Love Survives (Love's Suicide #2)(114)

I ran my hand through a clump of her long brown hair. “You’re feisty tonight. You’re like a female lioness.”

“Don’t be funny. You’re freaking me out about showing up. Brooks, you can’t be there.”

“Calm down. I won’t come.”

Kat wrapped her arms around me. “Don’t get mad. I just can’t handle anymore negative drama. I feel like tomorrow will finally close a lot of doors for me. I’ve lived here and made friends. Now I’m worried I don’t have any left. It hurts.”

“You’re never alone, Kat.”

“I know. It’s the point though.”

I kissed her nose and then her lips. “I love you. Everything I do is because of that.”

“I know it is. That’s why you’re the man of my dreams, Brooks. You always know what I need. I love you for being you.”

That night while she slept I tossed and turned, even with a new mattress. It wasn’t that I was uncomfortable. I was worried about her getting into a situation and me not being there to save her. She wasn’t going to like it, but I was going to show up at the funeral even if I had to hide it from her.



I’d borrowed my friend’s car to ride to the funeral in. It had tinted windows, making it easy for me to be there without being seen. It wasn’t hard to spot Kat’s car as she pulled in. I watched her hobble out toward a group of people. After I knew she wasn’t looking around for me, I pulled into a spot closer and cracked the window so I could hear what the people were saying to her. It hurt me so much that she was going there alone. I had a terrible feeling I couldn’t shake. That’s why I put on my military dress apparel and went even after she’d told me not to.

Right away I could hear hostility as the people addressed her.

“Hold up a minute. Where do you think you’re goin’, Katy?”

“Inside. Where else would I go?”

The man shook his head and pointed back toward the lot. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Do everyone a favor and just go home. We’re all here to remember our friend, not sit in the same room with the person that ended his life.”

I gripped the steering wheel while telling myself she could handle them.

“I have every right to be in there. He was my husband, and I loved him.”

“You loved him?” The guy spit on the ground in front of her. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes I wouldn’t have believed it. “You loved him so much that you had him arrested for a crime he wasn’t capable of doin’. You know that man never laid a hand on you, but yet you had him arrested for it, didn’t ya?”

“You think I inflicted those bruises all of those times on myself?”

I kept reminding myself that she was prepared for this.

“It don’t even matter what I think you’re capable of. If that weren’t bad enough, you took your daughter and ran off with your lover, so he couldn’t even see her. All he wanted to do was work things out with you.” At this point I was losing my cool. Kat didn’t budge from where she stood though, so I remained in the car.

“No, he wanted to hurt me worse.” She started crying, making me wonder if it was the right time to make an appearance. If she needed me, she wouldn’t be mad that I’d come.

“Katy, do us all a favor and spare us the drama. Sarah’s so upset because she brought you into Bobby’s life. She doesn’t need to see you here.”

“Please, Dave. Please, just let me pay my respects. I have every right to say goodbye to him. You couldn’t be more wrong about me. I swear, I would never want this for anyone, especially Bobby.”

I watched the minister approach her. I expected him to help her inside. “Bobby told me things during our sessions. He had his own demons, but I’ve got to be respectful of my daughter. How about we meet later and you can say your goodbye’s then?”

I was done listening to them tear her apart. I got out of the vehicle and headed right for them. “How about you get off that high horse and let the girl through? Isn’t this the Lord’s house? Where everyone is welcome?”

The first guy started to come at me. If he thought for a second he could take me, he was wrong. Kat grabbed the back of his jacket, while I stood there, showing him how much I wasn’t threatened. “Get your boyfriend out of here, Katy. My best friend is dead because of you. Leave now before someone gets hurt.”

“Dave, please. We’ll go. Please just stop this,” she pleaded. I didn’t get it. She was backing down because of this loser?

When the guy shoved Kat, I was done. I went right after him, taking him down with little effort. Kat took ahold of my arm before I could pound it against his face.

“Please stop. You need to leave, Brooks. Please, just go.”



I stood and dusted off my clothes. “I came here for support because I knew they were going to treat you like shit.”

She touched my hand. “I can handle them without you interfering. Just go before it gets worse.”

I pulled away from her. She was insane if she thought this was okay with me. “You know what, I’m sick of trying.”

I peeled wheels when I pulled away from the church. I was so angry at her for not letting me finish giving that man a beat down. He deserved to be hurt. I wasn’t going to stand around and let him shove her like that.