Page 23 of Forgiving Fate

Fuck.

I glance over at Allie and see fists clenched on top of her thighs but her eyes are locked on me.

“Landon.” I can hear the worry in her voice.

eyes to the road, I try to look for a place to pull off but I can’t see much through the pounding rain.

The last thing we need is to get slammed by a tractor trailer speeding through here because they can’t see us in the rain.

Checking my surroundings again, I grip the steering wheel tighter and sit up closer to the wheel.

“Don’t pull over. Maps says there is an underpass coming up in a quarter mile.” The fear in her voice is gone; sounding calm and collected.

I nod. I don’t want to take my eyes off the road for a split second.

“I can do this. Just get to the underpass. Just get her to a safe space. Don’t fail her Landon.”

I repeat the same words to myself over and over until the bridge comes into view. The rain beating down on the car is deafening and grows harder and harder by the second.

My foot slowly starts pressing the brake so we don’t speed underneath and miss our only chance at escaping the storm.

The moment the car slips under the bridge, I let out a breath that I didn’t know I was holding and pull off onto the shoulder. My hands stay gripped on the steering wheel and I see Allie reach over and turn on the hazards.

The car falls nearly silent, the only sound coming from the consistent clicking of the hazards. The wind and rain are on a warpath to destroy anyone out there who is braving the storm.

My eyes stay fixed on the road ahead. My grip tightens and the fire returns.

No. I got her to safety. Please no.

My hands begin to shake, and I beg for them to stop.

Come on, Landon. You cannot let her see you fall apart. You can not let anyone see you crumble and give into your demons.

I beg silently for it all to stop, but they don’t. Not until her voice echoes throughout the silent car.

“What did you mean by you would tell me anything I wanted to know?”

Her questions shocks me. I thought she abandoned the idea of wanting to know anything that day at her parents'.

I hesitate before looking over at her. And when I do, I see she has shifted her body to lean her back slightly against the door, her hand resting on the door handle.

Her light blue eyes stare into mine for a moment before they fall to look at the hand tugging at the hem of her sweater.

Shaking my head, I focus back on her question. Clearing my throat, “I meant you can ask me anything. I know what I told you that day wasn’t like describing a normal job. I know Logan will tell you eventually, but truthfully, I don’t think Grayson has told her the full story.”

“What’s the full story?” Her boldness takes me by surprise, but I promised her I would tell her anything she wanted to know. And we are stuck here until the rain slows down, so I start from the beginning.

“I will tell you whatever you want to know. But it isn’t a story of sunshine and rainbows,” I preface. The last thing I want to do is send her into a tailspin.

She lets out a sigh and says, “I understand. But like I said the other day, please stop treating me like I’m a child or that I can’t handle anything. If this road trip has proven anything, it’s that I am not going to crumble and let the world swallow me whole. I’m a big girl. I can handle it. And if I can’t, I will ask you to stop.”

“I know. But that doesn’t mean that I’m going to jump into my life story without giving you a heads up. It’s not treating you with kid gloves. I haven’t known you that long, but I can see you possess a strength I will never come close to. But even the strongest have cracks beneath the surface.”

I am shocked at my own words, but wait for her to give me a sign that I stepped over the line, or to continue. I watch as she takes a deep breath, glances out at the rain, and when her eyes return to mine, she nods.

“My mother, Michelle, grew up in an abusive household. Her father beat on her and her mother, and one day it became toomuch, forcing them to run away. They somehow ended up in Cliff Haven, where she met my father. And she made a promise to herself that she would help the ones that weren’t lucky enough to escape. She became a lawyer and specialized in cases of domestic violence or victims of abuse.

“When my brothers and I were growing up, she would sometimes bring people home to stay with us. Some would stay for days and some would stay for months. Most of the time, they would stick with Mom while she helped them get to the next step in their journey.

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