Page 61 of Enraged

I didn’t respond. It seemed more polite to remain silent than it did to tell him I thought he was crazy.

“I know you think I’m wrong, but would you and I have ever had sex under normal circumstances?”

I bit my lip, thinking it over. “Absolutely not.”

He threw his hand up as if I’d said exactly what he wanted me to say. “I rest my case. Adrenaline.”

We drove the rest of the way in silence, the only sound between us was the song Brooks and Dunn were singing on the radio.

As he pulled up in my parents’ yard, he reached over and rubbed the top of my thigh. “This is the part I was referring to when I said it’s gonna get worse. A lot of people are goin’ to be talkin’. Ignore that shit.”

I nodded.

He stopped the truck in the spot my daddy appointed to him back when we were in high school.

The memory made me smile. “Remember when daddy told you if you messed up his grass again by driving across it, he would spike the food with exlax then invite you over for supper?”

He gave me a deadpanned look. “Why do you think I’m still parkin’ exactly where he told me to park nearly two decades later?”

I laughed. “Mama wouldn’t have let him mess with y’all’s food.”

He swung open his truck door. “I wasn’t takin’ no chances.”

Shaking my head, I hopped out of his truck. We trekked through the rare Georgia snow with an awkward silence settling between us. Both of us were unsure of what to say so we both just stared straight ahead. Thankfully, my mama, who could always be counted upon, came barreling out of the front door.

“Lee Lee! Dak!”

She embraced him for a quick minute before throwing her arms around my neck, lingering just long enough for a lump to start to form in my throat.

“Hey, Mama.”

She pulled away but held me at arm’s length. “I’m so sorry, sugar.” She turned to face Dakota. “For both of y’all. I’m sosorry,” her voice wavered, evidence that she was fighting back tears.

My mama had been like a second mama to Cassie since we were in elementary school and to the boys since we were in high school. She had always loved and treated all of them the same way she did me and my brother, coining her the nickname “Mama C” a long, long time ago. I knew without a doubt that, while it was for a very different reason, her heart was just as broken by all of this as mine and Dakota’s.

Dak put his arm around her. “Look on the bright side, Mama C, now you… I mean, Santa… has two less stockings to fill this year for Christmas.”

Damn, I forgot Christmas is in less than two weeks.

Mama smiled sadly. “Y’all hungry? I didn’t know y’all would be back today, but I always cook enough for an army. I have homemade vegetable soup in the Crockpot if y’all want some.” Dak’s eyes lit up immediately, his reaction answering for the both of us.

“Perfect!” She beamed. “C’mon in, the house is good and warm.”

That’s a good thing, Mama, because the world is fuckin’ cold.

Dakota

Being in the Felder house would always be my favorite place to be. Having a dad that owned a bank branch and a mama that chose meth over me a long time ago, the place that I always felt most at home was this house.

My dad has always been a great man, but he spent most of my teen years married to his work, determined to make our name known for something other than the sins and scandals my mama left behind. Lena’s mama is the only true maternal figure I have ever had, and I am smart enough to know she is the main reason I became a firefighter and not a felon. My daddy taught me to work hard to succeed and, especially, to prove people wrong, but it was Mr. Brett, Lena’s daddy, that actually forced me to develop a work ethic.

Most teenage boys spent their summers chasing tail they’d never actually get or riding the town strip with their friends, but not us. Mr. Brett had me, Jace, and Lena’s brother, Cruise spending our summer breaks right here, helping him out with the farm every day. We were compensated, of course, with a paycheck that seemed huge to us back then, a permanent spot at Mama C’s supper table, and more dips in their backyard pool than a man could count. I didn’t realize it back then but what I gained from those years of manual labor was a work ethic that would carry me the rest of my life, while also giving me the desire to always help out someone if I had the opportunity to do it.

Mama C gestured towards the living room. “Y’all go sit a spell. I’ll bring y’all a bowl of soup.”

After removing our shoes in the entryway, we obeyed her command, both of us electing the reclining sectional as our landing zone.

“If you need to get home to Athens, Mama will understand,” Lena spoke up.

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