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“Yep, but you’ll need to grab the chainsaw from the farm on your way up.”
“Did you and dad finish building the back deck?”
“It’s framed out, but that’s as far as we got before he complained it was too cold to be working outdoors.”
Dad and Mom enjoyed looking out the windows at winter but had grown tired of the freezing temperatures.They would never become snow birds though, nor would their family want them to leave New England.
I nodded, glad to have a second job to keep me busy.“And the new glass slider door?”
“Still packaged and sitting in the living room.”
I would take care of that too, regardless of the temperature.
Plan set in place, I told Jacob I’d be seeing him, hung up, and packed enough warm clothes to get me through a couple of weeks.I even boxed most of the food in my apartment so that I wouldn’t have to drag my ass into town for groceries and talk to anyone for a long time.
Feeling somewhat refreshed from my nap, I tossed my things into the back of my SUV, gassed up at a 24-hour station, and hopped on the highway.Boston faded in my rearview along with the suburbs.Darkness surrounded me on the lonely highway, as void of light as my chest felt of life.
I would be able to sneak into the barn to get the chainsaw without waking up Mom and Dad before escaping all hints of humanity and losing myself in the deep woods of Maine where no one and nothing could hurt me.I’d already suffered enough at the hands of men who didn’t deserve my heart.
Maybe I would eventually figure out who I was again.
Find a reason for living beyond choosing and pleasing others.
Chapter22
JJ
Alex had signed himself out of the hospital against both my and Teresa’s urging two days after his attack.He needed to be in rehab, but he refused.At least he’d remembered where he’d left his car—two blocks away from where I’d found him.
I’d had it towed to their place since I wasn’t about to leave him alone.I’d been by both his and Teresa’s sides since the attack, only going to my place once for a quick shower and change of clothes after Alex’s wife assured me she wouldn’t let him leave the hospital room.
When we got back to their house, both Wyatt and Aaron came running out into the cold without coats.
“Dad!”They both shrieked, faces full of happiness.
Sadness pinged through my chest.My friend had no clue how blessed he was or how his choices would affect his loved ones if he didn’t start thinking about more than just himself.
Alex climbed from the car with difficulty, the stubborn fuck, and both boys pulled up at the sight of his battered face.“I ran into a tree—and his branches got me good,” he joked.
Giggles rang out, and I eventually shifted off the driver seat to follow him, Teresa, and the boys into the house.
Janie greeted us in the entryway but had no words and nothing but a glare for Alex.She stomped into the kitchen.“Boys!”she called out, motioning them to follow her.“Those cookies need to come out of the oven!”
Either she didn’t want them to watch Alex’s attempts to walk up the stairs, or the fact her brother had lost his life to drugs embittered her toward her girlfriend’s husband.
Sulking and moving slow, Alex climbed the stairs to their bedroom, not allowing me or his wife to help him.
In silence, we watched him disappear down the second floor hallway.
“You had Janie sweep the house?”I asked quietly, double-checking she’d told her lover to find all the hiding spots Alex could have stashed drugs like I’d suggested.Fuck knew Janie was experienced having lived with her brother for three years while he’d battled his addiction.
“Yes.She didn’t find anything,” Teresa replied, shedding her coat and kicking off her shoes.“Coffee and cookies before you go?”
I only had an hour before Kellen expected me, and rather than running home only to turn around a half hour later and head back this way, I agreed to stay.
More giggles sounded as I followed Teresa into the kitchen that smelled of chocolate and sugar.
My stomach rumbled, and I realized I hadn’t eaten since breakfast.
