Page 52 of Burn Point

My stepmom straightened as we passed through the door, a wide smile aimed at my dad. “There’s my handsome fella.”

“Jo, honey.” Mom wrapped me in a fierce hug, tears streaming down her face.

“Mom, what’s wrong?”

“It’s your dad.”

I froze, paralyzed with fear that something had happened to Dad.

“What happened, Mom?”

“Oh, Jo, he’s getting married.”

I pushed away from her. She was crying just like she had when she’d told me they were getting a divorce. She scared me to death that time, and my dad had walked through the door an hour later and we’d talked everything out. Now she was doing the same thing. Honestly, I’d known this was bound to happen. Dad was too full of life, and he and Sandi had been dating for a while.

And yet my mom was acting devastated. Again.

I pushed him farther into the room and stood awkwardly to the side, shrugging off the bad memories as Sandi came to him, giving him a hug and a peck on the cheek.

“You look great today, sweetheart. And I see you’ve brought a straggler with you?”

Her gaze shifted to me.

For a moment, my heart sputtered. The last time I spoke to this woman, I hadn’t been nice. And though she’d still sent me updates on my dad’s health status for a while, I’d been a brat and hadn’t responded to her. I’d been no better than my mom, overreacting about the news of their divorce, closing myself off from them, long before his accident.

Shame and remorse were such a bitch combo to deal with.

I squared my shoulders, knowing I deserved any kind of crappy comment she made. I looked her in the eye and offered a reconciliatory smile. “Hi, Sandi. It’s been a while.”

She reached for me, pulling me into a hug. Her soft hair brushed my cheek as she whispered to me, “Thank you for coming. This means everything to him.”

I swallowed against the emotion clogging my throat and blinked the moisture from my eyes as she pulled away. I had been such a shit daughter to them, essentially cutting them off. And here they were, offering me unconditional love, open acceptance. Like I deserved it.

We got Dad settled into the bed and I finally got the balls to address the elephant in the room. I owed them an explanation and an apology.

“You guys, I know it’s weird me showing up here. And it feels weird to me that you’ve both just welcomed me so much. I guess I expected anger and resentment.”

Dad looked at my stepmom, their eyes lingering as though they were having an entire conversation without saying a word. Had I ever had a connection with someone like that? Where an entire conversation could pass between two people with a gaze?

Sandi cleared her throat and grabbed Dad’s hand.

“Well, Jordan. I will confess that I’ve been frustrated with your lack of effort at different times over the years. Your dad and I eventually decided you’d come when you felt ready. And if you didn’t, then we’d have to accept it. I’m not going to lie and say I was happy about it. But Waylon didn’t want me to give you a piece of my mind, and so I focused my energy in a positive way. I just hoped and prayed that you’d come to realize what you’d been missing.”

Her words stung that tender place in my heart and I had to look away. I knew I deserved the harsh words, and their disappointment, but it still stung.

“I know I was wrong, and I don’t have any excuses. But I’ll be better about making the effort moving forward. I guess I grieved losing the dad I had and didn’t appreciate the dad I still have.” I looked up at them both, forcing myself to face them. “I love you, both of you. I’m sorry for not being here. But I am now. And will be from now on.”

Dad shifted and reached his hand to me. I clasped it, feeling a tear trickle down my cheek. “I love you, too, kiddo.”

After an emotion-filled moment of Dad and I staring at each other, Sandi clapped her hands and said, “Okay, we’re done with the hard stuff. Tell us all about what you’ve been doing.”

I launched into my life story, covering college, through my relationship with Gerry, and ending with my move to Newman, the tornado, and Nate’s rescue. I finished by describing Pearl to them and my adventures since taking her on the road. By the time I was done talking, we’d shared laughs and more hugs and that little empty place inside of me had started to fill.

Chapter 13

Nate

I finished my outdoor chores, checking my little vegetable garden that was coming along nicely, and flipped on the lights on the deck. The sun had set but it was not yet dark. The last orange rays of the sunset set my hard work on display like a painting. It reminded me of the evening Jordan had first put up the lights.

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