The Truth About Us (23 page)

“To tell you the truth, yes. It was the first thing that crossed my mind. But I do need to talk to them. I wish they weren’t coming. I wish they waited for me to be ready, but I think maybe if they did, I would have just kept running.” She grips my forearms, still wrapped around her shoulders. “Plus we’re still figuring out that
thing
I do to you, remember? I can’t run until I have the answer.” 

"Oh, I think I’ve figured it out." I laugh and kiss her head, but my stomach swirls. She turns her head to look at me, her eyes big and expectant, but I’m not sure she’s expecting this. The truth. Looking at her, I know what that thing is, but I’m overtaken by raw nerves every time I think it. Since the first time I saw her wrestling a sweater through a window, I had to know her story. From the first word I said to her, it’s been easy to let her in on my own story. I've never cared how much I impacted someone's life until Sophia. My actions have never been guided by the reaction of someone else. My actions are mostly to cover up others' actions. Rich's words float through me.

Your every action will be for her and her alone.

I hold in a smile and shake my head. Rich. That bastard was right.

I wrap my arms around Sophia's shoulders and put my lips to her ear.

"I think I'm in love with you," I whisper and her breath catches, her head tilting further to completely absorb me with her eyes, her mouth slightly open in surprise. I was right; that was not what she was expecting. I get lost in her expression and lean down to kiss her parted lips. "No, scratch that. I'm definitely in love with you."

She’s about to speak when her eyes flick over to the side. Tobie comes into view holding one of Parker’s hands as he rubs his eyes with his other. He and Tobie were sleeping by midnight, but it looks like neither of them has slept in days.

My nephew says nothing as he moves to Sophia and reaches out to her. She sits up, lifting my coat and Parker crawls onto her lap, wrapping his arms around her neck. She tucks the coat around him and looks over to Tobie who shrugs.

“He was asking for you,” she says sleepily. “You’re his shiny new person.”

Sophia smiles and leans back against my chest. My arms go around both of them, and within minutes Parker's fast asleep. I sit there, watching my friends, holding my girl and my nephew, listening to splashing water broken up with voices and Parker's soft snores. I don’t recall ever feeling this calm before. This centered. I kiss Sophia’s head, and she shifts against me.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” I say, and she shakes her head.

“I wasn’t sleeping. Sorry I didn’t answer you.”

“Answer me?”

She tightens her arms around Parker who still snores against her chest. “I feel weird telling you I love you with a child who looks a little like you sitting in my lap.”

I laugh, resting my chin on her head. “Fair enough.”

“But I do.” She whispers it. “I definitely do.”

Tosh comes out of the water and sits in the sand next to Tobie who’s lying in the sand using his coat as a pillow. Her eyes open and she pushes herself into a sitting position, yawning. Tosh wipes sand from her cheek before pulling her into his side and rubbing her belly.

“What a gorgeous morning. Too bad I’m going to have to be hungover later today.” Tosh laughs and shakes out his hair. Garett comes out next, wiping water from his face and stumbling through the sand. He bats his eyes at me, ruffles my hair and says
awww
as he passes me. I give him the finger. Garett makes fun of me for everything, but something in his expression says
It’s about fucking time.
He always hated that I was with Kayla.

“Nothing against her, dude,” he had said just a few weeks before Sophia showed up. “I just think it’s getting old, you know?” He wouldn’t look at me as he took a drink and I remember being pissed, thinking he thought he was somehow superior because he was going to some fancy school.

“Yeah, fuck you too, douchebag.” I laughed, and he shrugged his shoulders.

“We’ve been friends forever, Corb. I’m just sayin’” That was the end of it. The subject was changed.

As the memory plays in my mind, I suddenly realize what he meant. It was getting old, and he saw it before I did. I needed something different, but he’d never say that. Garett and I have only skimmed the edges of true bonding conversation a couple times, but it had never been about women.

My phone buzzes in my coat pocket, and Sophia digs it out for me. Kayla’s name flashes across the screen and my eyebrows pull together as I hit talk. My calmness is shattered.

“Hello?”

Heavy breathing on the phone makes my chest seize instantly.

“Kayla?” My voice rises, and Sophia sits up quickly. Tosh and Tobie look over at me.

After a few more breaths, I realize she’s crying. I sit up straighter, my body tightening. “Kayla, fucking talk to me.” I don’t even care that Parker can hear me. I hear thudding sounds on the other end of the line.

Kayla lets out a terrified sob. “Corbin, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what to do. I’m scared.”

My whole being turns to ice. “Where are you?”

“At the bar. I stopped by after leaving the lake,” she stammers into the phone. There’s more thudding. Fear courses through me for two reasons. First, Kayla doesn’t cry. Second, I know this is about my dad.

“What did he do to you?” I scramble back away from Sophia just as Gaby and Riley come out of the water. Gaby’s eyes catch mine, and she instantly knows the look. It’s the look I gave her as a child when it was time to become invisible.

I can’t be invisible anymore.

“I’ve never seen him like this.” Her words are so stilted I barely understand them, but I’m already on my feet and halfway to my truck. Gaby grabs my arm and spins me around. My sister’s broken expression crushes me, but I can’t just sit here. I need to protect him, so he doesn’t hurt anyone.

“Where
are
you, Kayla?” I continue to talk, pulling away from my sister, moving toward the truck.

“I’m locked in the office. He wants my keys. He keeps talking about
her
.” The terror in her voice is ten times worse because it’s so foreign, but what really stops me is the word
her.

Panic surges through me, pushing me forward, and I can’t help my voice from shifting to match the tension in my body.

“This is
not
your fault, Kayla. Call the police. I’m coming to get you.” I hang up and turn on my sister.

