Page 58 of Salvation
“So,” Kolton says, loud enough to break our attention away from one another. “How long have you been a cop?”
“Fourteen years.”
“That’s almost as long as Willow’s been alive. Is that why you gave her up—to pursue your dreams?” An undertone colors Kolton’s tone, defensive on behalf of his sister.
Campbell’s face turns red, and I watch his neck move as he tries to swallow. He looks at Willow when he speaks. “I didn’t give her up.”
“Uh, dude, yeah, you did,” Kolton says, but Campbell doesn’t look at him. He’s still staring at our daughter, begging for atonement for a sin he didn’t commit.
“Kolton,” Willow snaps. “Shut up.”
To his credit, Kolton clamps his mouth shut, realizing he’d pushed a little too far in the name of defending Willow.
“What do you mean you didn’t give me up?” Willow asks, then looks at me, staring me down. “Then it was your decision?”
“No.” I deny, needing her to understand, but I can see it in her eyes that she doesn’t.
“Well, one of you made that decision,” she insists. “We are here, aren’t we?”
Her phone buzzes in her pocket, but she doesn’t move to take it out. Her eyes stay on me, heavy with expectation, and for the first time since meeting her, I can see the vulnerability that hides behind her sarcastic comments and quick wit. She may have the color of my eyes, but I’ve seen the void in her irises reflected in Campbell’s.
Like a magnet pulling me to him, I turn to Campbell, hoping he will be the one to lead this conversation, but he shakes his head, leaning in to whisper so only I can hear. “Tell yourstory, sunshine.”
My throat feels raw by the time I finally speak.
“My mom died when I was nine, and my grandparents, they—they weren’t like your parents,” I start, but then stop because I don’t know if there are words that accurately describe just how different my grandparents were.
Willow arches a brow, but says nothing, waiting for me to continue. When I hesitate, Campbell reaches over, squeezing my hand. An electric shock sparks from my arm into my chest, and I reach up with my free hand, rubbing it away.
Five hundred thirty-three million—
Sucking in a deep breath, I push forward, reminding myself of the history between us that makes that shock so dangerous.
“Appearance was everything to my grandparents. They valued their reputation over everything else, and getting pregnant at sixteen made them look bad.”
“So what? They made you give me up?” Willow asks incredulously.
“Not exactly,”
“Then what?” She demands. “Just tell me.”
Willow tucks her hands beneath her legs, but it does nothing to hide the way her body trembles. Jackie stretches out an arm, wrapping it around her, and it feels like I’m being gutted.
A single tear slips from the corner of my eye. I reach up, wiping it away. Taking a slow, deep breath, I blurt it out before I lose my nerve. “They told me you died.”
Jackie sucks in a breath, covering her mouth with her hand, and John turns ghost white.
“What?” Willow asks, her mouth hanging open.
“They lied, forged my signature, and told me you died. I’ve been grieving you for sixteen years, only to find out you’ve been here all along.”
______________________
No one says anything. Jackie and John look shell-shocked. Kolton’s mouth hangs open, and tears line Willow’s lashes.
The silence is a crescendo, and when it peeks, hell breaks loose.
John stands, his chair screeching against the ground. “We are leaving.”
