My dad blinks. “No. I just wanted everything to stay the same.”
And there is the selfishness I want no part of. I look over at Kelly. “Are we done here?”
She nods. “Thank you for this.”
And she probably actually means it. Because she’s going to get a boost in her career, and I’m going to go back to Tennessee. Well, after we make one last visit.
***
As we step out of the van at the place my mother is being held, I notice a familiar person from the corner of my eye. My heart slams into my chest. A smile pulls on my lips. I don’t even realize what I’m doing until I hear Kelly shout for me. At full speed, I run to him.
He wraps me up in his arms and kisses me. “What are you doing here?” I ask as a few tears slip from my eyes.
His thumb wipes them away. “I love you. I needed you to know that.”
“You could have waited until I came back,” I tease. I secretly love that he showed up here to tell me this.
“I could have. But Maddy told me you needed me. And I need you to know that no matter what I’m going to be here.”
I kiss him again. “I love you too. So much.”
“I hate to interrupt. Hi. Kelly Lane from WBX news.” She wedges her hand between Graham and me.
He takes her hand and shakes it. I think to be polite.
Kelly stares at us. “We’re on a tight schedule.”
Tight enough to not allow me more than two minutes with my boyfriend. She’s really getting on my nerves.
Kelly starts to pull me away, and I know that I should let her. I don’t need someone asking questions about Graham. He’s been through enough. But also, I need him. He calms me. When he’s near me, he can make the twisted mess called my life disappear. I need that.
“I’ll be right here,” he says with that boyish grin that melts my heart.
I shake my head. He starts to frown. “I need you,” I say.
His smile is back, and he follows.
Kelly keeps eyeing us. I make a point not to hold his hand. Not to stare at him too long. Why? My life is exposed enough. I just need to get through this interview, collect the money, and put it in the fund my parents stole from.
Did you think I was keeping it for myself? Ha. It would have been nice to have. It’s not nearly enough to replace what my parents took, but it’s a start. Like Maddy told me when I said I couldn’t get into any schools but a secondary college: “It’s a start. Just keep working at it.”
I’m guided through what feels like a million security protocol procedures. One after another, until finally I’m lead back to a single-cell room.
Graham sits down next to me. “You okay?”
I shake my head. “I have to do this, though.”
“All right.” He squeezes my hand.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Sarah
Graham looks leery. I don’t blame him. I feel like I’m going to go insane if they don’t get this over with soon.
He glances back at the camera crew then over at me. “Sunshine?” His voice is laced with worry. “You’re shaking.” He whips off his jacket and drapes it over my shoulders.
“I’m not cold,” I whisper.
He presses his lips to my temple. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay. No matter what.”
I know he believes this, but he hasn’t met my mom. The woman can turn anything against a person in a heartbeat and make herself look golden. I used to specialize in this talent. But I’m not that person anymore. I don’t want to be that person.
I chew on the inside of my cheek. The door in the far corner buzzes. Two guards are escorting a thin woman wearing all orange and in shackles. Her hair, once beautiful and full of lift, lays limp and stringy. Jesus. She’s aged a good fifteen years in here.
Don’t feel bad. Don’t feel guilty. I have to be strong. She did this to herself. This is not your fault. I have to keep reminding myself of these facts. Even as the guilt tugs hard on my heart and stomach.
Her green eyes land on me and then slide over to Graham. A wicked smile appears. “Well, well, well. To what do I owe the pleasure, daughter?”
“Hello. I’m Kelly Lane. We’d like to interview you and your daughter.”
My mom glares at the woman. “I know why you’re here! I told you she’d take the money, didn’t I? Have you been holding up your end of the bargain?”
“Bargain?” I ask as I look over at Kelly. This was a setup? I feel Graham’s hand leave mine. I turn to him, but he’s scowling. My stomach knots. I want to reach across this table and strangle my mom..I ball my hands into tight fists. “You’re a monster!” I scream at my mom. “I never came down here because I want nothing to do with you! You sit here with that smug look on your face. Judging me. Making up lies like I’m only here because of money. Here’s the truth: I am not taking the money.”
My mom laughs. “Oh, did my sister’s goodwill actually change your spoiled ways? How cute. But I need you to try this on for size. You can cover up the spots on a leopard, but it’s still a leopard. You’re nothing but a spoiled, stupid, unwanted brat.”
The tears pool in my eyes. I try tearing my glare from my mom, but it’s hard. She has my attention. Is she right? Am I always going to be stupid? Spoiled? She said I was unwanted. By her? Or by everyone?
“That’s enough!” Graham snarls. “Sarah might have been those things when she lived with you, but she’s changed. And she’s not unwanted! I want her. She’s smart, beautiful, and kind. And anyone would be lucky to have her as a daughter.”
I smile at him. “Really?”
“Yeah, babe. Really.” He swipes some of my tears away and pulls me into a hug.
I can hear Kelly sigh beside us. But my mom growls. “That’s touching. Still doesn’t change the facts, kid. My daughter is getting paid.”
“But I’m not keeping the money. I’m giving it to the employees you stole from.”
She shakes her head. “And this is supposed to be wise? My sister has really brainwashed you.”
