Page 113 of Tell Me Why
“Grand,” he says between bites. “Never better.”
My gaze flicks over him, like it does every day, and I notice a new bruise forming on his forearm. My jaw tightens. “Are they treating you okay?”
He swallows and takes another drink. “Cash only visits every few days, and they’ve stopped the waterboarding.” His gaze flicks to Yates again, before settling back on me. “Any word on when they’re letting me out of here?”
I wish I had a definitive answer for him, but I don’t.
“We’re making progress,” I say with a shrug, trying to sound more confident than I am. He needs hope. “A few more weeks, maybe.”
My brother watches me. “You sure Christian isn’t just yanking you around? He’s a Sacred Son. They aren’t exactly known for their honesty.”
“I don’t trust the Sacred Sons,” I say. “But I do trust Christian.”
Sin nods slowly. “Okay, then,” he says, tucking into his tacos.
I pull something out of my hoodie pocket, and Sin’s eyes settle on it. “The gift mom gave you,” he says between bites.
“Yeah,” I say, staring down at the small box. “I thought I could open it.”
Sin looks skeptical. “You sure? You’ve been carrying that thing around since we were kids.”
I nod. I’ve never wanted to open it, because in some universe of my own making, if I kept it unopened, then I could pretend she was still alive.
But now, sitting here on the edge of the cot, with Christian’s love filling the empty spaces in my heart, I feel… steady. He doesn’t even realize it, but he gives me strength. With him, I feel like maybe, for the first time since I was twelve, I can face the loss of my mom without flinching from it.
“I know, but I feel ready,” I say with a shrug. “And I thought we could share the moment.”
He swallows. “Yeah. That would be nice.”
I breathe deep and pull the tape free, then carefully unwrap the small gift. Inside is a little white jewelry box, and I pull the lid off. Nestled in a bed of white cotton is a rainbow unicorn necklace attached to one of those flimsy cardboard tags.
Tears stream down my face as I laugh and lift the necklace out of the box. “I was really into unicorns that year.”
“She knew you so well,” Sin laughs. “She was an incredible mom.”
I pull the necklace free and unclasp it, then secure it around my neck. It was meant for a kid, so it’s a little snug. “She was,” I say with a smile, and for the first time, remembering her doesn’t feel heavy.
“Five minutes,” Yates calls out from the door, making sure I stick to my allotted time.
“Sorry, I’ve got to go.” With a sigh, I stand up.
“Why? Hot date?” Sin teases.
“No,” I say quickly, my cheeks heating. “Well, maybe, actually. Christian planned something. It’s a surprise.”
“Well, don’t let me keep you,” he says with a smile, but I can hear the effort it takes for him to be cheerful.
“See you tomorrow.” I lean down and give him a quick hug. “Love you.”
“Love you.”
It always sucks having to walk away from him, but as I make my way up the stairs, I remind myself that being imprisoned is a thousand times better than being dead…
My phone pings. It’s from Christian.
I’m down at Rush Beach.
“Rush Beach?” I whisper to myself. “Okayyy…”
