Page 101 of The Last Time

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she cries.

“I don’t know, Ma,” I cry with her. “Several reasons, I guess.”

She pulls away, wiping her face while Brie looks at us with concern.

“Daddy and Grawma sad,” she states as she continues to look between us.

I try to blink away my own tears, embarrassed that I’ve cried so many times in the last forty-eight hours.

“It’s okay. We are fine, sweetie,” I reassure her.

We walk into the kitchen where the rest of my family is. It’s quiet as everyone watches me with pitiful looks.

Liam doesn’t hesitate. He just barrels into my arms.

“Fuck, dude. I wish you would’ve told me. I would’ve kicked that fucker’s ass a long time ago.”

I chuckle in his arms. “Thanks, not saying I wouldn’t have loved to see that.”

We pull away, and I turn to see everyone else still watching.

“Sorry, guys. I know I shouldn’t have kept it a secret. I know it must suck to have found out how everyone did.”

Layla is next to hop in my arms. “All this time, we’ve been hanging out with him like it was nothing. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine. You didn’t know,” I say, realizing I’m easing everyone else’s worries.

It’s incredible how much a secret can affect so many people. It was eating me alive on the inside and changing me, making my family sick with worry.

“How are you feeling?” my dad asks.

I move further into the kitchen and rest against the countertop.

“After everything, you’d think I’d feel worse than I do. I’m actually feeling a bit lighter, to be honest.”

“I’m relieved to hear that,” Eric says. “You seemed a little rough when you came home the other night.”

My chest tightens when I think about it. “Yeah, that was more about Charlotte.”

“What?” Layla freaks out. “What about her?”

“Nothing you have to worry about. It was just hard to walk away from her, but I know I’m not ready to give myself to someone yet. Actually, I’ve booked an appointment with a therapist. I want to get there for her, but she couldn’t promise to wait for me.”

“If it’s meant to be, she’ll wait,” Ma replies. “But right now, you just need to focus on being healthy for yourself.”

“Yeah, and she’s here for good. She isn’t going anywhere. I know Charlotte, and she’s totally crazy for you.”

“We’ll see,” I reply, not able to think about the possibility of officially losing her.

I need to be able to function and breathe for Brie, and the thought of losing Charlotte would do just that. I wouldn’t be able to function. I’ve barely been getting by without her, but the motivation to win her back is keeping me going.

“Josh told me you were a ball of nerves that night after we left,” I say to Layla.

She tenses at my words and refuses to meet my eyes.

Weird.

“Uh, yeah. I was really pissed. It all happened so fast, then you were just gone,” she says to the ground.

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