already know that.”
“We do?’ I ask.
“We do, and I’ll take you somewhere fancy and we’ll forget all about this stuff.”
My stomach clenches with excitement. A real date? I turn around and jump into Sawyer’s arms. “Sounds like a plan to me.”
My dad is sitting at the kitchen table when I walk inside. His hair looks like he just stuck his finger in an electric socket. His collar is rumpled like he’s been tugging at it. I realize at this moment that I haven’t seen dad this frazzled since Mom died. I hate that he shoulders so much. I will be out of the house in a few months, but right now I feel like a child that needs her daddy. I feel guilty that my dad gets crippled with all of this responsibility.
I sit down at the small table across from him. “I’m so sorry Dad.” I gaze down and fidget with the locket around my neck.
He grabs my hands in his. “Ronnie, there is nothing to be sorry for. What that creep did to you is nothing you should feel guilty about. I feel guilty that you didn’t feel you could be honest with me.” He shifts uncomfortably in his chair. “Maybe I have sheltered you too much.” He runs his hands through his hair and sighs. “When your mom died, I didn’t have a guide on how to raise a teenage girl. The only thing I knew was to protect you the best way I could.”
“Dad, you’ve done great. Maybe you’ve been a bit overprotective sometimes, but what happened this weekend wasn’t your fault either. I promise, from now on, no matter what, even if it’s something I don’t think you’ll want to hear, I’ll be honest with you.”
“You’re eighteen so you can make your own choices, but you have no idea how much I appreciate that.”
Dad pulls away from me. “Promise me you won’t blame yourself for what happened. I want you to know with absolute certainty that you did nothing wrong.”
My eyes fill with tears. “But I put myself in that situation.” I prop my head up on my chin. “Mom would never have found herself in that kind of circumstance. She would have stayed away from those people and she would have made better decisions. I feel like what I did would have disappointed her.” I wipe at the tear on my cheek.
Dad’s head snaps up and his vulnerable green eyes meet mine. I may have inherited my red hair from my mom, but I have my dad’s eyes. They look so impossibly sad right now.
“Ronnie, your mom wasn’t perfect. None of us are. She made mistakes too.” He clears his throat and I can tell he’s trying not to lose it. “I think when she knew she was sick, she tried to make it look like everything was perfect. I let her. She wanted you to be okay and she was worried about the lessons she would leave behind. She tried too hard to make it sound like you had to be the perfect lady. She knew she wouldn’t be there later on to give you all of the advice you would need.”
He reaches for my hand. “I’m here to tell you, Ronnie, and I’m sure your mom would tell you too, that you don’t need to be perfect. All you need to be is you.”
I look down at our joined hands. I can hear the sincerity in his voice. Do I even know how to just be me without Mom’s voice in the background of my head? I shake my head to clear all my muddled thoughts. My throat is tight. I suddenly don’t want to talk about me anymore. I clear my throat.
