now without giving a shit about the
past. Not after last night,” he said.
She took the hand he held out, linked her
fingers through his and clasped it like she needed every ounce of strength she
could muster or borrow. He needed to hear this as much as she probably needed
to get it off her chest.
“What happened to one night?” she asked with a
smile.
He shook his head. “To hell
with one night.”
“When I
was sixteen, I was dating the sheriff’s son.”
“Phillip?” She’d
dated Sheriff Brewster’s son, the asshole son of a bitch who’d not even
bothered to stop and help when he’d been desperately trying to flag down a car
the night of Rachel’s accident?
Faith was nodding so he clamped his jaw shut
and listened.
“We’d been going out for a bit, and to cut a
long story short, he talked me into having unprotected sex, made me feel like I
was stupid for not wanting to just rip his clothes off, and I ended up
pregnant.”
“Shit.” Jake didn’t really know what to say,
and he sure as hell didn’t think that adding the fact that he already hated the
guy to their conversation was going to help her.
“My mom died when I was in seventh grade, so I
had no one to talk to. I kept it a secret until people started guessing.” A
tear slid from her eye and Jake reached forward to wipe it away, brushing the
back of his fingers gently across her cheek. “When my dad found out, he kicked
me out of the house. Phillip’s dad, Sheriff Brewster, finished up the one-two
punch by making it pretty clear what they all thought of me, and in the end I
left.”
Jake froze. “How long ago?”
She shrugged. “Eight, nine
years now.”
He
remembered her. He’d been
older, his first year out of school, but he’d seen her, had heard the talk
about her and never given it much thought, other than to think it was bullshit,
backwards kind of behavior from everyone involved. “They kicked you out of school,
too, didn’t they? Your dad kicked you out and the school didn’t even step up to
help you.”
“How do you know?” she asked, looking at him
like she all of a sudden didn’t trust him, like he shouldn’t know any of what
she was telling him.
Jake took her other hand now, holding both of
them, searching her face. He needed to tell her the truth, knew she’d want to
know. “Because one day I saw a young, terrified girl with a
big belly struggling to get on a bus.” His voice was low, knowing how
much it would hurt her going back into the past. He knew first hand that it was
easier to block the memories out. Keep the past in the past where it belonged.
“That was you?” she asked, wide-eyed. “You were
the one who helped me get on? Who carried my bags around and told the driver he
should know better than to let a young pregnant girl do her own lifting?”
“Yeah, that was me,” he admitted, giving her
what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “I used to be pretty outspoken.”
She laughed, shaking her head. “You were one of
the only people who helped me then, and you’re one of the only ones who’ve
helped me this time around.” Faith leaned forward and placed a soft kiss
against his cheek, lips warm and soft to his skin. This time when she spoke,
her voice was husky and low. “I guess I owe you double thanks then, huh?”
“You must have been a few years behind me in
school, because I’d already graduated by then. But I’ve never forgotten how
terrified that girl looked when I helped her. Like she’d lost
everything in her world.”
Faith took his hand, turned it over in both of
hers. “That girl ended up in a shelter,” she said, her chin held high as she
told him.
She was strong and proud, he’d give her that.
He doubted he’d ever met anyone so determined.
“I figured out how to look after my baby on my
own, and I made myself forget all about this place. The only way I looked was
forward, and I made it.” She laughed. “God only knows how, but I survived.”
“You only
past. Not after last night,” he said.
She took the hand he held out, linked her
fingers through his and clasped it like she needed every ounce of strength she
could muster or borrow. He needed to hear this as much as she probably needed
to get it off her chest.
“What happened to one night?” she asked with a
smile.
He shook his head. “To hell
with one night.”
“When I
was sixteen, I was dating the sheriff’s son.”
“Phillip?” She’d
dated Sheriff Brewster’s son, the asshole son of a bitch who’d not even
bothered to stop and help when he’d been desperately trying to flag down a car
the night of Rachel’s accident?
Faith was nodding so he clamped his jaw shut
and listened.
“We’d been going out for a bit, and to cut a
long story short, he talked me into having unprotected sex, made me feel like I
was stupid for not wanting to just rip his clothes off, and I ended up
pregnant.”
“Shit.” Jake didn’t really know what to say,
and he sure as hell didn’t think that adding the fact that he already hated the
guy to their conversation was going to help her.
“My mom died when I was in seventh grade, so I
had no one to talk to. I kept it a secret until people started guessing.” A
tear slid from her eye and Jake reached forward to wipe it away, brushing the
back of his fingers gently across her cheek. “When my dad found out, he kicked
me out of the house. Phillip’s dad, Sheriff Brewster, finished up the one-two
punch by making it pretty clear what they all thought of me, and in the end I
left.”
Jake froze. “How long ago?”
She shrugged. “Eight, nine
years now.”
He
remembered her. He’d been
older, his first year out of school, but he’d seen her, had heard the talk
about her and never given it much thought, other than to think it was bullshit,
backwards kind of behavior from everyone involved. “They kicked you out of school,
too, didn’t they? Your dad kicked you out and the school didn’t even step up to
help you.”
“How do you know?” she asked, looking at him
like she all of a sudden didn’t trust him, like he shouldn’t know any of what
she was telling him.
Jake took her other hand now, holding both of
them, searching her face. He needed to tell her the truth, knew she’d want to
know. “Because one day I saw a young, terrified girl with a
big belly struggling to get on a bus.” His voice was low, knowing how
much it would hurt her going back into the past. He knew first hand that it was
easier to block the memories out. Keep the past in the past where it belonged.
“That was you?” she asked, wide-eyed. “You were
the one who helped me get on? Who carried my bags around and told the driver he
should know better than to let a young pregnant girl do her own lifting?”
“Yeah, that was me,” he admitted, giving her
what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “I used to be pretty outspoken.”
She laughed, shaking her head. “You were one of
the only people who helped me then, and you’re one of the only ones who’ve
helped me this time around.” Faith leaned forward and placed a soft kiss
against his cheek, lips warm and soft to his skin. This time when she spoke,
her voice was husky and low. “I guess I owe you double thanks then, huh?”
“You must have been a few years behind me in
school, because I’d already graduated by then. But I’ve never forgotten how
terrified that girl looked when I helped her. Like she’d lost
everything in her world.”
Faith took his hand, turned it over in both of
hers. “That girl ended up in a shelter,” she said, her chin held high as she
told him.
She was strong and proud, he’d give her that.
He doubted he’d ever met anyone so determined.
“I figured out how to look after my baby on my
own, and I made myself forget all about this place. The only way I looked was
forward, and I made it.” She laughed. “God only knows how, but I survived.”
“You only
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