Page 112 of Shattering Nash

“Are you going to open up to me and tell me about your past?” Charley asked.

“If you want to know? Yes.”

She peeked up, and whispered. “You promise?”

His gaze softened, and he slowly nodded. “Yes.”

“We were fractured when we lost him. We went from the core-four to a party of three. It changed all of us.” She drew in a breath. “And then my brother was in a really bad car accident his junior year of high school. He almost died, had to be revived twice.” She paused. “He survived, but we came close to losing him. He was out for the second half of the year because of his injuries. And as you can imagine he was in a lot of pain, so naturally he was prescribed painkillers. It’s the normal treatment, so no one really had any concerns. People take painkillers all the time and never form an addiction.”

“But he did?”

Charley nodded, sliding her finger over the rim of the glass. “By that time, my mom was recently remarried and had other things going on. I think she missed my father so much, she was blinded by her new-found happiness. Her husband had two younger kids who moved into the house with them. She was just really happy. I hadn’t seen her that way in years.”

“Then it changed?” Nash’s voice was so soft, she almost didn’t hear him.

“Yes,” she muttered, inhaling a deep breath. “None of us knew it, but once he fully recovered, Cody was still taking thepills to the point where he’d steal prescriptions. He’d gone to a bunch of different doctors trying to get the pills from anyone and everyone who’d give them to him. Then one night, after exhausting all his options and getting nowhere, he started to crash and go into withdrawals. He got into a huge fight with her husband and it actually got pretty violent. My mom agreed not to press charges if he went to rehab.”

“Did he go?”

“Yeah, I convinced him. He did a three-month stay, and when he got out, he was the same as he’d been before the accident.” Charley glanced up at Nash. “He was happy, fun, and positive. The same Cody I remembered.”

“He got better.”

But it didn’t last.

“For a little while. And then he relapsed. At that point, my mom and her husband had enough. They kicked him out.” Charley sighed. “I tried to get her to send him to rehab again, but she said it had been a waste of money the first time around. She basically cut him out of her life. He couch-surfed for two weeks before I could find him at a friend’s. He was so high, he didn’t even recognize me.”

“That’s when you took him in?”

She nodded. “I was in college and had just moved in to my own apartment. My mom was totally against it. She told me that if I took him in, she’d cut me off. So, she did.” Charley cleared her throat, trying to fight against her emotions. It had been a long time since she’d revisited the beginning of the end. “I couldn’t afford both, so I dropped out and used my tuition money to send him back to rehab. I got a fulltime job, and he’s been with me ever since.”

“When was last time you spoke to her?” He asked.

“Years ago.” Charley gulped. “I understand she needed to protect her new family. Cody is unpredictable when he’s using.But I couldn’t turn my back on him. And as much as she didn’t agree with my choices, I have no regrets. Because one day when he gets better and is finally able to see life clearly, he’s going to stay on track knowing that he always had someone in his corner.”

Nash arched his brow. “You believe that?”

“I have to,” she whispered. It was the only thing that kept her going.

Nash sat back in his chair and smiled.

“What?”

He cupped his mouth and chuckled. “I should probably let you go. Keeping you in my world is selfish. You’re too good.”

Her heart pounded in her chest, and the blood drained from her face. A cool air sifted over her skin, and her flesh broke out in goose bumps. Being open and honest was meant to bring them closer, not drive him away.

Nash’s smile faltered. “Come here.”

Charley dropped her feet to the floor, placed her glass on the table and walked around the coffee table. She was a foot away when Nash reached out, grabbed her hand, and pulled her down on the couch next to him..

He grasped her jaw, scanning her face and brushing his lips against hers. “I said I should. I’m not going to.”

Then he kissed her.

****

Nash circled his arm around her back, pulling her over his chest. He would’ve been fine with tabling the conversation for the night. But she had other plans.

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