“Fuck, Gabriella. She’s here. Why didn’t you warn him?” I’m yelling at her but not because I’m mad at her. I just can’t keep it in anymore. The time bomb I thought I was yesterday is about to go off. I can feel it building inside me. I hate him. I hate her. Both of them.

“Why didn’t you warn him?” I ask again, but Gaby doesn’t answer me. I rip open the door to my truck, and someone grabs me again. Garett spins me around and pushes my shoulder so that my back is up against the door frame.

“You’re not driving.” He says it flatly, and I push him back. I have a flashback to when we were kids, sleeping on Garett’s floor when I couldn’t be at home. He would talk to me about anything but my dad. He would do anything with me except come to my house.
We’ve been friends forever, Corb.
Only one time have we ever spoken about my dad. It was one of those skirting emotion moments. Right before my mom left when my sister got pregnant. He slammed me against my vehicle just before I hunted down the asshole that hurt Gaby. He had the same look then that he does now. His words come back.

While you’re busy trying to shield people from him, be careful you don’t become him, Corbin.

“I have to,” I plead with my best friend.

“I’ll drive you.” Tobie speaks up. She walks up to me, pulls the keys from my hand, and slides into the driver seat before I can protest. Garett’s eyes are dark and focused. He doesn’t want me to go.

“I’m coming too.” Sophia dumps Parker into Gaby’s arms and runs to the passenger side.

“I’ll drive Tosh’s car. I haven’t had a drink since before midnight. I’ll be fine. We’ll follow you.” Gaby shifts Parker to her hip before she hands him off to Riley.

Everyone watches me. All of them. Wide-eyed and still in their underwear, soaking wet. So many sets of eyes begging me. Begging me not to do this alone. I look at Sophia, sitting in the middle of the bench seat next to Tobie. She places her hand on the seat next to her and mouths the word
please
. I lose all my resolve, and my shoulders slump forward.

“We go to the bar to get Kayla. Don’t get out of the car. Don’t let Parker see anything, Gaby.” I point at my sister and she nods once with scared eyes. I turn to Garett. “Call Jackson. Tell him to get my dad out before I get there”

“This isn’t your fault, Corbin.” Garett says, but I know he’ll do what I ask. “You don’t need to be a hero.”

I don’t respond because it is my fault. There’s nothing heroic about what I’m doing. Trying to keep everyone out of everyone else’s way. And for what?

So I don’t have to deal with it. So I don’t have to admit how much it fucking sucks to have my mother walk out, my dad a useless fucking mess and my sister, completely oblivious to the lies that tore apart our family. That’s not heroic.

Once I’m next to Sophia, I slam the door, and Tobie starts the engine. She backs out slowly, and I watch everyone left behind get smaller. My heart hammers around behind my ribs, and I feel a fear more intense than any I’ve felt before. I’ve always been able to get him to direct everything at me. He's never lashed out at someone else. I pull smokes out of my pocket then look at Tobie, pulling out onto the highway.

“Roll down the window.” She says but doesn’t look at me. I light the smoke, roll down the window and hang my hand outside. It’s almost noon now, and the hot air swirls though the truck, and my leg bounces fiercely. My body is filled with impatience, and I just hope Kayla’s okay. I don’t even care that Mom is here anymore.

Sophia puts her hand on my leg, her fingers spreading out as wide as they can. I look at her worried face, and regret letting her come. I should have made her go with my sister.

“Kayla’s really tough.” She seems to read my mind, squeezing my leg. I nod and take a long drag off my smoke. I wish Tobie would drive faster.

“If my mom is here, then your parents are probably here too.” I say ignoring her comment, not touching her. I’m too fucking terrified to touch her.

My mind darkens as I think of everything she has to deal with, of everything that’s happened to her and my gut dissolves into acid. This isn’t fair to her. I can’t drag her into this. Not when she has her own shit to deal with.

“Probably,” she says really quietly. Tobie glances across the truck at us. Her pale features pulled together in confusion.

“When we get to the bar, I’m going to go get Kayla. I want you to go.” I keep my voice cold and distant but inside I have to fight to get each word to the surface.

“What?” Sophia’s eyes widen, and she snatches her hand back as if I’ve burnt her. I’m about to. But it’s the only way.

“I want you to go to your parents, and then leave here.”

“Corbin, you don’t mean that.” Her voice trembles and Tobie’s glaring fiercely at me, shaking her head. I don’t mean it, and Tobie knows I don’t mean it. But I can’t add to Sophia’s life, I can only drag it down. I can’t be her tragedy. But by the look on her face, I already am.

“I do mean it, Sophia. You need to leave. I don’t want you to come into that bar with me. I need to get Kayla, and I need to do it alone.” I turn to look out the window because I can’t bear to see her right now. I’ll take it all back if I look at her.

“You’re such a fucking asshole, Corbin.” Tobie says as we approach the first set of lights in town. “He doesn’t mean it, Sophia, he’s just being a-”

“TOBIE!” Sophia’s scream slices clean through me.

I turn just as a flash of silver smashes into the side of the truck.

The crunching of metal. Screeching of tires. Smell of rubber. Screaming. Swerving.

My arms go around Sophia.

The world outside the truck begins to spin as we go over. I use my body to shield her from the crumpling dash. Glass showers me as we roll again and I’m propelled forward.

There’s a sickening snap, and pain shoots through me.

My head slams the dash, but as I black out, all I think about is her.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Sophia

My head pounds. My ears ring. There’s a sick smell in the air burning my nostrils.

I suck in a ragged breath, but my stomach hurts, and I feel like I’m going to throw up. A groan  coming from next to me makes me open my eyes. I can’t see straight through the blur. I can’t focus through the pain.