“I felt the same way. I never wanted to see her again. I was mad, but I hurt more. I thought I mattered to her.”
“You did.”
“At the time I didn’t think so.”
“Her parents came to see me when I was in the hospital.”
Jace hadn’t heard this before. “And?”
“Her mother told me that Rosa never loved me and that she’d only stayed with me because she was afraid of me. She also told me that Rosa had been in love with someone else for months, but she knew, if she told me who it was, I’d kill him.”
“Jesus.”
“There was more.”
More? Jace wondered what more there could possibly be.
“She cursed me. She said I’d never find love, because I didn’t deserve it. I spent a lot of years believing she was right.”
That part, Jace understood, because it was the way he was beginning to feel.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever get over the guilt of what happened that night. She died because of me. There’s no denying that part of it.”
“It was an accident, Tucker. I’m just as responsible for it happening as you are.”
“You weren’t driving.”
“I might as well have been. I was the reason you were in such a rage, although you didn’t know it at the time.”
Tucker was quiet again, for a long while. “I understand why you didn’t tell me,” he finally said.
“I don’t. It’s unforgivable that I didn’t.”
“I don’t agree, Jace. In fact, if the situations were reversed, I doubt I ever would’ve told you.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“Rosa is dead. We can’t go back and undo it. I’ll always feel guilty about the accident. I’ll always feel responsible for her death, but what happened was just as much her fault as it was yours or mine. More so.”
“I can’t accept that, Tuck. It was my fault. That’s the part I can’t get over. A better man never would’ve gotten involved with his brother’s girlfriend. It wasn’t casual, I spent more time with Rosa than you did.”
“Why didn’t I see it, Jace? She was unhappy with me. If she hadn’t been, she wouldn’t have had time to spend with you. I wonder where the hell my head was the whole time.”
Jace had wondered then. Which was why he’d been so surprised when he heard Tucker tell their dad he wanted to marry her. He honestly hadn’t believed they were very serious.
“I don’t think I spent much time listening to her. She had you for that. I just did what I wanted, what I thought was best for her; I didn’t bother to ask her what she thought was best.” Tucker rubbed his hands over his face. “I can tell you, Blythe doesn’t put up with that shit for a hot minute.”
Jace laughed. He knew Blythe well enough to know she wouldn’t. She wasn’t unlike her sister in that regard. Whenever Jace assumed he knew what was best for either one of them, Bree was the first to tell him he didn’t know jack.
“I forgive you, Jace.”
Jace gripped the steering wheel as tight as he could, and struggled to stop his tears. He’d longed to hear those words, but now that he had, he realized his brother’s forgiveness was only part of it. He needed to forgive himself, and he wasn’t sure he ever could.
There was no sign of Lyric when Bree walked into the house in the glen. It wasn’t surprising. Lyric was almost always off working one part of her business or another. Bree had never met anyone who worked as hard as Lyric did.
The house was stuffy, which told her Lyric probably hadn’t been there in days. She walked through the rooms, opening windows.
She unpacked, checked her email, and went to the market to stock up on groceries.