He smiled, like I amused him, which annoyed me. “Yeah, it was actually. I was planning to wait and leave Wednesday, but I got a text from one of my brothers this morning. I wasn’t sure I could swing it, but I just,” his grin widened, “just got a text that my boss found someone to cover my shifts at work if I leave early. My youngest brother he…My mom worked a lot when we were all growing up and I’ve…I think he sees me as kind of a dad, as well as a big brother, you know. He’s having a tough year at school—” He must have seen worry on my face because he held up his hands and shook his head. “Just typical teenager stuff, you know, but it’s a big deal to him and my mom is at the end of her rope trying to figure out what to do about it.”
“You’re a good, big brother,” I said, my heart melting. “I’ll miss you, but have a good time with your family.”
“You, too,” he said. He hesitated and then pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I’ll miss you.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Wednesday arrived before I was ready and Byron and I headed back home together. He was excited to see Betty, and I was excited for him, but I was also nervous. What would my aunt be like? What would she tell me about my father?
“How are your nightmares?” Byron asked, in his typical straightforward way, once we’d gotten on the road.
“I haven’t had one since I got the whole story from Uncle Leon,” I said. “I’ve been sleeping great. I’m so well-rested, I’m not quite sure what to do with myself.”
“I’m really happy for you, sis,” he said. “What’s the story with you and Worthy?”
“I don’t know, By. He was there to hear all the crazy stuff Uncle Leon revealed about my father and my childhood, and he’s still willing to call himself my boyfriend.”
Byron snorted. “Yeah, I get that. But how do you feel? Are you serious about him?”
“I like him, Byron, more than anyone else. I know it sounds crazy, because he’s the first boyfriend I’ve ever had, one of the first guys I’ve ever dated, but I just…I just feel like I fit with him. He makes me laugh and we like to do the same stuff and he doesn’t expect me to dress up or act like a girl.”
“Well, if it doesn’t work out,” Byron said, eyes on the road. “Bentley’s been asking about you.”
“No,” I said, my reaction visceral. “No, no, no. You are not to get involved in my love life, By.”
Byron chuckled. “I’m not getting involved. I told Bentley I wouldn’t get involved. I’m just passing on information.”
“Good to know.” It was flattering that Bentley was still interested in me, but I had no interest in anyone other than Worthy. “Even so, I think it’s time to turn on that audio-book you brought.”
His eyes lit up. “Yeah?”
I got the feeling I wasn’t going to like this audiobook. “What’s the book about, Byron?”
“It’s about a thrilling criminal case back in the 1800s that set a precedent for all future criminal cases. You’re going to love it.” He turned it on and I settled in to listen.
When we arrived at Leon’s house six hours later, I leapt from the car and kissed the ground. “Thank god we made it,” I said. “I thought my brains were going to start leaking out of my ears.”
Byron rolled his eyes. I couldn’t see his eyes, but he was predictable and had been rolling his eyes at me for the last two hours. “Give it a rest, Remington. You probably even learned something.”
I stood and glared at him as he grabbed his bag from the back. “Learned something I will never, and I do mean never, use in my life. Seriously, Byron, that was the most boring book I have ever been subjected to. I’m picking the book on the way back and it will be interesting and fun. Ever heard of it, F.U.N., fun?”
“There they are,” Leon said. He walked to the truck and took my bag. “I recognized you by the arguing.”
I wrapped my arms around Leon and hugged him like it had been three weeks since I’d seen him and not three days.
Leon lifted me off my feet and put me down, before walking around the truck and slapping Byron on the back. “It’s clear who the favorite around here is,” Byron said, pouting.
“We can’t all be as perfect and sweet as me,” I said.
Byron made a face and I stuck my tongue out.
“My goodness,” a feminine voice said. “They haven’t changed a bit.”
Byron’s face exploded into a wide grin. He vaulted the porch rail and picked a small lady up and gave her a big hug. “Betty,” he said. “How are you?”
