Ashiya entered the kitchen with a handful of plates and cups she’d taken from around the house. Russell and his cousin Isaac were in there. They both had glasses with brown liquor in their hands, and Russell had a rare smile on his face. When he looked at Ashiya, his smile slowly faded. He didn’t seem upset to see her, but she couldn’t make out the emotion behind his expression.
“Everything okay?” she asked. She took the dishes to the trash can to scrape out the food.
“It is,” he said. “Isaac and I were just laughing about the way Rodrick used to prank me when we were younger.”
“Oh really?” Ashiya smiled when she heard the humor in his voice. It was the best he’d sounded since things went down.
“Yeah, he was always doing something silly. There was this one time I’d worked so hard to rack up all these points in this video game. I spent all summer getting to one of the top levels, and I had a collection of weapons and prizes.”
“What happened?” Ashiya took the empty plates over to the sink.
“He did something to make it look like the game had been reset. I thought I lost everything. I was so pissed.”
Isaac laughed and shook his head. “You were more than pissed. You cried.”
“I didn’t cry,” Russell said playfully hitting his cousin’s arm.
“Yes the hell you did. I remember. There were tears.”
“Oh no!” Ashiya said giggling. There were a ton of dishes piled up. She placed the stopper in the sink, turned on the water and added a squirt of dish detergent. Russell’s parents didn’t have a dishwasher, and she didn’t want to leave them with more things to worry about.
“Oh yes,” Isaac said, still grinning. “He cried like a baby.”
Ashiya put some of the dishes in the soapy water. “What happened?”
Russell lifted a shoulder. “Rodrick realized I was really upset and told me what he did. All my stuff was still there. I didn’t have to start over. Then he helped me get to the top level.”
“That was cool,” she said.
“It was,” he said, fondness in his voice. “That’s the kind of brother he was. He might play pranks on me, but he always did what he could to make things right if I ever got upset. He was my best friend.” Russell’s voice trailed off. He stared down into the glass in his hand and took a long breath.
Ashiya stopped the water and went over to him. She placed one hand on his arm and the other on his back. “I wish I had been able to meet him.”
“Yeah...me too,” he said.
She wanted to pull him into her arms and hold him the way she had when he’d cried the day the body was found. She wanted him to know he didn’t have to be strong or hold himself together when she was around. She loved him. She didn’t want him to suffer alone.
Russell sniffed and hastily brushed his eyes. He shifted, and her hands fell away. “I need to check on Mom and Dad. I left them with some of their friends from the church, and I think Mom is getting tired.”
Ashiya nodded and stepped back. She wouldn’t push. She’d give him his space. “Sure. Go take care of them.”
He glanced at her, gave her a tight smile, and then hurried out of the kitchen. Ashiya watched him go with a heavy heart. She didn’t want him to think she was in the way. A burden he shouldn’t have to deal with. He hadn’t said he loved her back. She’d told him those words in the hospital, but he hadn’t reciprocated. What if he just wanted her out of his life while he dealt with this?
She didn’t want to focus on that right now. Instead she went back to the sink to wash the dishes.
“You know, you don’t have to do that,” Isaac said.
Ashiya glanced at him over her shoulder. “I know, but I want to.”
“Why?” he asked, sounding suspicious.
“Because they’ve got enough to deal with. A sink full of dishes shouldn’t be another thing.” She grabbed the sponge and started cleaning.
“They’ve got a whole house of family here do to that.” Isaac said in a dismissive voice.
“I just want to help.”
“Why? So you can show Russell what a good girlfriend you are, and he’ll forget about the way you treated him?” Isaac’s voice was filled with ridicule.
Ashiya spun around. “What?”
Isaac glared back as if she were an intruder in their sacred space. “You heard me. I was there after you broke his heart. You’re not good for him. So this good girl act you’re trying to put on now isn’t working. Russell has enough going on in his life right now without having to worry about dealing with your flighty ass. If you really care about him, then you’ll go ahead and get out of his life.”
Isaac gave her one last dismissive glare before stalking out of the kitchen. Ashiya stood there dumbfounded. Her hands trembled as she turned back to the sink and her vision blurred. She finished washing the dishes and left.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
ASHIYA WAS IN the middle of packing her items to go back to Hilton Head when her doorbell rang. Groaning, she swiped the tears from her eyes before throwing a shirt into the suitcase. She was ready to get the hell out of Jackson Falls and back to the relative safety, comfort and privacy of her home in Hilton Head.
Funny how the first few nights she hadn’t been able to sleep in that house, and now it was the one place she wanted to retreat to.
With a sigh, she made her way to the front door. One look through the curtains and a glimpse of her parents sent alarm through her. They didn’t visit her at her place, and they damn sure wouldn’t come together.
Ashiya rushed to open the door. “What happened? Is everyone okay? Please don’t tell me someone is hurt.”
Her parents stared at her, stunned, before her mom stepped forward and placed her hands on either side of her face. “We came to check on you. You were the only person hurt recently.”
The answer was so surprising that Ashiya pushed her mom’s hands away and scoffed. “Really? You didn’t have to come over here for that.”
