Page 18 of After All This Time

She gets up, but I reach out to grab her hand before she can walk away.

I forgot how soft her skin is. Wait, what the hell am I saying?

“Stay,” I whisper.

She looks down at my hand intertwined with hers, glancing at me.

I’ve hated this woman for most of my life, but right now, I hate her a little less.

“Stay,” I repeat, my voice coming out as a breathy whisper. I run my tongue along the inside of my mouth.

“Are you sure? Because there’s no turning back if you change your mind later. Just saying.”

“Don’t make me regret this, Solomon.” I’m laughing when I should be bawling my eyes out.

I need this. I’m laughing so hard that my stomach starts to hurt and the realization that my dad just passed away hits. The laughter fades away and turns into tears.

She doesn’t say anything. Instead, she sits down next to me and holds my hand. She’s looking up at me with those big brown eyes of hers.

This is when I realize I don’t hate Dani Solomon.

CHAPTER FIVE

dani

Noah’s head is resting in the crook of my neck.

How the hell did we get here?

Hours ago, I was ready to punch him in the face and here I am holding his hand.

He fell asleep on me. I can barely look over my shoulder because the weight of his head is holding it down.

My arm has gone completely numb.

My hand is sweaty.

I swear I’m not complaining.

The thing is I know what it feels like being told that the person who raised you and loved you endlessly isn’t here anymore.

The shock and fear of the unknown.

And not having any idea what’s going to happen next is nerve-wracking.

I still have nightmares about the day my mom told me Dad passed away. They’re not as vivid as the ones I had years ago, but they’re enough to scare me awake.

There’s one nightmare in particular I’ll always remember.

I’m in the car with my dad and I see a car coming straight at us. I’m shouting at him to turn around and watch out, but he doesn’t hear me. The car slams directly into us, causing my dad’s head to hit the steering wheel before the airbag deploys. I can’t wake him up, even though I’m shaking him and screaming at the top of my lungs.

I wish these nightmares would stop, but my mind loves to torture me.

Unfortunately, I’ve gotten used to it.

My mom took Laura to the bathroom thirty minutes ago.

I unlock my phone and find my mom in my text messages. I start texting her with one hand, discovering it’s not as easy as I’d thought it would be.

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