Page 85 of What I Should've Said

It’s time to take Summer home.

“Let’s go home, Summble,” Bennett says gently, brushing a loose strand of hair from her watering eyes. She nods slowly, and everything about the strength she seemed to have just a minute ago disappears.

Clay, the bastard, at least recognizes what’s going on, offering, “I’ll take care of all the cleanup here. You all just go on and head for the house.”

I serve him a glower as I rearrange the bottom of my dress and follow behind Bennett and Summer on the way to his truck. Once she’s loaded safely, I offer Bennett the option of my company. The thing is, I really don’t want to assume he wants me there every minute if he’d rather have time alone with Summer.

“Do…do you want me to come with you? I’ll follow in my car, of course, but I can also stay here and help Clay if you’d rather—”

“No. I want you to come,” Bennett interrupts. “I want you to come, and I’m sure Summer does too.”

“I just don’t want to overstep here, Ben. I can—”

“Norah, get in the damn car.”

Argument forgotten, along with our very public location, I get up on my toes and press a single kiss to his lips. Brief, soft—just a whisper. But the feel of his fingertips as they dig into my hip is enough to tell me he appreciates it.

I hustle to the Civic on the other side of his truck as he climbs in and starts his engine. When he’s sure I’m ready to follow, he takes off, and I pull out of the space after him. In tandem, we make the ten-minute drive to his house, and by the time we arrive, Summer is fast asleep. He scoops her delicate body into his arms, and I grab the oxygen tank without a word, following him into the house.

Charlie is already there, waiting in the kitchen when we arrive. Her rugged face is soft with compassion as she gets her first good look at Summer. “Was it everything she hoped for?”

“And so much more,” Bennett huffs as we walk into Summer’s bedroom.

“Sounds like there’s a story there.” Charlie smiles at me as I secure the oxygen tank behind the bed. “I can’t wait to hear about it.”

“It was certainly something.”

“Yeah,” Bennett grumbles. “I could stand to wait a day or two before reliving it.”

I have to bite my lip to hide my amusement. Charlie, though, outright laughs. “Man, now I really can’t wait to hear about it.”

“I’m sure Summer will talk your ear off about it when she wakes up,” Bennett says as he sits down on the edge of her bed. She’s deep in sleep, and he takes her small, lax hand into his. With his free hand, he fusses with her sheets and comforter, making sure they’re tucked around her just right.

I use the quiet moment to step back into the corner of the room and text the one person I haven’t stopped thinking about since I got in her Civic and drove here.

Guilt sits heavy in my stomach as I hit send.

Me: Are you okay? I know I’m the last person on earth you want to talk to you right now…well, besides the idiot whom I won’t name. But I just wanted to say I’m sorry, Josie. I’m so, so sorry for what happened out there. I swear to you, I had NO IDEA that Clay was the chosen groom until this afternoon or that he was going to be a total asshat. Please don’t hate me. I love you.

I nearly drop my phone when an incoming text makes it vibrate in my hands.

Josie: I don’t hate you.

Me: You promise? Because I feel like a real asshole for putting you in that situation.

Josie: Promise.

Me: Breezy still with you?

Josie: Yeah. She brought some wine to distract me from killing Clay.

Thank goodness for Breezy.

I can tell by Josie’s short answers that she’s nowhere near ready to talk about what Clay revealed today. No doubt, she needs time to work through the myriad of emotions she’s probably feeling right now.

And I’m sure there’s a part of her that’s still pissed at me, but that’s okay. I can handle it as long as she hasn’t shut me out completely. We’ve done that once, for far too many years, and I never want to do it again. Josie means too much to me. She’s the only family I have now. Besides Bennett and Summer.

Funny enough, that thought doesn’t even scare me. It only makes me send my sister one more message.

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