Ashiya turned and went into the house. Behind her, the glass screen door creaked as her parents scrambled through to follow her inside. She stopped in the living area and turned to face them. She almost laughed at the incredulous looks on their faces. Her mom’s mouth was pinched into a tight line, and her dad’s nostrils flared as if she’d cursed them.
Her dad spoke first. “How could you say we didn’t need to come over here for that? You were attacked and left in a closet.”
She lifted a shoulder. “Maybe because you didn’t seem that concerned when I was left in a basement as a kid. I figured it would be like last time and you two would just act as if it never happened.”
Her mom stepped forward. “Ashiya, don’t say that. Of course we care. This is different.”
“Why? Because I was hit over the head before going in? It was no scarier then the last time I woke up alone in the dark with no idea if or when someone would come find me.”
Her throat thickened, and she took a deep breath. She crossed her arms and swallowed hard. She was not going to cry in front of them. Not over this and not over what happened with Melissa. Just like last time, she’d gotten over what happened, and she’d do the same now. She didn’t need coddling from her parents, Russell, or anyone else.
“I’m sorry,” her mom said. “We’re sorry.” She pointed at her dad, then back at her. “You’re right. We shouldn’t have left you there.”
Her dad stepped up next to Elizabeth. “And we shouldn’t have pretended everything was okay afterwards.”
How long had she waited for them to admit they were wrong? How long had she wanted to see the looks of regret and sorrow on their faces? She’d expected to feel validated, relieved, cared for. Instead, their afterthoughts of pity only made her angry. Apologizing now didn’t take away the years of hurt.
“No. You shouldn’t have. I was a kid.
All I wanted was for you two to be happy. I didn’t want to be the one hurt in your never-ending fight to get back at each other. Sometimes I think it would have been better if you’d just gotten a divorce instead of acting as if everything was fine.”
George looked at Elizabeth. Her mom gave a jerky nod. When her dad looked back at her his eyes were sad. “That’s why we are getting a divorce now,” he said solemnly.
Ashiya dropped her arms and frowned. “You are?”
Her mom nodded. “After our confrontation at the party, I told your dad what you said. We both had to come to the realization that our attempts to hurt each other also hurt you. You’re right, it wasn’t okay, and we were wrong.”
George stepped forward and held out his hands as if he were begging for forgiveness. “We don’t want to continue to hurt you or each other. You’ve got a new start with the Legacy Group. It’s time for us to start over as well.”
“But...” She glanced first at her mom and then at her dad. “You two still love each other. I know you do.”
Her parents shared a glance. Her mom’s sigh was sad and full of regret. “We did love each other. I’ll always care about your father because marrying him gave me you. But there’s no way we can come back from the years of what we’ve done to each other.”
“Or what we’ve done to you,” George said.
Ashiya tried to figure out all of the emotions swirling through her after her parents’ revelation. Yes, they needed to get a divorce. Should have left each other years ago when they realized their egos wouldn’t let them get past the hurt and heal. She was mad it had taken this long. That it took her getting hit over the head and locked in a closet to make them finally realize that their fight had scarred her.
What did they want from her? For her to say “good job” and give them a hug? She wasn’t in the space to give that right now. She had her own stuff to deal with. Getting things settled with the Legacy Group. Nurturing her relationship with Russell. Getting rid of the nightmares that blended her time alone as a kid with the time as an adult that had popped up after in the aftermath of what happened.
“If you’re happy, then I’m happy,” was all she could say in a tired voice. “I’m okay. No lingering side effects from the concussion. Melissa is behind bars waiting to be sentenced for a ton of charges. I’m packing my clothes so that I can get back to Hilton Head tomorrow.”
“So soon?” her mom said.
“Already?” her dad said at the same time.
She would have laughed at the disappointment in their voices if she weren’t so tired. Now they wanted her around. She wasn’t writing her parents off, but she needed space to heal. Her parents’ feelings were no longer her top priority. Still, she cared about them, and no matter how much they infuriated her, she wouldn’t intentionally be cruel.
“I need to get back to work. There are a lot of things to settle there.”
“What about your store here?” her mom asked.
“I’m going to turn over full management to Lyndsey. She’s handled things well while I’ve been gone. I think she’ll continue to make the place profitable.”
She’d had that talk with Lyndsey the day before the funeral. She wasn’t going to let go of Piece Together. It was the first thing she’d built, and she was proud of it. Instead, she was going to let Lindsey purchase a portion of the business and continue to run things while Ashiya focused on working with Levi to keep the Legacy Group going.
“But you put everything you had into that store,” her dad said. “Now you want to give it up to work at my mom’s company?”
“I put everything into that store because I didn’t want to be a part of the Robidoux family fight for power. When I went to Hilton Head, I expected to be involved in another fight and try to get out of it just as quickly. Instead, it turns out I work pretty well with my cousin, I like my aunts, and I want to see the Legacy Group rebound from what happened. Just like you need a fresh start, so do I. This is mine.”
She could see the fight start in her mom’s eyes. Her dad placed a hand on her arm and shook his head. When he looked back at Ashiya, he said, “If you’re sure, make certain you’re doing this on your own terms.”