Betty laughed, clearly delighted by his welcome. “I’m so happy to see you, Byron.” She looked over his shoulder as he set her down and then stepped around him. She was a tiny woman, probably no more than five feet with delicate bone structure and a youthful appearance, and she had a merry smile that faded only a bit when she saw me. “Rachel,” she said, her voice breathless and tears in her eyes. “Leon’s been keeping me updated on how you’re doing, but it didn’t prepare me…you are so beautiful, sweetheart. You are the image of your mother.”
A memory flickered, of this woman, younger and in scrubs, and the scent of baking cookies. “Aunt Betty?”
A tear rolled down her cheek and she walked over and hugged me. Her sparkling blue eyes and the small diamond in her nose brought back more memories. “Do you remember me, honey?” she asked.
I nodded. I did remember her. She’d given me a Barbie for Christmas the year before I went to live with Leon. I still had that doll somewhere. She’d been laughter, warmth, and safety. “I didn’t get to see you as much as I liked.”
Betty shook her head and put a hand to her mouth. “Oh, I wish things could have been different, sweetheart.”
“We can reminisce inside,” Leon said, giving us a light push. “It’s too chill to stand out on the porch all afternoon.”
Byron and I dropped our bags on the living room floor and followed Betty and Leon into the kitchen. We weren’t in there five minutes before Tennyson, Keats, and Barrett showed up, roaring in with hugs and rude comments for me and Byron and more hugs for Betty. They all loved her so much, even after so many years, and I felt bad all over again that it was my fault they’d been separated from her. I looked at Leon, but he shook his head and gave me a warm smile like he knew what I was thinking.
Once everyone had settled down, Leon told them why Betty had been away for so long. Keats, who was the oldest, seemed unsurprised, but Tennyson and Barrett were shocked. They hugged me again when they learned the truth about my childhood. After feeding us all a huge spaghetti dinner, Betty shooed out all the men, telling them she wanted to talk to me alone.
Betty led me into the living room and sat down on the dainty couch. Betty looked perfectly at home on that delicate, rose-covered couch and I realized, for the first time, that Leon had set up that living room for her. All these years when it seemed so out of place in a house full of burly men, it was waiting for her. I put a hand to my chest to try to keep the tears there and sat down in the love seat across from her.
“How have you been, Rachel?” she asked.
“Please,” I said. “Call me Remy. I don’t really remember Rachel.”
She smiled, but it seemed forced. “Of course, dear. Have you…Leon’s kept me updated over the years on your progress, but have you been happy here?”
I nodded. “Oh, yes. Very happy. Leon’s been like a father to me…I mean, I’m sorry, but I don’t remember much about my real father.”
“It’s okay, Remy. I’m glad Leon is like a father to you. Your own father…well, do you plan to meet him?”
It was a question I’d been avoiding, even in my own head. I wanted to meet him, but I was afraid of what he’d be like. I was afraid he’d be angry at me for staying away or, even worse, glad I’d been gone. “I don’t know. Do you think he’d want to see me?”
“Oh, dear.” Betty stood and sat next to me. She took my hand and squeezed. “Your daddy loved you, dear. He didn’t have the best way of showing it, but he did love yo
u and he was distraught when he thought you’d been killed. Leon wanted me to tell Eunice you’d been killed, and I agreed that was best, but your father was so very upset. I had to tell him that you’d been taken, but were safe. That’s why Leon had to keep you home all those years. If I’d let my brother believe you were dead, you could have had a normal life.”
“I had a good life,” I said. “I might have wished I could go out and meet people, but Leon always made sure I had everything I needed.” I took a deep breath. “Did my father look for me?”
Betty looked down at her hands, and when she looked back up, there were tears in her eyes. “He put the word out about you to everyone he knew and he did look for you, Remy. Eventually, he understood that wherever you were you were better off than you’d been with him, but he never stopped looking for you. Once a year at Christmas, he took a week off and tried to track you down.”
