Page 77 of Needing to Fall
“You think I should tell him?” We’d had this conversation before yet only really discussed the pros and cons.
“Babe.” He began stroking my back as he spoke. “Either choice is shitty, but you’re right. You can’t bring Drew back for Devin. Sure, you could tell him some stories, but it wouldn’t be the same. It wouldn’t be like siblings, like me and my sister. I get it. I support you and think you made the right decision.”
I let out the air I hadn’t realized I was holding and relaxed into his body. The relief that he didn’t think I was a flaming idiot making horrible decisions made me love him all the more.
He gave me a squeeze. “All right, we’ve got somewhere to be.”
I jolted up, startled. “Where?”
“Just trust me.”
At that, I smiled.
The drive was only twenty minutes in when he started to slow.
Eyeing a cemetery, I grabbed his arm as the panic invaded my body. “What are we doing here?” The words came out breathy as my breathing picked up and nerves hit me.
“What’s wrong, Reign?”
“I just don’t know why we’re here,” I breathed out.
He put the truck in park. “I want you to meet my parents.”
The panic fled out of me like I was a toilet someone had just flushed. I felt shitty as hell. There I was, panicking over my own shit, and I didn’t even take into account Lynx. Damn, I needed to work on that.
“Really?”
“Yep. Come on.”
We climbed out of the truck, and he took my hand, leading me through the stones of peoples’ resting places. I caught a few of their names, but nothing that stood out to me.
Finally, we stopped.Ken and Jodi Lynx, the stone was engraved.
I quickly moved off the grass.
“What are you doing?” Lynx asked.
“I don’t want to stand on them.”
Lynx chuckled. “Babe, it doesn’t work like that.”
“You don’t know that,” I argued, not wanting to be disrespectful. I might have grown up in shit, but I had manners, especially for the dead.
He grabbed my hand and pulled me to his side so I was standing with him in front of the headstone. The stone was engraved with the birthdates and death of each with the wordsBeloved Parentsinscribed. It brought tears to my eyes. Not for me, but for the man standing next to me. I squeezed his hand back, hoping I could, for once, give him the strength he so freely gave me at every turn.
His parents loved him, doted on him. He’d had everything, and it had been swiped away from him in the blink of an eye. I felt my heart tighten as I tried my damnedest not to cry, to be strong for Lynx. It wasn’t easy, but somehow, I managed.
“Hey, Mom, Dad,” Lynx started, and I squeezed his hand again. “I wanted you to meet my girl. Her name’s Reign Owens, and she makes me happy.” At that, I leaned into his shoulder, gripping it with my other hand. “You would have loved her,” he spoke, the catch in his voice telling me this was hard for him. “Mom, you seriously need to be around to help her cook.” I nudged him with my hip and felt my lips tip, gaining a small chuckle from him. “Damn, I wish you two were around.”
I looked up at Lynx to see tears had fallen from his eyes before he swiped them away almost angrily. I let go of his hand and wrapped my arms around the strong man who had supported me throughout so many ups and downs these past few months, trying to give him the same comfort he had given me just by his mere presence. His arms locked around me in return, and I felt his body silently shake. I said nothing, just held him close.
It was long moments later before he wiped everything from his face and turned back into the strong man who could handle anything.
“We’re gonna go. I just wanted you to meet her.” Lynx looked down at me just as I looked up. He gave me a soft kiss on the lips. “Come on, babe.” His body grew taller as he sucked in a deep breath and took my hand, leading me away from his parents.
As I looked around, I noticed he wasn’t going in the direction of the truck.
“Where are we going?” I really didn’t want to walk through a cemetery. It made me uneasy, but I followed him as we strolled through until we came to a clearing that only had a few stones. It must have been the newer section where plots hadn’t been bought yet.
