Page 75 of One Spicy Summer

No matter how many partners I’ve had since, no one has ever touched me like Rygaard. I used to be the one who pulled him out of the dark and back into the light.

Now it feels like the tables have turned.But how can I let him?

I can’t.If Keifer finds out Ry was here, he’ll kill me.

I know it.

I’m convinced Keifer only ever wanted me to knock me off the high horse he thought I rode around on, his words, not mine. I should’ve seen it from the start: he wasn’t my savior.

I was already broken, and he just put a shiny lie over the wreckage. At least that’s what I used to tell myself.

Standing under the pounding shower, I let the hot water scald my skin, but it can’t wash away the tears. Why did Rygaard have to show up now? He’s been in town for a whole ass year and never once came looking for me.

So why now?

What’s changed?

Shutting off the water, I grab a towel from the bar and step out.I wipe the condensation from the mirror and stare at the woman I’ve become. My lip quivers. Letting the towel drop, I take a step back and run a hand over my belly, tracing the stretch marks where Reese once lived.It feels like a lifetime ago, cradling him in my arms.I wish I could say it was as he took his last breath, but he was already gone when I pushed him out.

The sobs come hard, and I make no effort to stop them.

“Oh, Reese. I wish I was strong enough to have carried you. To have been the mother you deserved,” I whisper, my voice cracking.

The track marks on my arms have faded some since the last time Keifer and his friends pumped me full of shit.I’ve beentrying to get clean, trying to claw my way back to myself. It’s harder than anyone knows.

Keifer always said I partied better when I was high. Maybe he was right. But lately, all I want is to live like Reese is still here.

What would he think if he saw me now? Wasting away, throwing away every ounce of talent I once had just to forget.

Then, like a whisper across my heart, I hear it:I’d want you to be happy, Mom. I want to see you smile again, like the day I was born. Even though I wasn’t there physically, I was there in spirit. Don’t worry about me. I’m okay. I’m just waiting for the day we can be together again.

My head snaps up.I frantically search the room, the chill of the air brushing against my damp skin, until warmth, undeniable and real, wraps around me.

I love you, Mom.

I know it's him.

My Reese.

“I love you, too, baby boy,” I whisper, sinking to the floor. “Thank you, God. Thank you for letting me hear him.” I cry. Cry for my baby. Cry for myself.

“I have to get out of here.” There was always going to be a time when this life would end. That time is now.

Running to my room, I yank on sweats, a sweatshirt, and shoes. I toss a few essentials into a tote and grab my phone. Digging through my underwear drawer, I find Rygaard’s card and text him, but the message isn’t going through.

“What the fuck is going on in here?” Keifer's voice thunders from behind me. I spin around. He stands in the doorway, his face twisted in suspicion. “Are you going somewhere, Presley?”

“Yes. Rafe just called. My parents are back... something’s wrong with my dad.”

He steps closer, nostrils flaring. “What about our dinner?”

I force a smile, reaching up to cup his cheek. “Baby, I want nothing more than to be wined and dined by you guys. But... it’s my dad.” The concern on my face is real enough. But Keifer isn’t buying it entirely. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with that nice, shiny truck parked outside earlier, would it?”

My heart pounds.Fuck. He knows.

I keep my face neutral. “I have no idea who that was. I wasn’t outside after I got home.”

He narrows his eyes.“What did you go out for?”

---