Page 50 of Wasted Memories
Wesley tensed in front of me, and I could feel his need to wipe that smirk off Jett's face rolling off of him. “Wow, Jett, really won me back with that one.” I grabbed Wesley’s hand and tugged him, signaling that I wanted to leave. He held his place, shooting daggers at Jett. Wesley was hard as a rock, and if I had to be honest, I didn't think I'd try to stop him if he decided to make Jett regret saying that.
He finally turned around, pressing his hand against my lower back as we continued on our way to his truck. He opened my door for me, helping me in.
I didn’t have to look to know that Jett was still standing there, hands fisted, watching as Wesley got in the driver's seat and drove away.
Chapter Twenty Seven
Wesley
Emersonhadbeenstaringout the window for the past five minutes, gnawing on her bottom lip while she was stuck in her thoughts. No words could fix everything that just happened, so I set my hand on her thigh as I drove, rubbing my thumb in tiny circles over the fabric of her jeans.
I took the long way home to give her time to sit and process the fact that her mother hid where her father was her entire life. It wasn’t hard to put that much together when she admitted she knew details about his life. She may have had her reasons behind it, but Emerson was right. That wasn’t a decision for her mother to make, especially now that she was an adult.
“This isn’t good,” Emerson spoke quietly from her seat, keeping her focus out the window.
“Which part?” I glanced in my rearview mirror to be sure Jett or one of his friends wasn’t following us. That was also partly why I took the long way home.
“He knows I’m with you.” I briefly looked at her before turning my eyes back on the road, trying not to dwell on the way she phrased that. Like we were together. Like this was no longer just an I’m-helping-you-out situation. I hoped it wasn’t just that, but this confirmed it. At least, I hoped she meant what I thought she did by saying she’s “with me.”
I cleared my throat. We could talk about that later. “There’s nothing he can do about that, Em.”
She turned to face me now, her eyes glassy. “Yes, there is. He can figure out where you live, if he doesn’t know that already. He can ruin your reputation around here, Wesley. What if you lose your job?” She was rambling. Her head was spinning with thoughts and she didn’t know which one to focus on first.
I pulled the truck to the curb even though we weren’t at my house yet. Keeping the engine running, I shifted into park. I took off my seat belt and faced her, grabbing her hand in mine. “Breathe, Em. There’s nothing that he can do to us.” She was clearly focusing on the issue with Jett to try to avoid thinking about her father. I wouldn’t bring it up if she didn’t want to talk about it, but I also didn’t want her worrying herself to death over a shitty ex-boyfriend. She needed a distraction. “Do you want to go to the fair?”
She blinked, taking a second to register what I asked. “The fair?”
I smiled at the confusion plastered on her face. “Yeah, the fair. It’s tonight.”
“I know.”
“So do you want to go?”
Her expression softened as she saw what I was doing. She gave a small nod and I squeezed her hand. Turning back to the wheel, I put the truck in drive.
I felt sympathy for her mother, knowing what losing my dad did to my own mom. The difference was that my father stuck around to be a part of his family. I had memories to mourn of my father, but Emerson didn’t have any of that. She was mourning the idea of her father, and what little things she did know about him.
I couldn’t imagine how that felt, and I didn’t want her stuck in her head with whatever thoughts she was dealing with. She needed to enjoy herself right now. The rest could come later.
That was the thing about pain, it was always around, waiting to sink its teeth in.
Chapter Twenty Eight
Emerson
Weparkedafewblocks away from the event on a side street. The annual Oldport fair drew in tourists from all around, so I wasn’t surprised when there was little to no parking available. They set it up on the largest beachfront parking lot in town, which made it convenient for kids to go on rides all day while their parents relaxed on the beach. With how popular it was, I was surprised they didn’t petition to keep it up year-round.
The salty breeze of the ocean mixed with the smell of cotton candy, funnel cake, and popcorn. The scent filled my nose as we walked under the arch of the entrance that was lit up by tiny golden lights. All around me, the nostalgic sounds of rides, kids screaming with excitement, and whimsical music luring guests to the carnival booths filled with prizes filled the night air. The early setting sun made the sky look like a canvas of vibrant hues of orange and pink.
Last year, when Stella, Brendt, Luke, Jett, and I went to the fair, we practically spent all our money on alcohol and didn’t have enough left over for rides. Thinking about it now, it was probably a blessing in disguise as being tossed around on a rickety, high-speed ride doesn’t sound like it’d mix well with a stomach full of alcohol.
“You look like you’re going to be sick,” Wesley said as we headed toward the ticket booth.
“Just reminiscing.” I had the urge to grab his hand as we walked but I honestly wasn’t sure if I could. We had no problem touching each other in private, but I wasn’t sure what to do in public. I didn’t think he’d mind if I did hold his hand, or even do more than that, but I also didn’t want to send mixed signals. I wanted him, but it felt wrong to feel this desire for him so soon. He came into my life at such an awful time, but so far, he had stuck by my side through all of it without batting an eye.
I didn’t want to second guess myself, but after seeing how things ended with Jett and what it turned into, I had a hard time trusting my gut feeling. I couldn’t hold my experiences with Jett against Wesley, though. He was an entirely different person.
Choosing to think of Wesley as the type of person he’s shown me he is instead of letting the fear of what-if’s scare me, I hesitantly reached for his hand, intertwining my fingers with his. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye and saw a smile tugging at the sides of his mouth.
