Page 27 of Return To You

Like I’m a total stranger.

She eats salad.

When everyone’s seated, I load a plate with burgers, hot dogs, and chargrilled marinated chicken and squeeze on a bench across from them.

I set the plate in front of her. “Help yourself.”

“Oh thanks,” she says in a crisp, airy voice. She looks everywhere except at me. She doesn’t help herself.

As I stare at her, her cheekbones color, and the skin above her breasts turns reddish in places.

“Massage was great,” I say, still staring at Grace, feeling Haley’s eyes drilling daggers in my skull again.

“The lotion help?”

“I dunno. Didn’t try it yet.”

She blinks a few times like it’s a stupid thing to say, but she has no comeback. No advice.

And above all, she still. Doesn’t. Meet. My. Gaze.

I can’t confront her here, right? I can’t come back, ten years later, and make a scene in front of the whole village because a girl I thought loved me seems to think I’m some piece of shit now.

Just because I didn’t get closure at the time doesn’t mean I can get it now.

We’re on different timelines. I should have confronted her ten years ago. Now’s too late.

Now, it doesn’t matter. She moved on, got married. Got divorced. I’m a blip in her life. I can’t expect her to feel anything about me.

“Who’s that little cutie?” I ask, looking at Skye who has climbed onto Grace’s lap and looks just like her.

“I’m Skye,” the mini Grace answers. “Who are you?” She reaches to the platter, takes a hotdog, bites it, then sets it on the side of Grace’s plate.

“I’m Ethan.”

She widens her eyes at me. “Uncle Justin’s big brother?”

That gets me a chuckle. So sweet that she calls him Uncle. “That’s me.”

“Wow.” She takes another bite of her hotdog.

Wow what? I don’t know much about kids, so I have no idea if this is good or bad.

“Did you kill a lot of bad people?”

Um. Again, not sure what to make of that question. “Not a lot.”

She looks disappointed. Then her eyes brighten, and she straightens with excitement. “Did you take them as prisoners?”

“No prisoners.”

“That’s okay,” she says in a comforting tone. “I’m sure you did your best.”

Haley, Grace, and I share a brief laugh, and Grace’s gaze finally meets mine, setting a burning path from my irises down to a place right below my ribcage. The feeling stays there as Grace visibly relaxes.

“Hey, man.” Chris walks up to us, his arm around the shoulders of a pretty young woman. Shit. I haven’t seen him in ten years. He’s changed. He’s… a man now. I remember a skinny, angsty teenager. He’s nothing like that. Looking at him, I measure how much time has passed. How we all must have changed.

“Daddy! This is Uncle Justin’s brother!” Skye squeals as I stand up to greet him.

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