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I scan every inch of his room in search of a note—for some sort of goodbye—but find nothing.
“I forbid you to . . .” Dad doesn’t complete that sentence when he registers Dalton’s absence.
“You forbid me? I’m a grown adult, Dad. I can do what I want.”
“Not while you’re under my roof. You will not defy the Word or me.”
“Save it. He’s gone. Are you happy?” I toss my arms up in the air like a lunatic. I shove past him and march to my room. Maybe he left a note here? A certain sentiment? Anything? He wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye, would he?
Family or friends always leave at some point.
Bad boys never stay. They don’t have the same morals.
Warnings flash through my mind, pieces of truths I want to reject. Dalton wouldn’t do this. Would he? How could he?He said he would never leave.
“Cassie, listen to me. Can’t you see what happened here? You tossed your relationship with Bobby away over some unruly boy who will never amount to anything.”
Back to Bobby?I thought I made myself clear on that point.
“You don’t know what Dalton’s capable of. You’ve seen his talent. You’ve seen his potential. He just needs a freaking break.” My bottom lip trembles as I shove my shaking hands through my hair.
“Don’t raise your tone with me.”
I scoff. “Or what? You’ll force me into a marriage I don’t want?”
“Know your place.”
“Oh sure. My place. And where is that exactly? Following some God that teaches not to judge people? I think you should heed the advice you spew out every Sunday. You stand up there every week and preach about love and respect, but you don’t apply it to people in actual need. You know nothing about Dalton. You sent him packing and home to an unstable environment. His dad abuses him. Did you know that?”
“Come on, Cassie. Wake up. The boy would say anything to play upon your emotions. His endgame was to get you to bed.”
“You’re wrong. My endgame was to get him in bed. He tried talking me out of it.”
My dad cringes. “That’s because he manipulated you with a sob story. You have a kind heart, and he took advantage of it.”
“A sob story? Iwitnessedthe abuse with my eyes! He tried making excuses, but I saw the bruises. I saw the hard slaps. I heard the foul language belittling him, and you sent him back there. If anything bad happens to him, I’ll never forgive you.”
I push past him and head straight to the garage. The garage is my last hope of finding Dalton. Tears sting my eyes. I can hardly breathe. I dial his number on the way, but it goes to voicemail.Don’t freeze me out. Not like what I did to you.
“Cassie, wait,” Dad says, trailing behind me.
I shoot him a glare that says, don’t mess with me and step into the garage.
Darkness greets me, and I want to scream. He’s gone. He actually left without saying goodbye. A vice grip constricts around my heart. I fight back the threatening tears and flip on the light. The ’57 chevy sits in the middle of the room, gleaming under the fluorescent lights like it just came off the assembly line. Pristine and put together. He must’ve come out here last night and finished it. My heart squeezes a little more.
On top of the hood sits the keys. No note.
I turn and glare at my dad. He stands there slack-jawed. “Yeah, he’s a real selfish bastard.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
DALTON
I hitchthe strap of the tote bag higher on my shoulder and stare at the rundown house. A sickening feeling swirls in my stomach. Not much has changed since I’ve been here, other than the yellow paint has faded and chipped away more. I grab the handle on my suitcase and proceed forward. I may as well face my dad now.
Quietness greets me, followed by a raunchy stench. I don’t miss being here, that’s for damn sure. I bypass the dirty dishes filling the sink and scattered across the counter and head to my old bedroom. I never wanted to step foot in this house again. But I should’ve expected it. When you’re a colossal fuckup like me, it’s bound to happen.
It doesn’t take long before I hear the old man stumble inside. Great, he’s already drinking.