I felt a pang of sympathy for my father and, as much as I hated that he’d been hurt, I was glad he hadn’t given up on me. “What’s he like?”
Betty smiled. “Your daddy is a good ten-years older than me. He was an only child until I was born and our parents adored him. He could do no wrong in their eyes. He’s always been gorgeous and had a killer smile, and he was good at everything he did. He was popular in school and played every sport he could. As a little girl, I thought he walked on water and, when he went off to college, we all thought he’d do great things.”
Betty squeezed my hand and dropped it, turning to look out the window. “I don’t want to make excuses for my brother, because he’s responsible for the choices he made, but our parents hurt him grievously by spoiling him as they did. He got to college and he couldn’t handle not being the golden boy anymore. He was smart, but he wasn’t used to having to work for anything. He drank too much and partied too hard and he flunked out of school in the first semester. We all expected him to come home and resume his role in the family as the golden boy, but I think he was embarrassed about his failure at college. He moved into his own place, in downtown Roanoke, and started looking for a way to make quick money. I didn’t know that he was doing anything illegal. When I saw him, he always had nice clothes and brought me expensive presents. I thought…we all thought he was doing well for himself.
“I was twenty and in my sophomore year of college when your daddy brought your momma home to meet us. Lara, your momma, was sweet and funny, but she was also smart and level-headed, and your daddy adored her. To me, she was a princess, and we all thought she’d keep Eunice in line, keep him grounded.” Betty looked at me and wiped her eyes. “Your daddy loved her…Well, he loved her as much as he knew how. You should understand that your daddy is essentially a selfish man, he was never taught to be anything else, but he loved your momma. When she died, not long after you were born, something in him broke. He blamed himself for her death, saw it as another failure, and got in even deeper with the criminals he associated with.”
She turned to face me and the pain in her eyes brought tears to my own. “I didn’t know that he was involving you in that life, that he was taking you on jobs with him. I didn’t find out about any of that until you were about six and he refused to send you to school. He said he could teach you more at home than you’d ever learn in a classroom, and he was worried about sending you out on your own, worried that someone he’d made angry might try to hurt you. I told myself he was just being paranoid, and I saw that he was teaching you things. You knew the alphabet and all of your numbers. I saw how sad and scared you were, but I told myself you were just a timid child. I told myself a lot of lies because I didn’t want to know the truth. If I admitted how wrong it was, I’d have to take you from him and I couldn’t bear the thought of doing that. He adored you, Remy. He was selfish and a terrible father, but he loved you some kind of fierce. Anything you said you wanted, he got it for you or tried to make it happen. He took you for riding lessons once because you’d seen a horse on T.V. and wanted to know what its fur felt like. I did what I could to keep you with me when he had to work, but I had to work, too, and—”
I took both her hands and squeezed them, as she’d done to mine, not feeling I knew her well enough to offer any more comfort. “You did the best you could and I’m so grateful to you for that,” I said. “I will always be grateful to you for sending me away with Leon. You saved me from my daddy when it mattered.”
Betty gasped and tears streamed down her cheeks. “I hated hurting my brother, but I…”
“I know,” I said. “Thank you.”
“Can I tell him?” she asked. “Can I tell him I’ve seen you?”
I hesitated for only a moment. I had to remind myself that I was an adult and he couldn’t drag me back into his life again. “Yes,” I said. “Yes, I’d like that.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
I walked to biology class Tuesday morning, happy and light-hearted. It was a beautiful, sunshiny day and I was going to see Worthy in a few minutes. I’d gotten back from West Virginia on Sunday, but Worthy hadn’t gotten back until Monday afternoon and he’d had to work the night before, so I hadn’t seen him, yet.
I found a seat next to Harrison and looked around for Worthy.
“Hi Remy,” Harrison said. “How you doing?”
