Page 30 of Everlasting Love

“Hey.” Shane pats Toby on the back. “Sam’s up in maternity. She had the baby last night.”

“Oh, okay. Maybe I don’t need to leave Cass to find out.” I love how reluctant he is to leave my sister. “Come in and say hello.” Finally, we step into the sterile room.

Cass’s eyes widen as her lips spread in happiness when she sees us. Shane moves forward first because I can’t move from my spot just inside the doorway. My heart breaks for her and her bruised and broken body as I take in what I can see of my sister from head to toe. Not to mention the parts I can’t see—her mind. I can’t believe she’s smiling. He kisses her forehead. “Hey, Cass. How are you feeling?”

“A bit sore and sorry for myself, to be honest,” she says, her lips turned downward. I’m certain she’s downplaying how she’s feeling. “But thankful it’s not worse than what it is.”

“I watched the footage from the shop.” I can’t believe he watched the attack. I know I won’t ever watch it. I don’t want to see what happened. The aftereffects are bad enough. “You’re a badass. I’m honored to call you my friend. What you did for Sam …”—he shakes his head—“the way you fought with everything you had. You were …areamazing. Don’t forget that.”

Cass blinks quickly at Shane’s high praise. He steps away from the bed, making room for me but I can’t move as Itake in every visible inch of my broken sister. She’s almost unrecognizable. Mom said she was a mess, but I didn’t comprehend what she really meant. No wonder she didn’t want Poppy to see her like this.

Cass holds out her good hand to me, and I step forward quickly. The sob I was holding back breaks free as I gently take Cass’s hand, careful not to hurt her. We cry together, both of us shaking. I gently run my hands along the sides of her face, barely touching her as I study every inch and catalog her bruises and cuts. “Oh, Cass. That fucking asshole. I want to hunt him down and do some serious damage. I want to?—”

“Shh, shh. Don’t do that. He’s not worth any more of our time or thoughts.” She shakes her head at me when I open my mouth. “No. I don’t want to hear any more about it. I just want to forget it happened and wait for the justice he deserves to be served.”

“It better be served, Cass. I’m so fucking angry he did this to you.” I huff. “How dare he put his hands on you like this. Who does he think he is to hurt you so badly? I knew he was an asshole, but this is a whole other level of assholery.”

“How’s Poppy?” Cass changes the subject, and I work to tuck my anger away. It’s better than the torrent of tears I’ve been crying but obviously, Cass doesn’t want it.

“She’s missing you. She knows that you’ve been hurt but she doesn’t understand why she can’t come and see you. Mom took the girls to a movie to distract them for a while which allowed me to sneak out of the house so I could visit you.” I take Cass’s hand in mine. “Do you need anything? Can I bring you anything from home? Any snacks?” I raise my eyebrows waiting for her to respond.

“I’d love my shampoo and stuff and maybe some fresh clothes. I’m not sure how long I’ll be stuck in here.” I can’t believe I didn’t think to bring anything with me but I was so focused on seeing her, my mind wasn’t working properly. EvenMom didn’t think to send anything with me because she was busy distracting the girls.

“I’m sorry I didn’t think to bring anything with me. My only excuse is that I’ve been in shock that this happened to you.”

Cass reaches up and tucks my loose hair behind my ear. “It’s okay, Vi. Don’t worry about it. It’s not like I can use any of it just yet. I’m not even sure when they’ll let me take a shower.” She blows out a long breath. “I don’t know how long I’ll be here, and I’m already missing Poppy so much.”

My heart breaks for my sister. I don’t think I could be away from Jas for very long, I’m not sure Cass will be able to get through this without seeing her little girl. “Do you think you’re going to be okay? I mean, I know physically, you’ll heal, but … mentally … do you think you’ll be okay?”

She presses her lips together in a straight line, her eyes move from side to side and her eyebrows dip and rise as she thinks. “I really don’t know, Vi,” she whispers. “IknowI have a great support system around me, and hopefully Jake will be locked up so I feel safe, but I’m not sure.”

I nod slowly and squeeze her hand gently. “I’m always here to listen for whatever you need. I love you so much. I’ve been so scared so I can only imagine the feelings swirling around inside of you.”

A tear rolls down her cheek, and I move in carefully to embrace her as gently as I can as we both cry.

PART TWO

21 months later …

12

SHANE

I positionthe polished plank of wood on the brackets, ensuring it’s securely in place. “There. Now you have room for more books.”

Hope smiles up at me. “Thanks, Shane. I appreciate you stopping by.”

I pack my tools into my toolbox. “No problem. You know I’m happy to help whenever. Anything else you need done while I have my tools?” The front door slams and Evan storms through the house, his anger radiating from him like a wave. Hope and I look at each other with raised brows. “What the hell was that?”

She shrugs a delicate shoulder and looks away from me. “He’s been angry lately. He won’t talk to me.”

“Did something happen at school?”

“I don’t know. I spoke with his teacher, and they’re not aware of anything, but he’s been more aggressive at school lately.” She heads into the kitchen and pulls a glass down from the cupboard. “I just give him some space to cool down, and he’s usually okay after a while.”

“I’m gonna go see if he’ll talk to me.”

“You can try. I don’t like your chances.”

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