Page 94 of Just One Moment

Ipressed charges.

Atfirst,Ididn’t want to, worried it would require me to attend a hearing.Iwas reassured that my statement and security camera footage should be enough, andMr.Willis—as theowner of the building—offered to attend any court hearings on my behalf.

Mycharges aren’t the only ones though.Shestole a car and someone’s purse from a diner when her money took her as far asIndiana.

Whydid she want to see me?I’llnever know.

AndIcan live with that.

Irefuse to give her the satisfaction of seeing me, let alone any more of my time or energy.

Thepatrol car rolls away until it disappears from view.

“Whatwould you say to her?”Theheat ofGraham’sgaze warms the side of my face.

He’snever usually one to break the silence.

Ittakes me a few minutes, but whenIspeak, my voice is clear and sure asIwatch snowflakes dance around in the air. “I’dtell herI’msorry.Sorrythat her life was so awful beforeIcame into it and that whenIarrived,Ididn’t make it easier for her.ButI’dalso tell herI’mnot sorry for being me.Forexisting.Shetried to break me, with every slap and spiteful word, yet hereIam.Thankfulfor the body she cruelly poked and pinched.Gratefulfor the placesI’vevisited.”Isuck in a breath. “HadIstayed…Idon’t like to think what would have happened.

“I’vespent the last nine years growing as a person.Learningto love myself and to show others we aren’t defined by those around us.It’sabout what’s in here”—Itap my chest—“that matters.Whatwe think about ourselves is the only opinion that counts.Whenyou know yourself, you learn to know the type of people you deserve to be around.Andwe should never settle.”

WhenIturn to face him, his brow is creased deep in thought.I’mnot sure what answer he was expecting; honestly,Ididn’t knowIwas going to say all that untilIopened my mouth.

There’salways peace in his silence, but his next words bring an entirely different sense of calm. “I’mproud of you.Toovercome what you have and still see the good in the world is astounding.I’mnot sure many people could.You’rean inspiration.Tome especially.IwishIcould have stopped her last night.”

Ilean over the console and shake my head. “That’snot your responsibility.AllIneeded was you by my side and you were.”Desperateto be done with this conversation,Ichange the topic.Withthe tip of my pointer,Idrag his gaze to meet mine. “Ididn’t tell you.”

Thetight holdGrahamhas on the steering wheel loosens. “Tellme what?”

“BoothandIare going to set up a meeting soon.”

Ibite my lip as understanding dawns and his eyes widen, before a smile full of pride stretches across his face.

“Fuck, honey,Ididn’t thinkIcould be prouder.”Hegrips my cheeks with both hands and smothers my gasp with a kiss. “Boothwould be an idiot not to work with you.Youbuilt that all by yourself.He’sseen what a hard worker you are and the quality of your work.”

“Shewould have seen it differently.ButIdon’t need her.”

Herests his forehead against mine and kisses the tip of my nose. “Whatdo you need?”

“I’dreally like to pick up that leftover pecan pie from your mom’s, get back in my pajamas, and continue watching our documentary.”

“Thenthat’s what we’ll do.”

Tryingon clothes in an overheated changing room while already sweaty is most women’s worst nightmare.

JohannaandIran around the mall for an hour until we both picked out an outfit for the wedding.

Atfirst,Icouldn’t understand whyGrahamwould go, but now thatIdo,Iwant nothing more than to be next to him and support him through it.

AccordingtoJo,Ralph’sparents are delightful.Graham’saunt is his dad’s only sibling and is still very close to his mom.Maybeone day he’ll tellClairethe truth, butI, more than anyone, understand why avoidance feels like the best remedy sometimes.

Everthe pacifist, he did suggest we didn’t have to go after the carnage with my mom.I’dlove to lounge around on the sofa all day with him.Hemight say it wasBooth’sidea, but he would have never agreed to it in the first place had there not been a small part of his mind that told him he needed to attend the wedding for closure.

Justlike blocking my mom’s number and pressing charges was my goodbye to a toxic relationship, this is his.

Itwas only after my mom’s surprise visit that it was clearIhad a lot of unresolved baggage from my abusive childhood.

Althoughthe idea of bringing up the past with a stranger makes me sick with nerves,Ihad never felt braver than after askingJohannafor advice on finding a therapist.

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