Page 58 of Behind the Cascades
My body freezes as the memories begin hitting me like tidal waves that threaten to drown me. Deputy Marco arrived at my mom's house after the car accident to inform us. He golfed with our dads occasionally, but I hadn’t known him well. I watched him walk to the front door through the bay window with a combined look of devastation and defeat. He did his best to keep it together, but he couldn’t get it all out with tears slipping down his face.
The two deputies nod at each other and then open the door, making their way into the office and up the stairs. My cowardly body refuses to move as I stare at the stairs, waiting for them to walk up. Every muscle feels tense to the point of pain, waiting for my fight reaction to kick in. So far, it hasn't,despite the fact that my brain is screaming that I should be moving.
I should be running to Olivia and Charlie, protecting them both from whatever they have to say, but I'm frozen in this chair. The names of loved ones that the news could be about run through my head like the end credits of a movie and I want to scream.
Just as the top of their heads crest the top stair, my eyes snap to the girls.
Olivia sees them first and a huge grin crosses her face as she greets them. Within a second, she realizes that something is wrong and I watch her smile fade.
Charlie, sensing her change in demeanor, looks up at me with concern in her eyes and then back to the deputies.
I watch through tunneled vision as Olivia's world is shattered and she collapses to the floor. The second I heard her Charlie scream, "No! No!" mixing with Olivia's sobs, my brain snapped out of the numbness that had enveloped it.
I went to them in five long strides. Charlie had her arms wrapped around an inconsolable Olivia.
I look at the deputies, only to see tears streaming down one man's face. He won’t even look at me as silent sobs rake through his body.
"What happened?"
The stoic one that was driving looks at me with a raised eyebrow but doesn't say anything. Just like everyone else, his devastation was palpable in his eyes but he was the only one attempting to keep it together.
"Tell me what the fuck happened so I can help!"
He shakes his head and looks at Olivia, who lies crumpled on the floor, weeping.
Charlie's eyes close as she softly whispers through her tears, "Dan was shot. He's dead."
Epilogue
Charlie
Saturday, April 25.
My hands feel a little shaky as I try to get my hair to curl to perfection. Today's a big day, I can feel it in my soul. Not only do we get to see our new house for the first time, but I think today might be the day Hayes finally proposes. He's seemed nervous all morning, trying to play it off like he's just excited for the house but my gut is telling me there's more. That, and the fact that he hasn't taken his hand out of his pocket, continually fiddling with his tin of mints.
"Come on, Sunshine!" Hayes called out, his voice sounding deeper than normal in the quiet of the hotel room. Olivia insisted we stay at the Cascadia Ranch Resort while she put the finishing touches on our new house.
After the "incident" and then losing Dan, Hayes and I bought a piece of the property Olivia subdivided. We bought a travel trailer and had all the hookups installed while our house was being built. We've been able to watch the house be builtfrom the ground up. Witnessing every step of the process, every nail hammered, and every wall painted.
Hayes has been a huge help with the construction, using his handyman skills to pitch in wherever he can. Olivia still wanted us to have the "wow" factor of seeing everything done for the first time, though. She hired movers, an interior designer, and a landscaping team to make sure everything was perfect for our big reveal. Even despite everything she's going through—losing Dan, being a single parent, running a business, building her own new home—she's still managed to think about the little details for us. Going above and beyond to make sure our new house felt like home from the moment we walked in.
I take one last look in the full-length mirror before walking out. My new white dress has lace lantern sleeves with an a-line silhouette and a tiered ruffled hemline. It didn't feel too short before but now that I have on a cute pair of black wedges, it's pushing some boundaries. I contemplated changing but, seeing how killer my legs look, I decided against it. I look hot, and I'm going to own it.
Hayes is scrolling on his phone, and I clear my throat to get his attention while I saunter over to where he's sitting. He does a double take when he sees me, and a slow grin spreads across his face.
I loosely hang my arms on top of his shoulders while I run my fingers through the back of his hair.
He leans back, letting his gaze roam freely as his big hands grasp the back of my legs. Lust and admiration fill those golden eyes.
"You're so fucking beautiful, Sunshine."
"Not too short?" I ask while winking, knowing he loves when I show off my legs.
"Perfect," he replies, pulling me closer for a kiss. I dodge it and turn so that he's only kissing my cheek.
"Good, but you're not smearing my lipstick.Yet." I wink and step back.
Pulling up to the driveway felt like an out-of-body experience. My knees bounced as I leaned as forward as possible, trying to take in the moment and see everything. Trees line the now paved driveway and we follow them to the front of the house. Our two-story log home stands tall and welcoming, with natural stones that accent the front porch. Hanging baskets overflowing with flowers are on either side of the door, brightening up the entrance. I can't believe this is really our dream home. All of our dreams are starting to come true.