Kelly clears her throat. “Ladies, I hate to interrupt here, but I do have a lot of questions we need to get through.”
By this point, I hate not only my mom but this reporter as well. “Is our deal in place?” my mom asks again.
Kelly blanches. “Yes.”
“Great. Ask away,” she says, pasting on a smile.
“In your own words, how do you feel about seeing your daughter for the first time since you were arrested?” Kelly asks.
My mom studies me for a moment. “Well, the red hair looks like hell on her. Seriously, do they even have salons in that backward place? What about you, Romeo, do you like my daughter’s hair?”
Kelly chuckles. I remain silent. Graham glowers. “I don’t give a fuck what color her hair is, it always looks great. I love everything about her. So yeah, I love her hair.” He squeezes my hand, and I smile.
My mom snorts. Kelly continues, “Sarah, how do you feel?”
“A part of me feels sorry for you. But mostly I don’t feel a thing. You stopped being my mom when I turned nine and you couldn’t bother with me anymore. You insult Auntie Heather, but she’s the one who helped create me. She gave you the ingredient you needed, and you look down at her.” I shake my head at my mom. “I used to wonder what I could do to get you to love me again. Or what I did wrong for you to turn away from me. But here is the thing I realized. I wasn’t the problem. Your cold, cruel, selfish heart was always the problem.”
“You want to talk about cruel?” Mom shouts. “How about you? Remember what you did to that poor girl named Vanessa Keys? Don’t sit there and act like a sweet, innocent little girl. Don’t sit there and mock me, young lady. I know exactly what kind of monster you are.”
I close my eyes.
“Who is Vanessa Keys?” Kelly asks.
I swallow hard and open my eyes. “She was someone I went to junior high with. I was really mean to her. I don’t know why really. I think I was jealous of how sma
rt she was. And her parents always came to all her events for volleyball and choir. One day I upped my typical teasing to mean pranks. My friends and I glued Vanessa to her chair. Her whole skirt ripped, and she was just standing there in her knee-highs, underwear, and our school blazer. She left our school and never came back.”
“That girl was committed to a hospital for trying to end her life,” my mom says with so much venom. “Isn’t that right, Sarah?”
I peer over at Graham. He isn’t looking at me. His attention is on the floor. Can I blame him? Nope. I did a lot of awful things. I can’t take them back. I would if I could.
Kelly sucks in a breath. “Catlin, why did you try to commit suicide? Is prison life harder than you thought it would be?”
“It has its moments. Like when one of the girls needs the phone, you better make your conversations short and sweet, or those girls will beat your skull in. Of course that also means they will get their privileges taken from them for a few days, which will only piss them off more. But that’s how things work.” She turns to me. “I don’t have that problem because someone is always too busy to talk to me. I’m the one who brought you into this world. You seem to always forget that.”
“I don’t forget,” I snap. “Just because you have a kid doesn’t make you a parent. It’s the moments and the things you do afterward that makes you a parent. I don’t have anything to say to you. In fact, I don’t want to talk to you anymore.” I rip off the microphone and throw it down on the table. “We’re done.”
Graham gets up and walks to the door with me.
“That’s it,” Mom says. “Runaway Sarah! Always running away.”
I whirl around and slam my hands on the table. “I’m not running away. I just don’t care to listen to you talk anymore. You lost your rights the moment you were too busy for me. So this is me returning the favor. Next time you want to slice open your wrists in order to get my attention, go ahead. But I won’t come. I won’t even shed a tear at your funeral. That’s how I feel.”
I leave the room. Yeah, take those words to the bank, world. Sarah Elizabeth Morris is one cold-hearted bitch!
Chapter Thirty-Four
Graham
Our drive to the airport is mostly silent. Aside from the occasional sniffle from Sarah. I take her hand in mine to comfort her, or at least let her know I’m there. But she jerks away and stares out the window. The flight’s no better. I swear people around us probably think I beat the hell out of her or something.
“Sarah, I’m going to get the bags. Yours was pink, right?” I say as we head to the baggage claim in Tennessee.
She nods, the only response I’ve gotten from her since we saw her mom.
I’m not going to push. Trust me, I want to know what the hell is going on with her. Why she’s withdrawing from me and so on. But I know if I hound her, she’ll shut down. She’ll shove me out so far I’ll need a boat to get back.
As soon as I collect the luggage, I go over to her. She’s zoning out like she’s a million miles away. “I got our bags. Want me to call a cab?”
“Can we go to the cottage?” she asks.
“Now?”
She looks up at me and nods. “Please.”
“Okay.” I step outside and call a cab.
“We’ll take the cab to my house, and I’ll pick up my car. We can leave from there. Okay?”
She leans into me and brushes her lips against my neck. I pull back and study her face. “Babe?”
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” She shoves me away and folds her arms over her chest. “I’m trying to show you I love you, and you look at me like that.”
What the hell? She was silent and moody for like six hours, and now she wants to cuddle? I may be a little slow when it comes to emotional stuff, but I know when things aren’t right. And things with her are not right. “Maybe we should hang out at my place. Or maybe you need to rest a little. You’ve had a long week.”
