Page 171 of Come Apart
My world is finally back to what it should be.
Thank God.
* * *
It's a sunny day.But then again it's always sunny here.
I didn't tell Alyssa where we were going—only that it was important to me—but I'm sure she guessed by the time the 405 merged into the 5.
The bouquet of flowers was probably a dead giveaway.
Neither of us is wearing black. But this isn't a somber occasion.
She follows me out of the car, walking slowly on the grass. She's wearing a brandnew pair of hot pink sneakers and she wants to keep them clean.
"I'll buy you a new pair," I offer.
She shakes her head. The grass is wet from the sprinklers and there are small patches of mud everywhere.
Alyssa takes huge leaps to avoid them. She lands on her tiptoes like some kind of ballerina.
"Come here," I say. I slide my hands under her ass and lift her into my arms.
She raises her brows.
"You know I'm not going to fuck you in a cemetery."
I kiss her nose.
"There's always after."
She shakes her head, but she's smiling. She likes the idea.
Hell, her cheeks are red. She's probably envisioning it right now.
"Mr. Lawrence, this is a family establishment. You shouldn't discuss such topics."
"Uh-huh."
I let her down on a safe spot and she latches on to my shoulders. She stares straight through my eyes. It's like she's looking into my soul, like she can see everything inside of me.
She brushes her lips against mine. It's soft and sweet enough to make me melt.
"Come on." She takes my hand and squeezes tight.
I lead her through the cemetery. I still remember the way—ten rows from the back, three columns from the left.
And there they are.
Two slate gray tombstones. Emilia Lawrence and Edward Lawrence.
I run my thumb over her fingers. "I've never been here with anyone else."
She laces her fingers with mine.
"Thanks for bringing me."
"I never came here much. I always felt bad about it, like I was disappointing her again." I stare at the writing, like it could actually tell me something. "They were fighting over me. If it hadn't been for me, she would never have run out of the house. She would have never gotten into the accident."
