Page 51 of Saving Shepperd

“I wonder if my sister will be there. Maybe I shouldn’t go. I don’t want to cause any drama.” She bit into her bottom lip with worry.

“Darling, why would that cause drama?” I asked innocently. I knew there was some tension between Shepperd and her family members, but I didn’t realize it was intense enough to make her miss out on something she just seemed excited about.

She stood and began pacing around the room. “I probably used the wrong word. Not drama necessarily. Just awkwardness. Plus, maybe she won’t be there. Her baby is still pretty young. I don’t know if they’re taking her places just yet.”

“I guess I didn’t realize you didn’t get along,” I said, and she stopped pacing long enough to give me a look I hadn’t seen before. Something along the lines ofBe serious, you moron, and I didn’t like it very much.

“Explain this look you’re giving me.”

“What look?” she snapped back. Man, this girl’s moods flipped like a switch.

“This look.” I stepped up to block her pacing, and she looked up the length of my body until she met my eyes.

“Sorry,” she murmured. And just like that, the defensiveness was gone, and she was small and contrite in the space she took up in front of me.

“You don’t have to apologize, Shep. Just help me understand. What’s the beef between you and your sister? Sorry, I can’t remember her name even though I’m sure you’ve told me before.”

“Hannah,” she said with a grimace toward the floor.

“That’s right. Hannah. She’s the one married to Elijah Banks, right?”

“She is. And they just had a little baby girl a few weeks ago.” She thought for a moment and then corrected herself. “Shit, it’s been almost two months already.” She cradled her face in her hands and mumbled, “Another reason for everyone to be pissed at me.”

I tugged her hands down and wrapped them in my own. They were cold in my warm grip, and I waited patiently for her to look at me. “What’s going on?” I asked when she finally lifted her chin. “Even your hands are cold now.” In the back of my mind, I suspected she was working up to an anxiety attack but didn’t want to suggest it out loud.

“They all hate me,” she said in a small voice. “Everything I do is wrong. I don’t want to ruin your niece’s party, Law. Maybe I shouldn’t go.”

And we circled the wagon completely. “Okay, please settle down.” I winced the moment the words came out of my mouth. I knew the first thing not to say to someone having an anxiety attack wascalm down. I’d been through this before with another girl I dated and learned some crucial lessons the hard way.

“Sorry,” I apologized instantly. “I know that doesn’t help. Can we sit down and talk about this?”

It was a true testament to how much I cared about this girl. Normally, I didn’t have an ounce of patience for stuff like this. It felt manipulative and a tad childish if I were being bluntly honest. But having that thought just made me frustrated with myself.

Obviously, she was having a barrage of issues crowding her brain. She deserved patience and kindness while she worked through it all.

I wanted to be the one to show her that grace.

Carefully, she lowered to the couch as though it caused her physical pain. I took the cushion beside her and angled my body toward hers. I wanted to blurt out question after question but knew she needed time to organize her thoughts. So I waited for her to start the conversation.

Finally, she said, “I’m sorry.”

“What are you apologizing for? You’ve done nothing wrong.”

Waving her hand in the air in front of us, she said, “This. All this. It’s ridiculous.” She shook her head a couple of times before dropping her face into her open palms.

“It’s not. Talk to me. Walk me through where that came from so I can understand,” I requested as gently as possible.

“It’s my family. It’s just so much crap between us all that has never been dealt with. So it just builds and builds and builds, and now we have this enormous pile of crap between us and not one shovel to be found.”

I hoped I wasn’t stepping over the line but asked, “Have you ever tried talking to them? Like not in the heat of an argument but when everyone is calm and thinking open-mindedly?”

“I’m sure over the years I’ve tried. And for whatever reason, nothing was resolved. Things have just gotten worse and worse over time. I’m not sure if I told you this before… I don’t think I have…” She paused and took a deep breath as though whatever she was about to say was so heavy she needed to gather strength to say it. “My sister Hannah was nearly abducted when she was six years old. Maye and I were just babies. My mom had all of us in Target by herself, and two people cornered my sister and dragged her to the restroom.”

“Oh no…”

Judging by the look on her face, there was still more to the story.

“They drugged her, cut her hair, changed her into little boy’s clothes, and then tried to leave the store with her as their own child. The management locked down the entire store, and my mom recognized her in their arms as they tried to leave. So they were caught, prosecuted, and sent to jail.”

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