“Rest? I don’t want to rest. I want you to make me forget.”
Yeah. I can see that. And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but … “Sunshine, as much as I want to get you naked and have my wicked way with you, we can’t. Not like this. I don’t want you like this.”
“Like what? Because this is me, Graham! All of me.”
No, it’s not! I’m about to argue with her, but the cab pulls up. I take our bags and load them into the trunk. I slide into the back with Sarah and give the driver my address.
***
After the cab drives off, I slide into my own car. Sarah’s still silently fuming. I slam my hand down on the steering wheel and snap. “I don’t know why you feel like you have to act like this, but you need to knock it off. This is bullshit. Ever since you saw that bitch you’ve been an emotional lunatic.”
“A what? I’m a lunatic?” She laughs. “You’re the one who lost your shit on Ryan, and Tucker. So excuse me, kettle, for not really giving a shit anymore.”
I turn to her. “You think everything is black and white? It’s not. Perfection is black and white. Life is a mess, and it’s a whole lot of gray, baby. It’s dirty. And you know what? You have to embrace it for all it is.” I brush my fingers along her soft and wet cheek. “You’re better than this. Don’t let a woman who has no power over you hold you down. Look at me.”
She lifts her gaze.
“Sarah, I love you. For everything you are. I don’t give a fuck about who you were or what you did in the past. You are not that person. If you were, I wouldn’t be here with you. I wouldn’t want a thing to do with you. Do you understand? But this person you’re being to try to get me to pull away or whatever, it’s not you. Stop trying to push me out the door.”
Her lashes flutter then she turns toward the window. “Take me home.”
“Okay.” I have no intention of taking her home, though. I pull out of the driveway and start driving.
“That was my turn,” she growls.
“I know. We’re going somewhere else first.”
“Graham, I want to go home.”
I glance over at her. “No, you don’t.”
“Yes. I. Do.”
“Trust me. You don’t. Just trust me.” I wink at her, but this doesn’t soften her protest.
It’s about fifteen minutes before I park at our destination. Sarah glares at me. “What is this place?”
I look at the large warehouse and smile. “This is the surprise. Don’t wrinkle your nose, sunshine. You have to trust me.”
Her nostrils flare. God, she’s adorable pissed off. But I’m not going to let the feisty girl know this. I grab her door and lead her into the building.
The sounds of bats cracking against flying baseballs surrounds us. Sarah glances over at me. “A batting cage?”
“Ever been?”
“No.” She looks disgusted.
I laugh. “Don’t. This will help. I promise.”
“Graham!” a gruff voice says.
“Hi, Hank. How’s it going?” I shake hands with the owner, who I know well. He’s old as dirt, but he can crack you up with his perverted jokes.
“Eh. Okay. What brings you by?”
I peer over at Sarah and then back at Hank. “I need this one here to hit a few. Can we get a cage?”
“Sure. Go in cage five.”
I take Sarah over to cage five and thank Hank.
“Graham, I really do not want to hit balls. I want to go home.”
“Sunshine, no arguing, okay?” I pick up a size-small helmet and place it on her head. Her eyes narrow.
“This is not helping,” she remarks.
I grin. Yeah, girls really hate helmet hair, but you know what? She’s still going to look gorgeous even with her hair all messed up. I hand her a bat, open a cage, and then lock it with us inside.
“Now, have you ever hit a baseball before?”
“Once. Kyle and Maddy went to the baseball park near my old house. This isn’t going to help. I don’t need this.”
I
have her grip the bat and start setting her up in the batter’s box. “Listen, I know you think this won’t help. But trust me, you’re going to have fun. That’s all we’re doing here. Having some fun. Remember one thing: nothing is perfect. Don’t worry about messing up. Don’t worry about missing any balls.”
“Then what’s the point? This is just going to make me look and feel stupid.”
“You don’t look stupid. In fact, you look really hot right now.” I kiss her gently. “Okay, hold the bat like this.” I study her arms and laugh. “No, babe. What is this?” Her elbows are up, one pointing toward the cage, the other toward the machine. “Relax.”
“I can’t relax with you breathing on my neck like that,” she snaps.
I stifle back a laugh. “Noted.” I touch her shoulders, feeling the tension seep into my fingertips. Yeah, she definitely needs this more than she knows. As I work my fingers into her tight muscles, she leans into me.
“That feels nice,” she moans.
“Good, babe. Relax into me.”
She does. “That’s it. Now, lower your elbows a bit.”
“Like this?”
“Yep. Now line your knuckles up. Awesome.”
I slide my hands from her shoulders down to her hips. “When you swing use your hips and shift your weight from the back to the front.” As she takes a swing, I turn her using her hips.
“I think I got it.”
I step back, push the button to start the machine, and exit the cage. She misses the first three pitches. Her frustration shows. “Wait, watch the ball. It’s all about timing. Your swing is amazing.”
“I think you’re just saying that so you can stare at my ass,” she grumbles.
She waits like I tell her for the next pitch and then swings. This time she didn’t whiff it, she fouls the ball. “Good job. You got a piece of it. Now this time wait just a second more and swing all the way through.”
Graham (Scandalous Boys Book 2) Page 16
