Page 61 of These Jagged Edges

"And?" he says as if I’ve lost my mind.

I give him a small smile. "Sometimes, Big Guy, it's good to sit with it. I wouldn't be the Evie you know and love today if Posey didn't live the life she did. I'm learning to make peace with that part of myself and learn to love her along the way. So, I'm okay to sit with the pain because I know you won't let me drown in it. You'll pull me back if I drift too far away."

Maddox rubs his chest absentmindedly as he takes my words in. "Come here."

Slowly, I walk over to him and kiss his arm, his skin moltenbeneath my lips. I wait for him to yank me to him and kiss me senselessly, but instead, he hugs me. We stand like that for so long that my feet fall asleep. Maddox kisses my forehead before pulling me back. He doesn't say a word, knowing that sometimes silence is the best kind of comfort to give someone.

As I head back to work on my cake, I hear him whisper or try to whisper as much as his deep voice allows him, "Baby, you and those damn shorts make me want to pull you back on something alright.”

"On what? That little thing?" I sass over my shoulder, pointing to his crotch.

"Damn, woman, you wound me," he says into the shell of my ear with a haughty chuckle. He may have refreshed my memory of how 'little' he was as he bent me over the counter while the eggs cooled and the boys’ watched cartoons in the living room, leaving me sore the rest of the day.

After this morning,I finish the cake, finally deciding it’s good enough. I set about doing the daily chores one does on their days off. Like laundry, painting my toesnails, and vacuuming to kill time until Vic gets back home. Vic’s Navy buddies always take Vic fishing for his birthday. Not that any of them need an excuse to be on the water. I’m surprised Vic doesn’t live on the damn water.

Mercy shows up for an impromptu visit that results in him being in the pool with the boys. I sit with a book on the back porch while they splash. I’m pretty sure they’re splashing more water out than what’s staying inside the pool, but everyone’s happy, and that’s good enough for me.

Brrr. Brrr.

I look down at my phone and notice Allison calling.

"Hey!"

"Evie?" Allison's voice sounds faint. Alarm bells sound off in my head.

"Allison? Is everything okay?"

"I-I don't know how, but he found me."

"Okay. Where are you right now?"

I hear a sniffle on the other end of the line. "Home."

Home for her is some shitty little motel off the highway on the edge of town. I know she’s been saving to rent an apartment, but knowing she calls home some shitty little motel makes my stomach turn. That motel isn’t a place to start fresh, it’s a place for people who decide to live at rock bottom.

“Is he there now?”

“No.”

"Get dressed and meet me at Joe's. We'll have a slice of pie and plan from there. Okay?" Hoping I mask the emotion in my voice to where she can’t detect it.

"Thank you."

"No problem. See you in a few."

After disconnecting, Mercy watches the boys while I run to the diner. When I pull into Joe's, Allison sits on the back stoop of the restaurant with her knees drawn up. She’s holding onto them for dead life with her arms. She appears so childlike and frail that it sparks an emotional fire. Not long ago, that was me. I get out and approach her, putting my feelings aside.

As I approach her, she opens her mouth no doubt to apologize, but I don't want her apology. "Let's go get some pie. I know Joe just made chocolate pie, and we both know that pie alone is capable of solving all the world's problems."

After getting us each a slice of pie, we sit in the back booth. Allison stares at her hands. I noticed how extremely pale she is and the way her body trembles.

I take a bite of pie to steel my nerves. "We’re more alike thanyou think. That terror you feel? We're old friends, and I know how it's consuming you. It's all you can taste, see, or feel. It's got you locked in its claws, refusing to let you come up for air."

Allison slowly turns her gaze from the window to look at me. "I don't remember what it's like to come up for air."

"That was the hardest part for me." I take another bite of pie and smile to myself when I notice Allison pick her fork up. She’s put some weight on and is finally starting to look healthy and not so gaunt.

"Which part?"

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