Love Survives (Love's Suicide #2)(108)

I rolled in probably an hour before I expected them to arrive. Nothing could have prepared me for what I found inside. Things hadn’t just been thrown around. The pungent smell of gasoline filled my nostrils. I opened all the windows and doors before searching for where it was coming from. When I found which room it was I almost wanted to throw up.

Gas cans were laying sideways on the carpet. I picked them up and carried them outside, hoping to alleviate some of the stench. When I came back in to reassess the damage I still couldn’t believe my eyes. He’d set fire to their bed. A giant charred black spot was all that was left of the mattress.

In the corner I saw an extinguisher. He wanted her to know that he’d only burned this item. This was all intentional. It took everything I had in me to not break more shit because I was so irrefutably angry.

Since I knew I had to get some of the mess cleaned up, I started with what I could get out of the house. I threw away the bedding, placing it in garbage bags. I tossed out the area rugs, thinking maybe they still had remnants of gasoline on them. I closed the bedroom door to keep the smell confined to one room.

Then I looked around the rest of the house. Plates had been thrown in the kitchen, leaving shards of sharp porcelain everywhere. Curtains had been torn down. The couches were flipped. Tables were tipped over, and everything that had been on top of them. He’d trashed the entire house with the exception of B’s room. I didn’t know whether to even be grateful for it since he’d damaged so many other things.

Since I knew B was going to have to walk around the house, I began the task of picking up the shards, one by one. Though daunting, I felt the need to do everything I could to prevent from Kat freaking out, which I knew she was still going to do. One can only take so much before they reach a breaking point. This was clearly not going to go over well.

After nearly thirty minutes of picking up the larger pieces, I started looking for a vacuum. Before I turned it on I got a call from my dad.

“Hey, it’s not a good time,” I said as I answered.

“I was calling to see if the girls got there safely.”

“Not yet, but I’m glad they haven’t. Dad, her ex trashed the house. He set their bed on fire, destroyed her property. It’s a damn mess. I don’t know what to do.”

“Have you tried cleaning some of it up?”

“Yeah, but it’s not a one-man job. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

“I can’t believe she got involved with someone like that. I hate to say it, but I’m glad he’s no longer going to be around to harm her. She doesn’t need that kind of role model around Brooklyn.”

“I wouldn’t let him near her even if he was around. The only male influence my daughter needs is from her real family.”

“Listen, Katy was a mess yesterday. She made a few calls to notify Bobby’s family. I’m guessing it didn’t go very well. Apparently they didn’t know the side of him that you saw.”

“I figured.” It wasn’t to help me though. “Listen, I better get off of here. I need to at least clear a path for when B gets in the house, otherwise she’s going to have to be locked in her room.”

“Do the best you can. Once they’ve arrived pull your mother aside and get her to help with replacing whatever is damaged. She’ll know where to find everything, and how to have it delivered. You know there is a positive to this, Brooks.”

“Oh yeah? What’s that?”

“You’ll have all new things that he didn’t use. If I were you I’d buy a new bed anyway. In fact, it’s the first thing I would replace.”

We both chuckled. “Yeah, you’re funny. I don’t think Kat would be laughing though. I’m pretty sure this is only going to break her heart.”

“Brooks, try not to push. Katy is a good girl. She’s just having a rough time. I get why you’re upset, but you’ve got to put yourself in her shoes. She obviously cared about him whether you want to hear it or not. They were married, son. This is something she’s going to have to deal with for the rest of her life.”

Of course my dad was right. It wasn’t fair to blame Kat for being so irrational. For two years she’d given herself to Bobby. As much as that hurt me, I had to accept it, or else I’d never be able to handle the way people were going to look at us as a couple. “Let me know about the house next door. I think the sooner we get out of here the better.”

“I’ll call you tomorrow. Have your mother let me know they’ve arrived safely. Give Brooklyn a kiss from me.”

“I will. Thanks, Dad. Thanks for everything.”

“Just make sure you two keep coming around. It was a pleasure having everyone home again.”

When we hung up I felt a little better. I just needed to prepare for Kat’s arrival, and her upcoming nervous breakdown.





Chapter 54


I knew they’d be tired when they arrived, and Kat would be stiff from the long ride. From the moment the vehicle pulled up in the yard I started to worry. I looked behind me at the mess that I couldn’t manage to make any better. It was going to be a long night.

When I heard the car doors opening I rushed to greet them. Kat seemed pleased to see me standing there waiting to pull her into my arms. “I missed you.” We kissed first before she walked into the mayhem.