Tripp turned to Beth, pulling her close. “How are you doing?”
“I’m not going to lie to you, Tripp. I’ve been better.”
“Brick left with Stone and Kitty about forty minutes before you and Nora walked out. He got his forehead stitched up but that was the only thing I could spot. He looked fine otherwise.”
Of course he did, the stupid little shit.
“Beth, why was she with him? I thought she was going to the basketball game with Monica and Gretchen tonight.”
“I thought so too. I don’t know the entire story yet. And what I do know…” She shook her head as she trailed off, looking to Nora, who was now getting a hug from Bennett. She looked back to Tripp and sighed. “I can’t handle anything else tonight, Tripp.”
“I know.” He reached up to cup the side of her face in his palm.
Beth closed her eyes as she leaned into his touch. More than a small part of her craved for his arms around her body. But she knew if he held her again she’d lose it for real this time, something she couldn’t do in the middle of this waiting room.
That wasn’t the only thing she had to contend with. There was that new nagging voice at the back of her mind, the one that kept repeating she’d been too distracted by her relationship with Tripp to pay attention to her niece. Nora had been dating this whole time and she hadn’t even noticed.
But she wasn’t ready to delve into that at the moment, either.
She pulled away from him, opening her eyes and shaking her head as she stepped back.
Confusion flickered in his eyes. “Beth?”
“I need to get Nora home. It’s been a long night.”
“Okay,” he said slowly, his eyes searching her face. “Finn took me to pick up my truck at the station, so I can drive you. But I need to go back to do the accident report.”
She just nodded before she turned and went back to Nora.
They were able to leave a few minutes later. All of Beth’s friends told her that if she needed anything, all she had to do was call. By the time she headed outside with Tripp, Nora, and Wallace her head was pounding.
Tripp’s hand rested at the small of her back. It was an odd thing to both crave his touch and want to run away from it. It was just that she couldn’t handle being comforted right now. Instead of soothing her, his touch was about to make her break down into a sobbing mess. There was also the fact that she could never truly think properly when he had his hands on her—and if there was ever a time she needed to think properly, it was now.
When they got to the truck Wallace pulled Nora into another hug, probably his twentieth of the night. “I love you, granddaughter.”
“I love you, too, papa.”
When he pulled back, that stern look Beth had grown up with transformed his face. “You and I are going to have a conversation tomorrow.”
“I know.” Nora nodded.
Wallace helped Nora into the backseat on the passenger side, and as Beth was rounding to the driver’s side, Tripp seemed to figure out pretty quickly that she would be sitting in the back as well. He helped her up, but when his hands left her body a slight sense of relief ran through her.
It instantly made her feel guilty.
Once she and Nora were settled in with their seat belts on, Nora leaned over and rested her head in Beth’s lap. Beth’s hand went to her niece’s hair, gently running her fingers through it.
Tripp started his truck and backed out of the parking spot a moment later. The five-minute car ride home was a silent one; none of them uttering a single word. Beth stared out the side window into the darkness, unable to stop the evening’s events from replaying in her brain.
She felt like she was going to throw up.
When they got to the house, Tripp helped Nora out of the truck while Beth unlocked the front door.
Mel was coming down the hallway as everyone made their way inside. She stopped when she saw Nora, letting out a sigh of relief. As Beth and Mel had been texting for most of the night—Beth had been sending updates on Nora while checking on Penny and Grant—Mel knew exactly what had happened. But seeing was believing, and Beth knew that full well.
“Oh, thank God you’re okay.” Mel pulled Nora into a hug and kissed the girl on the temple before letting go. “I’ll leave you guys to it. Penny and Grant went to bed about an hour ago. Duke is with Grant.”
But just as Mel said the dog’s name, the clicks of Duke’s nails sounded on the hardwood floor.
“Or he was with Grant,” Mel corrected as Duke went right up to Nora and butted his furry head against her thigh. “Good night. Call me if you need me tomorrow.” She grabbed Beth’s hand and squeezed gently, patted Tripp on the shoulder, and then was out the door.
Beth, Tripp, and Nora stood in the silent hallway for just a moment before Nora turned and looked up at Tripp. “I…I’m glad it was you.” Her voice trailed off at the end and she looked so damn lost.
“Come here, kiddo.” Tripp pulled her into a hug, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
As Beth watched them, her throat constricted and she took an unsteady breath, fighting back her tears.
“Get some rest.” Tripp pulled back, Nora’s shoulders gripped in his hands.
Nora just nodded before turning to Beth, a question in her eyes.
“I’ll be there in a second.”
“Okay,” Nora said before she headed for her bedroom.
Beth watched her niece walk away, beyond relieved at having her home again. When Nora disappeared around the corner, she turned to Tripp.
“You know, that’s twice now that you’ve saved one of my kids.” She shook her head and blinked. The tears that had threatened just moments ago now fell freely.
“Beth.” Tripp had her in his arms not even a second later and she found herself falling off the edge of that precipice she’d been precariously balanced on all night.
