Just Let Me Love You (Judge Me Not #3)(37)

“It’s not Harmony Creek that’s my home,” I tell her. “It’s you, Kay. You are my home.”

“Come back to me soon, then.”

Kay is practically sobbing and has to pull away to get herself together.

When the plane starts to board, I reach out and wipe away the last of her tears. “Be strong,” I urge her.

She taps my chest. “You, too.”

And then she is gone.

I am left alone, and, f*ck, do I ever feel alone.

“How am I going to make it through this next week,” I mumble to myself as I turn to leave the terminal.

I have no choice, though, but to be fine. I have to be strong for Will.

I smile. That kid is sure to keep me occupied, too. I know I can count on that.

School for Kay kicks off next Tuesday, the day after Labor Day, but Will doesn’t start tenth grade for another week. We’re sure to have plenty of time to hang out and bond.

And over the next couple of days, that is exactly how things go. Will and I spend all our time together.

Then, on Sunday afternoon, Will asks me if I can do something for him.

“Hey, Chase,” he says, walking into the kitchen at lunchtime. “Can you do me a favor?”

I am at the table, finishing up a sandwich, and between bites, I ask, “Sure. What’s up?”

Will plops down in a chair across from me. His greens turn somber as he asks, “Can you take me over to Cassie’s house this afternoon?”

Arching an eyebrow, I say, “I thought you two broke up the other day.”

Will frowns and runs his fingers through his messy hair. “No, I couldn’t do it then. That’s why I need you to drive me over there today.”

I push away my plate. “Sure, I can take you.”

Sighing, Will adds, “I figure a face-to-face is better than a text or a call. Cassie at least deserves that, right?”

“You know best,” I say, unsure of how to proceed.

Ending relationships is uncharted territory for me. Before Kay, I didn’t bother with girlfriends. I had lots of women, sure, but nothing ever lasted longer than what it took to get off, get her off, and get out.

“Can we leave soon?” Will asks, a little desperately. “I want to get this over with.”

“Yeah, no problem.” I give him a pat on the shoulder as I stand. When I take my plate over to the sink to wash it off, I throw out over my shoulder, “I’ll grab my keys in a sec and meet you out by the car.”

“Thanks, bro,” Will replies before he leaves.

With Will out of the room, under my breath, I murmur, “Shit. I hope this goes well.”

A half an hour later, we are sitting in the rental car, idling in Cassie’s driveway.

I turn to Will and ask, “Want me to take off for a while? I can come back for you in a couple of hours.”

“No.” Will shakes his head, his expression grim. “Can you just wait here? I won’t be too long.”

When he glances over at me, I give him what I hope is an encouraging smile. “Yeah, sure, Will. I’ll wait here. But no rush, Take as long as you need.”

Once Will is in the house, I hunker down in the driver’s seat, prepared to wait it out for the long haul.

Who knows how long this could take, I think.

Imagine my surprise when Will returns only ten minutes later.

“Hell, that didn’t take long,” I remark as he jumps into the front seat and tugs on the seatbelt.

“Can we just go,” he rasps, his head turned away.

“Are you okay?”

Digging the heel of his hand into his eyes, Will says in a muffled voice, “No, I’m not okay, Chase. But please, please, just drive. I need to get out of here.”

“No problem, bro.”

I reverse out of the driveway, but before we can make a clean getaway, I catch a glimpse of a crying Cassie in the window. She’s partway hidden by the long curtains, but I see her. She’s crying and watching, watching Will leave her house, watching my brother leave her life.

“Hey, I know this is hard,” I say softly. “But let’s go home and—”

“I don’t want to go home,” Will snaps, cutting me off. “Can we just go somewhere other than home? Anywhere but there is good. Please, Chase.”

“Is there somewhere you think you’d want to go?” I ask.

“Yes.” Will looks over at me with watery and soulful eyes. “Can you take me to where Dad is buried?”

His request floors me, and I can’t find any words to reply for a few seconds. When I get a grip on the emotions his request has dredged up, I ask, “Have you ever been to Dad’s grave?”

“Yeah.” He blows out a breath. “But it was a long time ago.”

“Did Cassie drive you there?”

I am curious as to who took Will to Dad’s grave.

“No,” he replies. “I went there with Mom.”

Whoa.

“Mom went to Dad’s grave?”

I am stunned by this admission, but Will confirms, “Yeah. Sometimes she’d be feeling all nostalgic and shit. That’s when she’d ask me to go to the cemetery with her.”

“Huh,” I utter, while thinking, Wow, Mom is full of surprises…even now.