Page 10 of Always Right

I shrugged. “As well as it could have.”

Lisa hummed, the silence between us bringing out the sound of the cars driving around us. “It’ll end up being okay, Derek. You’ll see.”

I wanted to believe her. Lisa was a bright woman after all, but there was no hope for us. Never had been. She stopped, and I followed suit, looking down at her. Lisa reached up, ruffling my hair before grinning at me.

“You two will find your happiness, Derek. I know you will.”

Chapter 4

Hannah

I had dreams once. Many of them.

My biggest one was to play the piano, get so lost in the music that the world around me ceased to exist and that the only thing that mattered was the sound of each key, and the soothing effect it had on my heart. I dreamt of a day in which my family would gather, and I would play for them, hearing my mother’s proud voice as she cheered me on.

Clearly, that was never going to happen.

She was dead now and all she cared about was getting more money, more power...using me and exploiting me until she bled me dry.

I couldn’t remember when those dreams faded., It happened gradually, so much that I couldn’t see it happening. Before I knew it, I was gone. The Hannah I was and the one I wanted to be were worlds apart, and there was no way for them to be the same person. Not without disappointing my mother. She got what she wanted...I gave it to her. And then, she’d left me to fend for myself. Evie never saw that side of her. Evie was able to live a semi-normal childhood with Nana, but I...oh, I was caught in my mother’s grip with no way to escape.

I’d dragged everyone I knew into my mess, leaving scars behind that would never fully heal.

I came to a stop, leaning down and catching my breath as the thought unfolded in my head. Those damned memories were vivid, and didn't ever seem to fade. I couldn’t say it was all my mother’s fault because I made those choices, but I always wondered what my life would have been like had she shown me love. Had she shown me she cared.

One can always wonder, right?

Evie ran up to me, her ponytail bouncing as she finally caught up. She placed a perfectly manicured hand over her heaving chest, glaring at me.

“Can you not run so damn fast? I’ve had two pregnancies. I’m not as in shape as I was before.” She pointed to her body, as if there was anything wrong with it.

I rolled my eyes. She was perfect. She looked as beautiful as ever, and it wasn’t just her face or her body. No, Evie’s beauty wasn’t superficial. The purity of her heart shone through her eyes, in every word she spoke, in everything she did. Evie was all heart.

“I deserve Starbucks, you know? I need to put the calories you forced out of my body back in.” I laughed, zipping up my jacket as we began walking. “Besides...how were you pregnant just three months ago and already running so damn much. How do you do it? I can barely get out of bed half the time without cookies from the night before all over me.”

“I run three times a week, Evie. Don’t exaggerate.”

This was our drill.

Every Saturday, no matter what, I would visit and we would go out for a run together while Nathan watched the kids, and then we’d walk back home, talking about everything and anything.

It was nice to have her optimism light up the darkness. Whatever she said, I knew she meant well.

She ran for her health. I ran to...well...run away. I was running from the past and no matter how fast I ran, it always caught up to me.

We stopped at a Starbucks and I bought her a coffee for her effort. We sat outside at a table, ignoring the winter chill that surrounded us and drank our coffee in silence, watching the passerby’s that walked down the street. Evie set her drink down, glancing at me with a smile. “Nathan likes me, you know?”

My brows furrowed as I sipped on my drink, but I didn't let go, hoping the caffeine fueled me for the rest of the day. Sleep wasn’t something I was getting lately.

“I mean...he loves me, yes, but he also likes me. And it's nice, you know? Because I’ll eat cookies in bed and wake up to him taking the package from my hands. Or I’ll have a complete meltdown over a commercial and he won’t judge me. I’m a pain in the ass, I’m sure...but it’s nice to have someone that loves me like that. I love him too. With all my heart. And I love our kids and everything we have together.”

I hummed, finally setting my cup down.

“I don’t want you to be alone, Hannah. But more than that, I don’t want you to be lonely. And sometimes I think you are. I know...” She sighed, reaching out and covering my hand with hers, “You’ve been through a lot. But I’m here for you, okay? It doesn't matter that Derek is back. I’m still here for you. One does not negate the other.”

“I know,” I replied.

She nodded, wanting to say more because it was Evie, and always wanted to say more, but she didn’t.

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