Redemption(57)

“Yeah, man. I can take them out the back door. I can see our car from here. Can you wrap things up, pay the tab, and help close down shop?” Brett handed Dan his credit card.

“Sure. You taking them both to your house?”

“I don’t want Lissa alone, so that seems like the best place to meet back up.”

“I’ll get this taken care of and be there as quickly as I can.” Dan turned away from Brett and put his hands on my belly. He was as protective of this child as Brett would be. And at that moment, I realized he loved me the way Brett did Annie. It wasn’t just the baby he was concerned about. When he looked into my eyes, I saw the fear he harbored for me.

“You good?” The way he asked me the question finally stopped my tears.

I knew I was safe, the baby was safe, and I just needed to get out of here. I was still jumpy, and a bit like a scared rabbit, but I managed to nod to him.

“Go with Brett. I’ll be there to get you as fast as I can, okay?”

Brett, Annie, and I started out the door as Dan backed away. “Hey, Penny?”

I looked back over my shoulder before turning completely to see Dan with a big goofy smile on his face. “Yeah?”

“I love you.”

I crossed my heart with my index finger and blew him a kiss. He was everything good, and words couldn’t express that.

I sat in the back seat of their SUV. I remained quiet not really sure what the protocol was for the situation. My best friend needed her husband to comfort her, and I just wanted to go home. I wanted to cuddle up with Cosmo on the couch and cry until I couldn’t shed any more tears. Not just over tonight, but all the emotions I’d been carrying for months that I was unable to let go. This was my chance to release the feelings and have Dan comfort me without knowledge of what all I was really letting go. It was selfish, but this was far harder than I’d ever imagined.

I’d convinced myself the beating heart inside me would miraculously heal old wounds. It had certainly exposed them, but I hadn’t been prepared for the deluge of repercussions that would follow. There were days the pregnancy was nothing more than a punishment—a brutal reminder of how fragile life was and how quickly it could be taken away. I worried constantly I’d do something to harm Annie’s child, that I wouldn’t make it to full term and somehow another life would be on my hands. Here was my chance to tell Dan all my fears without bringing up Joshua. Tonight had provided the perfect outlet to explore those things…if only I could get home…with Dan.

We hadn’t gotten far from Hooters when I noticed Brett watching the rearview mirror intensely. I glanced over my shoulder to see what had his attention and assumed the person on a motorcycle behind us could only be Gray. He was driving erratically, and I knew how drunk he was from witnessing his actions and hearing him talk when we were inside. He had no business on a motorcycle, much less driving one. Without a helmet on, there was nothing to protect him from the pavement. Nothing about this could end well.

I kept my mouth shut knowing Brett was aware he was behind us. Annie had finally stopped crying, and my saying anything would do none of us any good. I didn’t envy Brett but noticed he maintained a much slower pace than the driving conditions called for. He was sober, and I trusted him. I just hoped he was able to navigate this with finesse.

The pounding on Annie’s window scared the shit out of all three of us. Brett clearly hadn’t realized Gray had pulled up next to the car, much less close enough to touch it. We were in the far-right lane of a deserted four-lane highway. Nothing about this was smart.

Annie screamed at her husband, and I noticed the way she gripped the door handle. Her knuckles turned visibly white, even in the dark car. Brett swung away from Gray and into the left lane to give him room. As quickly as Gray had arrived, he was gone. The motorcycle sped off in front of us at what must have been one hundred miles an hour. Just before the tail light of the bike vanished into the distance, it spun, leaving a swirl of a red tracer in the night, bottoming out on what I assumed was the pavement.

Brett brought the SUV to a stop far faster than I cared to experience. The seatbelt pulled across my chest and grew uncomfortably tight under my belly. I cringed at the pressure, but as soon as the car quit moving, the discomfort subsided. I released the belt out of habit but remained seated. My hand rubbed the spot between my breasts that was now sore.

Someone needed to call 9-1-1, but Brett was getting out of the car, and Annie certainly didn’t need to be the person to do it.

“No matter what happens, do not get out of this car. Do you understand me? The two of you stay put. I don’t care what you see—don’t open that door.” Brett knew what he was about to face was bad, but his wife was still his primary concern.

There was no way Annie was going to stay inside this vehicle. Regardless of how she felt about Brett and how much she loved him, she loved Gray, too. She’d battled the demons of death with Will, and if anything happened to Gray, she’d blame herself for him too.



*

As the emergency crews arrived at the scene, Annie and I sat stoically in the car, neither of us speaking. An otherwise dark night now looked like the Fourth of July. The red, white, and blue created a light show against the black backdrop of the sky. She stared out the window. Her husband was on his knees, and Gray’s Harley laid in pieces scattered across the asphalt. But Brett hadn’t moved in ages. Something happened to the way the human mind perceived time in emergency situations—it could have been hours or merely minutes we’d sat there. I didn’t know, but I knew Annie wasn’t going to remain in this car for long.