Where We Belong (A Touch of Fate #1)(91)
Never in my life did I think I would cry at the sight of a piece of construction paper, but as my shaky hand reaches for it, my eyes flood with tears. A hard lump has taken up permanent residence in my throat, and I struggle to swallow past it as a million emotions rush through my body. Closing my eyes, I flip the paper over in my hand. I take a deep cleansing breath and peel my lids open, instantly honing in on the scribbled writing on the coupon.
Two words.
It takes two little words from our past for me to see what’s been staring me right in the face for the past seven days. Tyson and I are meant to be together. We have come so far. We have fought, and we have won…at least we had almost won until I decided to screw things up. My head drops in shame at how I’ve handled things this past week. I am a horrible excuse for a girlfriend, and the fact that I completely shut him down without giving him any chance whatsoever to come to grips with what actually happened just proves what type of person I am.
My shoulders lurch with a deep sob and I bury my face in my hands. Quinn’s arms wrap around me and she holds me as I expel all of the hurt and anger that I’ve been carrying around for the past seven days. When I finally start to calm down, she slides a piece of neon-pink construction paper in front of me and I instantly let go of another round of tears. I watch the piece of paper absorb the wetness that falls from my face as I read his final note.
I’m an idiot. Running my arm across my puffy eyes, I wipe away the moisture. “Can you watch Max?” I ask hurriedly, because suddenly I need to talk to Ty. I need to see him, and it can’t wait one more minute.
An I-told-you-so-grin is plastered on Quinn’s face. “Go get your man.” She raises her hand and I slap it before grabbing my jacket and bolting out the door, all the while hoping and praying that the damage I’ve caused isn’t irreversible.
I’m sure I break every law imaginable on my drive to Tyson’s, but I don’t care. My car skids to a stop in front of his house, and I send a silent prayer to the man upstairs that I picked the right one. I know he has the day off tomorrow, and usually when he’s off, he stays at the rental house here in town.
Looking at the clock, I notice that it’s eight fifty-five and I fist pump the air, thankful that I made it on time. Every night for the past week at exactly nine o’clock, Ty has sent me a text...and tonight I’m going to reply back. I turn on the radio and Christina Perri’s A Thousand Years starts playing. My eyes drift shut as I drink in the lyrics that so perfectly resemble my love for Tyson. When my phone beeps, I sit up frantically, and waves of relief crash against my body when I see his name on my screen. This is it…time to fight for my man.
Tyson: I miss you
I smile at the simplicity of his text.
Me: I miss you too
My phone beeps almost instantly and I laugh, picturing him startled at the sight of my name on his phone.
Tyson: Harley?
Me: Yes…
Tyson: I miss you, Harley. I love you.
Hope blooms in my chest and my heart swells with love. My hands are shaking with anticipation, but I manage to reply before stepping out of the car.
HOLY SHIT! SHE’S TALKING to me! Jumping off the couch, I sprint into the kitchen and throw on my shoes, fumbling when I try to tie them. I can’t help it…I’m f*cking excited and I need to be ready. I need to see her like I need my next breath. Reaching for my phone, I see her reply ‘Yes…’ and my fingers scurry across my phone.
Me: I miss you, Harley. I love you.
When it comes to Harley, I’ve done nothing but f*ck up. I made a mistake when I walked away from her five years ago and I made another mistake last week when I ruthlessly confronted her about Dallas. But you can bet your ass that I’m done screwing up from here on out. This girl means the world to me and she needs to know that there is nothing—absolutely nothing—that I wouldn’t do for her.
Not that it’s even remotely an excuse, but I can’t begin to describe how overwhelmed I felt after I heard Max talk about Dallas. It’s like my brain had gone foggy and all I could focus on was finding out the truth. Unfortunately, I went about it the wrong f*cking way.
At first, I didn’t think it was possible for Dallas to do something like that, but the more and more I thought about it, I started to change my mind. When I looked back, I realized that toward the end of his life, I didn’t really even know who Dallas was. The drugs and alcohol had changed him so much that I’m sure that he was capable of anything at that point, no matter how horrific it was.
As much as I hate my brother for what he did to Harley, I’m still thankful that she has Max. It’s going to be hard to look at that little boy and know that Dallas is his biological father, but it’s comforting to know that Max truly is a part of me—that my blood runs through his veins. That alone makes this just a little bit better, because I love him like he is my own, and if given the chance, I will spend every day for the rest of my life showing him what it’s like to have a real dad.
I’m not naive; I know that things aren’t going to be easy. The guilt alone will probably eat at my soul…guilt for walking away from her in the first place and guilt for not going back to check on her that fateful night. Guilt for what my brother—my own flesh and blood—did to my best friend, the woman that I love.
My eyes snap to my phone when it beeps and my heart starts thrashing around in my chest. Hope that I had temporarily lost comes back to life in full force, and I punch my fist in the air when I read her words.