Page 88 of That One Night
“Of course you didn’t. Why would you? Even my friends thought it was me who’d brought it to school. It fit. I was always the bad kid. The one who couldn’t read. The one who acted out because I was so shit at school. It wasn’t a great leap to believe I was also the kid who hid weed in my locker.”
“You didn’t tell the principal it wasn’t you?”
“No.” He shook his head. “And this is all old history, anyway. The only reason I’m telling you about it was because the day it happened was the day before my dad was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He and my mom were so damn happy. They were going to attend, just the two of them, have some time together alone to celebrate. And then my mom got the call from the principal and she told my dad to go without her.” Heswallowed hard. “She didn’t blink, didn’t think, just rushed to be with me. And he went there alone and she missed it.”
“I’m so sorry…”
“That night, when he was inducted, I caught her crying. She was in the kitchen, in the dark. I could hear her softly sobbing, like she was trying not to let me know how much I’d fucked things up. And I promised myself, right then, that I wouldn’t hurt her like that again.”
His throat felt scratchy, because he knew how fickle that had been.
“That’s why I left home so young. They thought I wanted to explore. To spend time in different countries. Go from one farm to the next, working, learning.” His eyes caught hers. “But I guess more than anything I was running away from being the family mess up.”
She took his hand in hers, staring at him with soulful eyes. “Your mom must’ve hated that.”
“She did. But I figured that way I couldn’t hurt her anymore. She blamed herself for me getting in trouble at school. Then blamed herself again for not knowing about my dyslexia earlier. The way I saw it, I needed to be an adult. Live my life without causing her problems.” His jaw tightened. “And then last year happened.”
“Last year?” Emery asked.
He took a deep breath, like it was taking all of his effort to form the words on his lips. “I had a fling with a woman. It was a mistake.”
Emery gave him a weak smile. “I know all about those.”
“You do things with a good heart, baby. I had no heart at all. I was only interested in no strings. I didn’t want a relationship. I thought I’d made it clear. But she got a little… attached. And I didn’t care. Hell, I didn’t even notice.”
“What happened?”
“I tried to break it off. And then she told me she was pregnant.”
Emery’s mouth dropped open.
He winced at the memory of it. How oblivious he’d been. How self centred. He hadn’t realized he was hurting her. But he should have.
“She wasn’t pregnant, though. Her best friend came to tell me that it was all a lie. But when I told her it really was over, she decided to contact my parents. She called them crying, telling them they were going to be grandparents. That I was treating her horribly and she needed them to talk to me.
“She had my mom completely convinced she was going to be a grandmother. It was only when Mom was heading to the airport to fly out to meet her that I found out what was going on. She’d built this whole alternative reality where we were going to have a kid and she’d get my mom and dad to persuade me to marry her.”
“Oh my God,” Emery whispered.
“Yeah.” He let out a breath. “It was a mess. After that, I decided to move back here. It felt like the right time, and this place was up for sale. Uncle Logan helped me with the mortgage and a business plan and here I am.”
“That wasn’t your fault,” Emery told him. “You didn’t know she was going to do that.”
“I treated her like shit. I should have noticed she was getting attached. I spent most of my life not taking notice. Just thinking that I could be casual with people's emotions. That it wasn’t my fault I kept causing pain to the people I shouldn’t.”
Emery stepped toward him, putting her arms around his waist, resting her face on his chest. “It wasn’t your fault,” she repeated. “You have to know that. Somewhere deep inside.”
He dipped his head against her hair, breathing her in. “I just wanted you to know.”
She looked up at him, her eyes shining. “I know you’re a good man,” she whispered. “That’s all I need to know.”
He kissed the top of her head. “I want to be good for you.”
“You’re so good for me,” Emery whispered. “You’re perfect for me, in fact. You’re all I can think about. I don’t care what anybody else thinks about us. I know the truth. You do too. We’re good together. And I don’t just mean in bed.” She moved her hands to his shoulders, feeling the tension in his muscles. “I mean you understand me. More than anybody ever has. And I think I’m getting to understand you, too.”
“I want you to understand me,” he murmured, looking her right in the eyes. “I want you to know me.” He needed it.
“Idoknow you.” She kissed him softly, moving her hands to his chest. “I know you love animals. Especially goats who flirt too much. I know you love your family, and I know, despite your ideas to the contrary, that they love you fiercely, too.” She traced her fingers over his stomach, making his breath catch in his throat.
