The Day He Came Back

“I get it. I do. But are you sure he’s in love with her?”

“He’s marrying her. Why would he have proposed if he didn’t love her? And the way they ganged up on me today…they’re a unit. It was very telling.”

She stared at me, looking helpless. “So that’s it? This is how the story ends?”

I closed my eyes a moment. “Yeah.” I swallowed. “I have to move on.”***That night, back at home, I pulled out old photos I hadn’t seen in years, photos I hadn’t allowed myself to look at. They were the few images Gavin and I had snapped together that one weekend we were at his house while his parents were away. It was painful to look at them, mainly because I could see the love he had for me in his eyes. I could see how happy we were. This was how I wanted to remember us.

I needed to accept that the guy in the photo was gone. He was a grown man now, one who’d finally found his peace. And I wasn’t the same either. I’d had my own share of difficulty and loss, even after Mom died—something I hadn’t shared with him.

Sitting with my legs crossed on the bed, I continued to stare at the photos. We could never get this innocence back.CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO* * *GAVINIn the days after Paige left, I tried to keep my focus on my father, spending my days taking walks or sitting with him and playing cards. I’d accomplished as much as I could here. I’d failed to convince my father to move, but I felt more comfortable about leaving him in Palm Beach. I just needed to figure out how to get back here more often.

Raven had done everything in her power to keep her distance from me since the day I told her what I’d shared with Paige. Maybe that was for the best. She’d stayed in the background somewhat, allowing me more alone time with Dad.

The fact that Raven was upset at me for telling Paige the truth continued to haunt me, though. The other thing that haunted me were my brother’s words from the night he’d gone out with Raven, about how sometimes people make mistakes when they’re young.

Did Raven regret ending things with me all those years ago? I knew she was still affected by me. That was clear from her body language. And I knew in my heart that my feelings for her were still raw. But the fact remained that I’d finally met someone I could see myself spending the rest of my life with. I couldn’t let my confused emotions unravel everything I’d built with Paige.***The next evening, I went upstairs to check on Dad. I knew Raven probably hadn’t left for the day yet, but I wasn’t sure where she was. My father’s bedroom was empty, but the door to the master bath was cracked open.

As I came closer, I froze. My father was in the tub, and Raven was bathing him. It shocked me. Clearly, I should have known this was part of her responsibilities as his nurse. But I guess I never realized that meant she’d seen my dad naked.

Raven massaged shampoo into his hair. He looked so relaxed, like this was his little slice of heaven. She took such good care of him. His eyes remained closed as she slowly poured water out of a small basin onto his head. He groaned in pleasure.

Yeah, buddy. I can only imagine. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

She jumped. “Oh my God. You scared me.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to. I came up here to check on him.” I smiled over at him. “Hey, Dad.”

My father simply moaned in response. His eyes remained closed as he anticipated more rinsing.

After taking a few steps in, I could see down into the water—my father had a stiffy. My jaw dropped. Well, shit.

At that moment, I heard footsteps. My brother sauntered into the bathroom, too.

“There you are. I was wondering where everyone was. I—” He took notice of the situation in the bathtub. “Oh…hello.”

Raven looked miffed. “Can you guys give your dad some privacy? I need to finish rinsing him before my shift ends.”

“Sorry. We didn’t mean to intrude.” I shoved Weldon out the door with me.

Downstairs in the kitchen, Weldon decided to be Weldon.

“I’d like to think maybe she gives him a happy ending.”

“I’d like to bash your head against the wall.”

“Jesus. You’re so frustrated, you can’t even take a joke anymore.” He grabbed a beer from the fridge. “Want one?”

I shrugged. He handed me a bottle.

We made our way out to the patio and sat in silence for a bit, sipping our beers.

When he spotted Raven through the glass door, he hopped up and ran into the kitchen.

What the hell is he doing?