I gave him a smile and hugged him. He froze in my arms and slowly pushed me away. “Let’s not push the boundaries of our friendship,” he said, an odd pink flushing his cheeks.
“Oh, my, goodness, Harrison,” I said, in a mock Southern drawl. “Are you blushing?”
“Shut up,” Harrison said. “I wasn’t expecting physical contact so early in the morning.”
I leaned back and gave him a sly smile, wondering what his problem was, but trying to make light of it. “How was your fall break?”
“I stayed here and worked,” Harrison said. “It was thrilling. How was yours?”
“Enlightening,” I said. “I met my aunt.” I hadn’t told Harrison all the details of my life, but I’d told him enough that he understood the importance of meeting my aunt.
“Wow,” he said. “That is thrilling.”
“It was,” I whispered, just as the professor started speaking and Worthy slid into the seat next to me. He gave me a lopsided smile and didn’t look at me again until class ended.
“Can we talk?” he asked.
“Sure.” I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “I missed you.”
He smiled. “I missed you, too, sweetheart.” He laced his fingers through mine and we walked into the chilly afternoon sunlight together.
“What did you want to talk about?’ I asked.
“I saw…” He turned and face me, placing his hands on my shoulders. “First, tell me about your aunt. What’s she like?”
I heard his question, but I couldn’t stop watching his lips. I loved his lips. His bottom one was a bit full for a guy, and oh so kissable. I laughed and lunged, wrapping my arms around his neck and crushing my mouth to his. He laughed into my mouth and kissed me back.
I stepped away from him before I got too carried away in a public place. “It’s too pretty a day for school,” I said. “Please tell me you don’t have to work today.”
His smile was so brilliant, I swear he glowed. He looked so beautiful and perfect in that bright sunshine. “I don’t have to work today.”
I jumped up and down in place. “Take me back to that waterfall you showed me on our first hike.”
He laughed. “Okay. But you need warmer clothes. It’s freezing out here.”
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll meet you at the trail head in twenty minutes.” I picked up a foot to take off at a run, but stopped and spun to face him instead. “’Wait, what did you want to tell me?”
He grabbed my waist and pulled me flush against him. “I love you, Remington McKinney.”
His words took my breath away. The beauty of the day and his smile made the moment so very perfect. He looked happy just to be saying the words to me, like it was a gift, and I felt it all in that moment
. I hadn’t considered that I loved him, but I knew with absolute certainty that I did.
“I love you, too, Lawrence Hayworth.”
He closed his eyes, as though savoring the moment, and then he pressed a quick kiss to my lips and pushed me away. “Go change. I’ll be waiting for you.”
“Twenty minutes later, I found him at the trail head and I couldn’t help the goofy smile that broke out across my face. “Let’s go,” I said, dodging his attempt to kiss me, feeling silly and playful and so, so happy. “No time for hanky-panky, Mister.”
He chuckled and fell into step behind me. As we hiked I told him all about my aunt and what she’d told me about my father.
“Do you think you’ll go see him?” he asked.
I didn’t want to think about that question on such a beautiful day. I wasn’t ignoring the possibility, I just didn’t want to think about it at that moment. So I avoided it and took off. “Race you to the falls,” I shouted.
He whooped and chased after me.
After our hike, we ordered pizzas and watched a movie at his place. After the movie, Worthy carried the pizza box down to the kitchen and, when he got back, I was waiting for him, naked, in his bed. He swore and shut the door when he saw me. “Do you know what Byron would do to me if he saw you here like that?” he asked.
I scowled. “That was definitely not the reaction I was going for.”
He chuckled and jumped onto the bed with me. “What reaction were you going for?” he asked, hovering over me. I suddenly felt nervous, with him clothed and me bare and vulnerable.
“A naked kind of reaction,” I said, pretending a confidence I didn’t feel.
“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,” he said, backing away a bit. “It’s safer to leave some clothes on.”
“I’m tired of safe,” I said.
He studied my face. “Are you telling me you want to make love?”
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