Ashiya nodded. “I am. I finally feel as if I’ve found a place for me.”
“What about Russell?” her mom threw out. Knowing her mom, she was still trying to find a way to keep Ashiya close. “I hear he’s going to be working with Elaina. Does this mean your relationship with him is a way to tie the two corporations together?”
“My relationship with Russell is something we both want and has nothing to do with the companies. If anything, I plan to keep them both separate for as long as possible. He feels the same. We both agree we won’t accept interference from anyone on this.”
She met her mom’s gaze and kept her voice direct. She meant it. Whatever happened between her and Russell would be between them. If she had to craft a contract that said the two companies would always remain separate, she would. She didn’t know if the things his cousin said had come from Russell or were just Isaac’s own thoughts, but if there was even a small crumb of a chance Russell disagreed with Isaac, she wanted him to know she was not her mom, Elaina or anyone else in her family. She was coming to him as just herself, with her heart, and her honest intentions.
Her dad smiled at her and nodded. “Good. I want you to be happy, Ashiya. Don’t make the mistakes we made.”
“I don’t plan to,” she said honestly.
Her mom sighed, and her shoulders relaxed. She came over and wrapped Ashiya in a hug. When she pulled back, her eyes were bright. “Fine. Your mom will learn to stay out of your business. For once I’ll agree with your dad in front of him. Be happy, Ashiya. Don’t ever settle for less. Don’t end up heartbroken like us.”
* * *
RUSSELL SAT ON the swing on his parents’ back porch. Their backyard hadn’t changed much in the years since he’d left. His dad’s shed full of tools and lawn equipment was still in the left corner. His mom’s small vegetable garden occupied the right corner. In the middle was the birch tree his mom planted when his brother disappeared. The tree symbolized hope. The day she planted it, she’d said it was a physical representation of her belief her son was alive and coming home.
Russell’s vision blurred. He wiped away the tears and sniffed. He was surprised he even had tears left. The rational part of his brain had told him years ago that Rodrick was dead. When they’d declared him dead, he’d thought he’d dealt with all the emotions of losing his brother. The funeral they’d had this week brought up all the shit he’d thought he’d dealt with. His brother really and truly wasn’t ever coming home. That hurt more than anything.
The back door opened. He glanced over and gave his dad a weak smile. “Is the house still full?”
His dad chuckled and came over. He’d gotten rid of the black jacket of his suit and the tie and was dressed in a white button-up shirt untucked from his slacks. “Yep, though some people have left. Your mom’s sisters aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. They know she needs them.”
Russell slid over and give his dad more room on the porch swing. “What about you? What do you need?”
His dad let out a long, heavy breath. “Nothing.”
“Really? Cause I feel like I need to hit something, have another hard drink, or just run and hide.” He tried to lighten his tone, but the pain still bled through.
His dad squeezed his shoulder. “Doing that won’t bring Rodrick back. We all knew this day would come.”
“Still... I didn’t want it to be like this. He shouldn’t have gone like that.”
“He shouldn’t have. I think about all the lectures I gave him before he went to college. Don’t party with strangers who won’t care about you. Don’t drink too much when you’re out and about. Be careful of the company you keep. I think about that, and a part of me wants to get mad bec
ause he didn’t listen, but getting mad won’t bring him back either.”
“I feel like getting mad is all I have left,” Russell said.
“It’s not, son. We’ve got a lot left. I’ve got your mother, who I love with my whole heart. I know she’s hurting just as much as I am, but we’ll get through this together. I’ve got you.” His dad squeezed his shoulder again. “My baby boy who grew up into a responsible man. You gave us the closure we needed. You didn’t have to pursue this the way you did, but I’m glad you did. We wouldn’t have known what happened. We wouldn’t have been able to lay him to rest.”
“I wish I’d found better news,” Russell said.
“You could have found nothing. I’ll take bad news rather than the no news we had before. Did we want Rodrick home alive? Yes. Did we all know deep down he wasn’t coming back?” He let out a heavy sigh. “Yes.” He paused for a second before continuing. His voice solemn but sure. “We’ve got answers. The people who hid what happened will pay. That’s more than a lot of other people get.”
Russell nodded. He looked back at the tree. “Are you going to cut it down?”
“Nah. Your mom already said she’s keeping it. Now she’s hoping for grandchildren to climb it.”
Russell coughed. “Grandkids! What? Where did that come from?”
His dad laughed and pounded him on the back. “From you bringing Ashiya around. We noticed how much she helped out around here. Your mom is ready to open the door to the next chapter. I think I even heard her and your Aunt Delphina talk about a wedding next year.”
“Hold up, Mom is already planning a wedding?” Russell asked, surprised.
His dad gave him a sharp look. “Shouldn’t she? Or are you not serious about her? Because the way she stood by your side and helped out the family says she’s a long-term kind of person.”
He met his dad’s stare for a few seconds before looking away. “I’ve thought about it, but...”
“But what?”
Russell didn’t want to tell his parents about what hadn’t gone well with Ashiya. He liked that they liked her. He wasn’t ready to plan a wedding, but the idea of her being his wife one day didn’t fill him with panic as it once would have.
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