Page 113 of Better Together

“I do. I haven’t always been a good guy, but just because I haven’t stolen or cheated doesn’t mean you’re worse than me. I’m not perfect, and neither are you. We’re the same.”

“We are not the same.”

“We’re the same, whether you want to accept it or not.”

Remi stared at Colt. His words were so final and full of truth. He really believed they were equal.

“I overdosed.” She hesitated, letting the confession sink in. “I almost died. I should have died.”

“No.”

Colt’s sharp retort didn’t phase her.

“Yes. I could have. I was supposed to come that close to death to see what could happen.” She stood and threw her hands in the air. “I could have died without knowing God. I could have died before I had another chance to make things right.”

Colt stood, squaring up with her. “You just said you had another chance to make things right. Why can’t you believe that it’s already happened?”

She looked up at him, and the fire left her. “I do. It just took a lot of convincing, I guess.” She took a few steps away and fought to sort out her racing thoughts. “When I woke up from the overdose, a woman was there. Kendra. She kept coming by my room, and she was so unbelievably nice! I hated it at first. Then, I wanted it to be real. She said the nicest things, and she asked me how I was doing. She seemed to really care.”

“And did she?” Colt asked.

“She did. She told me she didn’t have anything better to do than talk to me, but I found out later that she had a husband and kids who were about to give her grandbabies. She had a job. She had a life! And she was still hanging out with me.”

Colt rubbed a hand over his jaw. “Kendra from Deano’s Diner?”

“Yep. I found out later that she used to be me. She’d almost lost her life to drugs, but she turned things around. And I selfishly wanted that. She helped me get into a rehab, and by the time I got out, I believed I could beat it. That I could be like her.”

“I had no idea. She’s worked at the diner for as long as I can remember. She goes to church with Grady. Her kids are older than us.”

“She’s been clean for over thirty years.”

“And you?”

“Four. I’m still not convinced this dream life is going to stick.”

“That’s up to you. But the dream life is always there.”

“I get that now. Kendra read the Bible to me. Over and over. And it all went over my head at first. Then I started asking questions, and all of it seemed too good to be true. I’d never heard of any of it before. Forgiveness? Washing away my sins? Nothing could do that.”

“Except Jesus.”

“Except Jesus,” Remi repeated. “I know He forgave me for all that stuff, but I still forget sometimes. After all that praying Kendra did for me, I still stumble. A lot.”

“Welcome to the club,” Colt joked.

Remi rolled her eyes. “You always do the right thing. You have no room to talk.”

“The fact that you think I’m infallible is ridiculous.”

“I want you to do something wrong for once just so I can know you’re human.”

Colt shook his head. “Give me time. I’m bound to screw up.”

“Screwing up ismyjob.”

Colt pulled her into his arms, and she rested her cheek against his chest. The comfort of this home–where her body and soul belonged–soothed all of the old wounds.

“If we mess up, we mess up together,” Colt whispered.

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