Page 79 of Back to Willow

Arthur.

“Just hold him. I’m driving slowly.” His eyes look at me through the rearview mirror. “We’re almost there.”

“My brother?”

“He took that guy to his car,” the harshness in his voice tells me he isn’t fond of Liam after this chaotic encounter. “He stayed behind to send everyone else home. Thankfully, Ethan and Hazel vouched for me, saying you’d be safe enough. I just thought you’d need a change of scenery and some fresh air.”

“Thank you,” I whisper, and he nods, letting me know he heard.

By watching me finally be functional, Dylan places his head on my shoulder, hiding his face in my neck, still holding me tight. With a few threading movements through his hair, he quickly falls asleep on my lap.

I busy myself watching the view outside. The city lights seem unusually annoying, and the occasional cars passing by us are extremely loud. Even the scarce people walking down the streets seem to be walking funny. It’s probably my puffy eyes making me see things.

There’s no going back after this. Now, I surely have to tell him and come clean. Having the truth out will shatter me all over again.

What if he doesn’t believe me?

What if? He won’t. There were many reasons why I left, but this possibility was one of the biggest ones.

The car comes to a halt, and Arthur finally turns around, looking directly at me. “Are you alright?”

“No,” I blurt truthfully, keeping my eyes on the sleeping toddler.

How could I even look into his eyes after the show he just witnessed?

“Want to talk about it? It can help.”

“I don’t think I can.”

“You don’t need to.” He nods. “Just know you can.”

“Thank you.”

My eyes keep sweeping through our surroundings, avoiding him. At this moment, looking at everything but him is easier. The embarrassment has now replaced most of the fear, and at this point, I’ll break down again if our gazes meet.

“You’ll need to make a decision soon, though. From what I’ve seen, he won’t stop until you tell him whatever truth he is looking for. Will you manage? I’ve noticed how much inside your mind you get. It has to be bad.”

This man has pulled a one-eighty. He is now the day compared to the darkness of the night he used to be and so much more kind and understanding than I’ve ever thought. Not to mention that the concern in his eyes is evident.

Maybe telling someone will help …

“I need some fresh air,” I admit.

“Of course.” Exiting the driver’s seat, he comes around the car to the back and opens the door, picking Dylan up and helping me place him in the back seat. After covering him with his jacket, he opens a tiny bit of the window before closing the door and locking the car.

“We can’t go far—”

“I was thinking we could sit on the hood of the car.” He jerks his chin towards the front of the car.

I follow, and we sit, side by side, facing the dark landscape ahead of us. The faint sound of ocean waves tells me we’re close to the beach, instantly reminding me of the times Liam took me stargazing, knowing how much I loved it. How I miss those days.

The silence stretches for a bit as we both stare into the nothingness ahead. For once, it’s a comfortable silence. I no longer expect him to be rude at any given moment, and that makes me more comfortable than ever. Oddly enough, I feel safe.

“When I first saw you, I hated you," Arthur speaks, startling me with his sudden bluntness.

He doesn’t look away from the spot he’s trained on, though.

“Way to break the ice.” I chuckle nervously. “I noticed you weren’t a fan.”

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