Page 36 of Shaded Amethysts
Noah defended himself, “But he insisted on taking the blame. I didn’t ask him to do it.”
“No, but you let him rot in prison for something you did,” Avery fired back. Her eyes flashed with barely-contained fury.
I patted her hand and said, “Your protective streak is endearing, but it isn’t necessary. Noah’s right… I made the choice on my own. He didn’t have anything to do with it.”
“He had everything to do with it!” Avery practically shouted. “He’s the one who committed the crime, but you’re the one who got stuck doing the time.”
I didn’t need or expect Noah to apologize, so I wasn’t sure why it was so important to Avery. In an attempt to calm her, I said, “It doesn’t matter. It’s over now, and I’m happier than I would’ve ever dreamed could be possible for someone like me.”
“It does matter,” Noah said so quietly that I wasn’t positive he’d actually spoken the words. He stared down at the wooden tabletop as he continued, “It matters more than anything. What you did for me was something I didn’t deserve, and I can never repay you for it.”
“It’s okay. Let’s all just forget about it and move on,” I tried.
“Forget about it?” Noah’s voice was filled with barely-contained emotion. “I can’t ever forget about it or forgive myself for what happened. I killed my own father, then let you––the only man who ever actually gave a damn about me––go to prison for it.”
Noah’s face twisted into a tortured expression. “I’m the worst kind of man there is. I’m a murderer and a coward.”
“Jack got exactly what he deserved. You did what I should have done to protect our mother,” I assured the younger man.
Ignoring me, Noah squeezed his eyes tightly shut and continued, “I stayed silent and let you take the blame––even with Mom.”
The first tear fell down his cheek as he said, “I’m so sorry, Gage. Can you ever forgive me?”
“Of course,” I answered before standing and pulling my mother’s other son into a hug. We embraced for a long, emotional moment.
When we finally pulled apart, Avery broke the tension in the room by grabbing the entire plate of cookies and saying, “Well, with that heartfelt apology and this peace offering, I think we’re all good here.”
After she sauntered out of the room with her prized cookies held high, Noah said to me, “You’ve won the heart of an exceptional lady. Do whatever it takes to hold on to her.”
“I intend to,” I told him before following the outlandish, wise, and witty woman of my dreams outside.
32
Avery
Scamp seemed to sense the significant nervous energy in the room as he raced around Gage’s apartment like a little madman. Over the past several weeks, I had practically moved into Gage’s place, so we were sharing the bathroom to get ready for our big date.
My stomach turned flip-flops as I leaned in to apply a second coat of black mascara.
Gage, too, seemed to be taking extra care in getting ready as if he knew that tonight was destined to be more monumental than a simple date-night. We’d both been so busy lately between my bar exam prep and his work to get Flower Power ready to open, it felt like we’d barely seen each other.
Our conversation was stilted during the drive. Even after we were seated at our romantic corner table at Seasiders, the fanciest restaurant within forty-five minutes of our town, I was too anxious to pay close attention or come up with anything amusing to say.
When the waiter whisked away our salad plates, I excused myself before practically sprinting to the restroom. The friendly bathroom attendant foiled my plans to call Molly and freak out, so instead, I texted my best friend frantically from inside a stall.I can’t do this!!!
When the three little dots immediately lit up, I stared at the phone awaiting Molly’s sage words of wisdom. After the phone buzzed, I glared at the words on the screen,It will all work out.
What if he says no?!?I let my extra punctuation enunciate my high-strung emotions.
It took Molly a while to respond, so I hoped she was typing up the perfect advice to help me be brave and follow through on our big plan.
The night may not go exactly as you’ve planned, but I have no doubt that by the end of the evening, you’ll be delighted with the outcome.
“What the hell does that mean?” I asked aloud, forgetting that I wasn’t alone.
The bathroom attendant asked, “Excuse me, ma’am?”
“Oh, sorry. I wasn’t talking to you,” I explained.
