Page 125 of The Lucky One

Dad set down his sandwich and leaned in, his expression suddenly serious. “My help?”

I hated having to disappoint him yet again.

“I love you, Dad. I wish I was the son you could be proud of—successful, with a clean record. Not this mess who’s barely scraping through high school with a drug addiction.” A tear caught me by surprise, rolling down my cheek.

Dad gazed at me evenly, waiting for me to finish. It was one of the things I appreciated about him. Sure, he was lighthearted a lot of the time, but he got serious when he needed to. I preferred that over pity; I needed tough love, not coddling.

I took in another deep breath. And I told him everything.

Dad flinched a few times whenever I dropped another bomb at him, but he didn’t interrupt.

“I need to talk to Humphrey,” I said. “But if I go alone, I’m afraid he won’t believe me. I need your help. I’m worried someone could get hurt.” My shoulders slumped with the weight of my shame.

He got up and offered me his hand. “C’mon. I’ll drive.”

Fuck it. I went up close and hugged him. He held me tight—reassurance I hadn’t felt since I was a little boy.

“I love you, son,” he whispered, and I nodded into his chest. “I love you too, Dad.”

Reunited

Emily

“Gena?”

She was squatting down in the backyard, peeking under the pool cover. Many houses around here had pools, even if they weren’t that fancy. In Germany, that was a luxury only for the richest people. All we had at home was a Planschbecken, a plastic wading pool for little kids.

Gena stood up. “We should get the pool ready in two weeks or so. Normally I open it in June, but I want you to be able to swim in it before you leave.”

“That would be amazing!” I nodded excitedly. I’d been looking forward to it ever since the day I moved in. “Thank you, Gena.”

“Don’t thank me, honey. I miss my morning swims too.” She smiled, and I couldn’t help but notice the dark circles below her eyes. She was still worried about what had happened to Paul a few weeks ago.

“I wanted to ask you something,” I ventured.

“What is it, honey?”

“I know it’s kinda last-minute, but could the girls and I get ready here for prom tomorrow night?”

Gena’s face lit up. “Of course, sweetheart! We’ll make it a night to remember.”

That same evening, she approached me with a twinkle in her eye, holding a bag full of decorations. “I thought we could spruce up the house a bit for the occasion,” she said, and her enthusiasm was infectious.

The next day, she returned with new mirrors and makeup. “I want everything to be perfect for my girl’s big night.”

Gena was really going above and beyond. A lump formed in my throat. She pulled me into her warm embrace. “My only daughter is going to prom. It’s a moment I’ll never get to experience again,” she said, and love radiated in my heart. I hugged her as tight as I could. My departure was in less than three weeks... I might have accepted that I had to leave America, but that didn’t make it any easier.

Henry walked into the room with his phone pressed to his ear. “Yes, we’ll be there.” He hung up and grabbed the car keys. “Paul!” he called.

“What’s going on, Henry?” Gena asked, going up to him.

“The police called,” he said tersely. “They think they know who attacked Paul, and they want him to go to the station to identify the suspect.” Gena gasped, and he hugged her.

“Jon,” I whispered so quietly, they didn’t hear it. Had he gone to the police after all? If it was his doing, he...

No, I couldn’t forgive him so easily for putting Paul in danger all these months.

“You go with Paul,” Gena said, getting into planning mode. “I’ll stay here.”

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