Page 52 of My Best Years

I think about how I still have her dried sweat and sweet tears on my skin. How I’ll die with Birdie Wren not just etched into my heart but marked on my flesh.

If soulmates are real, then Birdie Wren is mine. If I meet an early grave, she’ll forever be carrying around my heart. Instead of heaven or hell, I’ll be with her. The keeper of my soul.

Through the agonizing pain of my ribs snapping and breaking, a bloody smile tilts my lips knowing that my last thoughts will be of Birdie Wren Ambrose. Not my father.

“Oh my God! Stop! You have to stop! You’re going to kill him!”

Those are the last words I hear before everything goes black.

SEVENTEEN

Birdie

Present Day

“Cal…” My fingers tremble as I lift them to cover my mouth.

My brows knit together as I shake my head, unable to fathom the torment he experienced at the hands of his father.

Our server dropped off our drinks ten minutes ago, but I can’t bring myself to take a sip. I’ve never felt more nauseous in my entire life. My gaze darts around the deck, searching for the nearest trash bin in case I get sick. I knew what Callum had to tell me would be bad, but I could never have prepared myself forthis.

His father beat him half to death.

For years, his father physically and emotionally abused him.

“Callum,” I breathe, my voice heavy with emotion. “Oh my God…” I trail off. “I’m…I’m so sorry.”

I try so hard to hold back the tears blurring my vision. Not because I don’t want him to see me cry, but because I want tostay strong for him. He’s lived with this pain for so many years with no family to lean on for support.

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” His eyes are glossy, like he’s trying to hold back his own tears after reliving the memory. “It was bound to happen at some point.”

How did I not know…

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask. “About the abuse? All those years, I knew something was wrong. I knew it, Callum. I remember asking you over and over again if something was going on at home.”

He shakes his head.

“I didn’t tell anyone. And if I was going to expose my father, it sure as hell wasn't going to be to you, Birdie.”

I furrow my brows.

“Why? We told each other everything.”

“Because you were my everything,” he clarifies, his voice cracking. “Because he threatened me time and time again, saying that he would take everything from me if I ever told anyone. My dad didn’t know much about me, but I think he knew that I loved you. There were so many times that I wanted to tell you, but I was so fucking scared, Birdie. At the time, my father was one of the top lawyers in South Carolina, with tons of friends in law enforcement and the legal system. He was a powerful man, and I was fucking terrified that he would come for you to get back at me if I ever exposed the abuse. You have no idea what he’s capable of. I would have done anything to protect you, Birdie. Even if that meant staying quiet.”

My heart shatters as I think about the little boy I first met on the bus. Callum Pierce, the boy with messy hair and eyes like the blue sky.

How could anyone ever hurt such a sweet soul? Let alone his own parents.

I don’t realize I’m crying until I taste a salty tear roll over my quivering lips.

“It kills me that you felt like you had to go through that alone,” I murmur. “That you felt like you had no one to run to.”

Callum reaches across the table and takes my hand in his. His lips curve up in a sad smile as he brushes his thumb along the back of my hand.

“That’s not true,” he retorts. “I had you, Birdie. There were so many days when I felt like I was on a life raft in the middle of the pitch-black ocean with no end in sight. But you were my light. My safe harbor. I would have never made it through my childhood without you. You were my happiest memories and my best days. Even though you didn’t know it then, you saved me.”

You saved me.

---