She couldn’t summon the strength to pull away, and she didn’t want to. Instead she pressed her face to his chest and good and truly lost it. The emotions her body had gone through over the last couple of hours had exhausted her beyond all reason and she wouldn’t have been able to hold anything back even if she tried. Body-wracking sobs had taken over, but Tripp didn’t let go of her; he just held on tight.
“She’s going to be okay, Beth,” he whispered against her ear.
“It could’ve been so much worse.”
He pulled away only far enough to look down into her face. “Babe, this world is full of could’ves, would’ves, and should’ves. They’re all hypotheticals, but Nora making it through what happened today? That’s a reality.” He ran his fingers along her hairline. “This wasn’t your fault.”
She dropped her gaze at his words, unable to look at him because she didn’t believe him. Didn’t believe what he’d just said in the slightest.
“Beth.” He whispered her name as he touched her chin, gently nudging it up until her eyes were on him again. “This wasn’t your fault,” he repeated. “Tell me you know that.”
“I can’t tell you that, Tripp. If I did I’d be lying.”
He didn’t say anything as his eyes searched hers. What he found there she didn’t know, but he must’ve realized he wasn’t going to convince her. Instead he leaned down to brush his lips across hers.
“I love you,” he said against her mouth.
“I love you, too.”
“I don’t know how late I’m going to be tonight. Do you want me to text you before I come back?”
“Actually, Nora asked if she could sleep with me tonight. And I told her yes.”
“All right. It’s probably for the best. I’m going to have to get up early in the morning anyway, and you need a full night’s sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow then. And you’ll call me if you need anything?”
“I’ll call you.”
He kissed her again, his lips softly working over hers before he pulled away. Duke had been sitting at the entrance to the hallway, and when Tripp took a step b
ack the dog approached and gently brushed against Beth’s legs before following his owner. She watched the two of them head out into the night.
She flipped the deadbolt before she turned around and leaned against the door, taking a few unsteady breaths.
Everything just felt wrong. Everything. And she had no clue how to fix it.
It was an effort to force the feeling down before she pushed off the door a second later and headed down the hallway. She peeked into Penny’s room and then Grant’s, seeing them both sound asleep in their beds, before continuing on.
Soft light filtered out into the hallway from the open door of Nora’s room. When Beth got to the doorway she found Nora sitting on the edge of her bed, staring off into space. When she lightly knocked, Nora looked over, swiping at her tears with her uninjured hand.
Beth entered and sat down next to Nora, who leaned over and rested her head on Beth’s shoulder.
“We can talk about all of this tomorrow,” Beth said as she leaned her head against Nora’s. “After some sleep and a strong cup of coffee.” Or five.
“Okay.” Nora nodded slowly, her hair brushing against Beth’s check with the movement. “I’m sorry,” she whispered after a moment.
“I know.” Beth lifted her head, turning so she could place a kiss to her niece’s hair. “I know.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Burning House
Sleep proved an elusive bitch for Beth that night. She probably had a dozen nightmares—full of would’ves, could’ves, and should’ves. No matter how hard she tried, those what ifs wouldn’t stop. The last dream—which woke her up just after five in the morning—had been the worst: Nora dressed in a blue dress, eyes closed, skin pale and cold as she lay in a casket.
Heart slamming hard in her chest, Beth rolled over in bed and pulled a warm and very much alive Nora into her arms. Nora snuggled in closer, her soft breaths moving across the skin of Beth’s neck. Beth lay there for an hour, counting every single one of those breaths.
It was around six when she finally got out of bed, heading for the kitchen and turning on the coffee maker. Ten minutes later she was sitting on the sofa on the back porch, a steaming cup of coffee in hand.
Her brain started to run through the last couple of months with Nora, going over what she knew, everything that she’d learned so far, and trying to puzzle it all together. But she didn’t have all of the pieces yet, and she wouldn’t until she talked to her niece.
But whether she had all of the pieces or not, there was a part of the puzzle that was pretty damn clear. This was partly her fault…her fault because of Tripp. There was no way around it; she’d been so wrapped up in him that she’d missed this whole thing with Nora. Because really, this was a massive freaking thing to miss.
She shouldn’t have been this blind to it. Should’ve realized something was going on. Anything.
But no. The only things she’d noticed were what were right there in front of her face. Like bad attitudes and blue hair. Hell, she’d missed that stupid piercing for months. And that had happened before Tripp had even come into the picture.
So many things had happened before Tripp, so many things that she hadn’t seen. Like Grant “borrowing” Duke. And Grant going out on that lake during a thunderstorm. She still cringed when she thought about that.
The only reason she hadn’t missed anything with Penny yet was because Penny was too young to start hiding things. And that was probably going to change in no time at all. Beth cringed again at that thought.
She’d been so focused on going through all of her failings that she didn’t even realize that an hour had passed, but it had. The sun was starting to light up the sky—not to mention her cup of coffee was empty. She’d been about to get up to get another cup when she heard Duke running around next door, and not a moment later Tripp was outside.
