Page 59 of Trust in my Heart (Desires of the Heart 2)

I bring my eyes up to hers.

“You may have been an asshole and said some hurtful things. That doesn’t stop me from caring about you. If you want to ask them why, then we will all be here for you. If you don’t, then that’s fine too. It doesn’t change the fact that you matter to us. I get why now that it hurt so much when Helen cheated on you guys. When you get left behind by people who are supposed to care about you, it’s tough to realise that anyone is different. You were guarding your heart and that’s something we all do. We just need to trust each other to take care of it.”

I love her more in this moment than ever before.

She’s absolutely perfect.

When I look back out the window to my childhood home, I see my mother standing on the top step staring at me.

She looks older, thinner, and exhausted.

I get out of the car and walk up to her. I hear the sound of doors opening behind me.

Holly, Dylan, and Easton are my family now, and they have my back.

“Braxton, is that you?” my mother asks with her voice cracking.

One thing that shocks me is that she doesn’t look high.

The door opens behind her, and my father is staring at me in shock.

“I didn’t think we would ever see you again,” my dad says.

“I didn’t think so either,” I admit.

“It has been so long,” my mom says with tears falling down her face.

I shrug. “I didn’t think you guys would have even noticed I had left,” I say. My words come out harsher than I intended, but I still hold a lot of anger inside.

My parents flinch at my words. “I guess we deserved that,” my mom says.

“We knew when you were gone. That was the day everything became clear. It took us a while to get sober, and then we really knew what shitty parents we were. I didn’t even know where to begin looking for you. I didn’t know my own son. I am a terrible mother. I don’t blame you for not coming back,” she goes on.

I feel like I don’t know what to do with this information. I expected them to be the same people they were when they left.

Holly steps up and rubs her belly.

“Hi, I’m Holly. Here is a number to reach one of us at. When Braxton is ready, he will call. I think this is just more than he can handle right now.”

She hands them a piece of paper, and then tugs my hand to move back to the car while I try to think how my parents have changed.

Holly is right though. This isn’t something I can deal with right now. I need time to think about what to do about them.

When we are in the car, I look over at the people who mean the most to me.

“We will do whatever you want to do,” Easton says, and I nod my head.

“Who’s next?” I ask, clearing my throat.

Dylan

When we get back to the car, I take the driver’s seat. I can already tell that this is going to be an emotionally draining day.

Braxton was right though; the sooner that Holly is back in our home, the better.

Easton reaches over and squeezes my shoulder from the backseat.

I blow out a breath and head towards the cemetery.

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