“Sounds like he was a good man.”
“Yeah,” I said quietly. “He was.”
“You want me to come with you?”
I glanced out the window at the row houses pressed in a tight, formal line, identical except for the front doors. Each one a different, striking color. The Moretti family door had been periwinkle blue since they’d moved in a couple summers ago.
“No.” I shook my head. “I should go alone. I’m expecting to get the door slammed in my face for being such a coward. I mean, it’s been weeks. I should’ve been here sooner, but it was easier to avoid it all. The texts, the phone calls. I couldn’t even do that. And I wouldn’t blame her if I’m last person she wants to see.”
“She’ll understand, Nix,” Javier said as my fingers curled around the door handle. “Of all people, she has to know what that’s like.” When I finally pushed the door open, he leaned across the steering wheel. “Take all the time you need.”
“I’m fully capable of walking.”
“I don’t mind waiting,” he answered. “I’ll be here.”
It felt like there was so much more resting on those three simple words, but I wrenched the door open to get away from them. They followed me as I made the slow walk up to the tiny porch, ringing in my ears, coming to rest where the knot of anxiety had tied itself tighter. My pulse raced, eclipsing the dog’s incessant howling. I tossed one glance back at the Camaro where Javier was occupied flicking through the radio stations.
There was a plant in one corner of the porch, the leaves curled and twisted brown, sagging over the side of the terracotta pot. The dirt inside was solid with a spider’s web of cracks running through it. Not just a symptom of the climate, but a sign of obvious neglect.
I knocked on the door and stepped away to lean against the wrought-iron railing. A minute went by. Then three. I thought maybe Ally had spotted me through the window before I even noticed and didn’t want to answer the door. I decided it wouldn’t hurt, really, if she didn’t. It’d only be fair.
Then the door squealed on its hinges, a blast of frigid air washing over me from the A/C inside.
“Sorry,” Ally said as she pulled the door open. From where he was cradled on her hip, baby Aidan cooed and whined, sucking on his chubby fingers. A thin string of drool dangled from his mouth.
His eyes were deep brown, like his father’s were.
“He just woke up from his nap and…” Her words trailed away from her the second she looked up and saw me standing on her front porch.
“Oh…Vic.”
I pushed off the railing. “Hey.” I didn’t quite meet her eyes, still afraid of rejection. “I know I should’ve been here weeks ago. I’m sorry. And I’m sorry for all of the messages you sent me that I didn’t answer and the calls I ignored. You deserved better than that. I just couldn’t get myself together. I know that’s not a good reason but—”
A second later, Ally’s arm was around me and every apology and excuse I’d practiced on the way over here vanished. I felt her chin rest on my shoulder, felt her shuddering exhale at about the same time Aidan’s slobbery fingers found my hair. When she didn’t let go, I wrapped my arms around both of them, one of my thumbs brushing through Aidan’s wild, raven black curls.
“You’re here now. That’s all that matters,” she whispered. “Thank you, Vic.”
We stayed like that for a long time without saying much, until Ally’s breathing evened out and Aidan started to get fussy. When she finally pulled away, her eyes were red-rimmed, her cheeks shiny with tears. I dragged the back of my hand over my face, tasting salt on my lips.
“Come on.” Ally stepped aside, gesturing for me to follow. She offered a watery smile and sniffled. “Aidan’s missed you.”
I returned it.
And I could breathe again.
Acknowledgments
Endless thank you’s to my family, especially my parents, for your patience and constant support. This book wouldn’t exist without you all.
Thank you to my friends (you know who you are), my personal cheering section, my brainstorming buddies, and my beta readers. This book wouldn’t be half as good without you, either.
Thank you to anyone who picked up this book and enjoyed it enough to stick around through the end credits. My future books definitely won’t exist without you, so if you liked this one, please support a new indie author by leaving a review!
Special thanks to Buffalo/WNY. This book is for you, too.
About the Author
Jessie Thomas is a writer of young adult and new adult fiction from Buffalo, New York. An avid reader and history nerd at heart, she enjoys writing historical fantasy, urban fantasy, and paranormal romance with atmospheric settings and dark themes. When she isn't chasing her muses around, Jessie can be found playing with her snaggle-toothed cat named Graham.
Connect with Jessie on social media or email her at [email protected].
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