Everything in her stilled as she just sat and listened. She closed her eyes, letting his voice fill her ears. She wondered what time he’d gotten home last night, how much sleep he’d gotten, how late he’d be today…
It would be so easy to find out. All she had to do was open her mouth and ask. She only needed to say his name and she knew he’d come over, sit down next to her on the couch and let her curl up into his side.
She said nothing.
He stayed outside for about twenty minutes playing fetch with Duke before heading back in. A half an hour later she heard his truck engine turn over before he drove away.
Regret filled her chest and it only intensified as the sound of his truck disappeared. She hadn’t even realized when she’d started crying, but her cheeks were definitely wet with tears.
* * *
It was close to nine and Beth was working on her third cup of coffee when Nora finally ambled outside. Her light brown hair was tousled around her head, her eyes sleepy.
“How are you feeling?”
“I hurt all over,” Nora said as she gingerly sat down next to Beth. “I took some of the pain meds they gave me last night.”
The prescription Nora had been given was definitely going to do more for her than over-the-counter stuff, but Beth had no doubt she’d still be feeling the aftereffects of the accident for a few days.
“Can I have some?” Nora nodded to Beth’s cup.
Beth handed it over and Nora let out a satisfied sigh after her first sip. They sat in silence until Nora finished the entire cup, leaning over to the coffee table and setting it down on the glass surface.
“Okay, I’m ready,” she said as she pulled her legs up onto the sofa and crossed them, grimacing for a moment before her face relaxed.
“Oh, are you?” Beth’s eyebrows rose.
“Yup. It’s time for me to face the music.”
“You’re going to tell me everything? Honestly?”
“Yes.” Nora nodded. “I don’t want to lie to you anymore.”
“Good. I don’t want you to lie to me anymore, either.”
“So I told you it all started at the Spring Fling. I’d never really talked to Brick before then, but he saw me and came up to me. After talking for a little bit he asked me out. He, uh, was there when I went to the movies with Gretchen and Monica that night.”
“Now I know I specifically asked who you were going with.”
“Yes.” Nora looked more than a little chagrined. “But you never asked if anyone was going to be meeting us at the movies.”
“You still lied to me.”
“I know.”
“What else?”
“Well, he’s been at all of the basketball games, the party at Greg Inglewood’s a few weeks ago, and…and he’s been driving me home from school.”
“Have the two of you been inside the house by yourselves?” Beth asked, glad she was no longer holding anything breakable in her hands.
Nora pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and started chewing. It was a moment before she let go. “Yes. We’d make out on the sofa before Grant got home.”
“Nora!” Beth closed her eyes and sighed, trying hard to keep calm. The more she learned the more appealing her dream of locking Nora up in a tower became. Too bad that wasn’t an option. She took a deep breath before looking at her niece again.
“I know he shouldn’t have been in the house. I know the rules. But I wanted to be with him and he never pushed me beyond my comfort zone before. Whenever things…” she trailed off for a moment as her cheeks turned red, “escalated, I would tell him to stop, and he would. Without hesitation. But last night”—she shook her head, confusion in her eyes—“it was like a switch flipped. I told him no and he freaked out. He called me…” She paused, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment again. “He called me a cocktease.”
Beth bit her tongue, stopping herself from saying what she thought about the stupid little shit. “But he stopped?” She’d already asked that question the night before, but she needed to hear it again.
Nora squirmed uncomfortably. “After a minute he did. I had to…I had to say it more than
once.”
Beth’s hands were balled into fists, her nails painfully digging into her palms.
“He’s not who I thought he was.” Nora shook her head.
“Who did you think he was, Nora? Because if you thought he was something great, why would you hide him? Why would you not tell me about him? Why would you keep him a secret? Why would you sneak around?”
“I don’t know.” Nora raised her shoulder in a small shrug and then winced at the movement. “I really don’t. I just…did it.”
“You know you’re grounded, right?” Beth asked.
“That I actually do know.” Nora nodded.
“No phone, no going out, no friends coming over. Two months, Nora.”
“I understand.” She nodded again. “Last night really scared me.” Her gaze dropped as she started fiddling with the hem of her sleep shorts. “It brought everything from a year ago back. All I could think about were Mom and Dad, and how…and how it had happened to them. How they died. How I could’ve…” Her voice had gotten smaller and smaller as she talked, before finally trailing off. She didn’t need to finish the sentence for Beth to understand.
“That’s all I could think about, too.” Beth reached out and grabbed Nora’s hand, the gesture causing Nora to look up.
“I’m sorry for lying to you, Aunt B. I really, really am.”
“I believe you. But no more lying, Nora.”
“I promise. No more.”
“I want you to know something. Sneaking around and lying aside, what happened last night wasn’t your fault. You’re not in trouble because of that accident, or because of what Brick did. You’re supposed to be able to trust the person you date. Supposed to believe that they will respect your boundaries, sexual or otherwise. That’s the healthy way to approach dating. What he did…his reaction to you saying ‘no’…” Beth shook her head, taking a moment to breathe past the constriction in her throat. “This wasn’t your fault. Do you understand that?”
Nora blinked, tears falling from her eyes, before she slowly nodded. “I understand,” she said thickly.
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