42. Troy
August, Present Day
Maple Ridge
I openthe gate to my parents’ backyard. Butterscotch and Bailey trot past Jess and me, straining on their leashes. The smell of grilling burgers hangs in the air, and my stomach growls.
Jess laughs. “I take it you’re hungry.”
“I am now.” My parents’ barbecues have that effect on me. Everything always tastes great.
My brothers and Simone are already here. Simone’s talking to Mom by the picnic table, the usual spread of food covering it. Lucas is helping Dad with the grill.
“Where’s everyone else?” Jess scans the garden, the end of her ponytail brushing the back of her T-shirt as she turns her head.
“It’s just family this time.”
Jess stops walking and looks at me, her eyes wide and worried. “But I’m not family.”
“You’re my girlfriend, so that counts in Mom’s book. If Garrett and Kellan had girlfriends, Mom would also expect them to join us.”
Jess’s honey-brown eyes go adorably wider. “Even if they’ve only been dating a few weeks?”
“Especially if they’ve only been dating a few weeks. How else would she get to check them out to make sure they were good enough for her sons?” I chuckle.
Except what was supposed to be a joke feels like less of one now. Mom’s got to know Jess is nothing like the woman the protesters have been ranting about. Kellan spent three years in prison, and Mom didn’t turn her back on him because he made a mistake. A bad mistake. He was guilty of his crime. Jess wasn’t guilty of what she was accused of. Big. Difference.
Jess looks to where Simone and my mother are standing next to the table. It’s obvious from the way Mom is smiling at Simone, she loves her like a daughter. But Mom has known Simone since Simone was six years old. She doesn’t really know Jess. She has met her two other times, and one of them was only for a few minutes.
“It’s gonna be okay,” I tell Jess. “Mom likes you.” I cross my fingers that hasn’t changed from the last time Jess was here. Until my conversation with Mom a week and a half ago, I hadn’t worried about it. Now, I’m hoping I’m not about to toss my girlfriend into an unexpected war zone.
I take the glass baking dish of dessert squares from Jess, transfer it to my hand holding Butterscotch’s leash, and link my fingers with Jess’s. The temperature outside is warm. Her fingers are cold.
I catch a glimpse of the flower-and-shell tattoo on her forearm. It’s as gorgeous as the woman wearing it. While I question the wisdom of Jess getting it, given she’s trying to move on after losing her daughter, I do understand her reasons. I got inked to keep Colton’s memory alive.
We walk to the picnic table. I let go of Jess’s hand and deposit the dessert with the rest of the food.
“Hey, Jess.” Simone gives her friend a hug and whispers something in Jess’s ear. Jess nods.
And I breathe a little easier. Simone’s friendship with Jess will go a long way with Mom. She trusts Simone. She trusts Simone’s judgment.
“It’s nice to see you again, Joanne,” Jess says to Mom.
Mom smiles at Jess, but it’s the smile she reserves for people she’s not fond of but doesn’t want them to know that. “You too, Jessica.”
Dammit.I hope I’m not making a mistake bringing Jess here, especially after she received the death threat earlier today.
I put my hand on the curve of her spine and tap with my finger the Morse code for ILU. I keep tapping, the message playing on an endless loop. Jess leans into me. I kiss the side of her head.
Mom’s smile doesn’t change. Simone is beaming.
“How was work today, Jess?” Simone’s question comes out a little too brightly. It’s possible I’m not the only one sensing the tension rolling off my mother.
Jess’s muscles tense under my hand, and she shifts on her feet. “Um, it was…”
“Someone left a threatening note for her while she was away at lunch.” I have no intention of sugarcoating the truth or keeping it a secret. Anger still roils inside me at what it said.
“What kind of threatening note?” Kellan’s tone is hard, a thin edge of protectiveness beneath the surface. I didn’t even notice him approach, his Marine-ninja moves deeply ingrained in him. That, or I’m losing my touch.
I turn to him. “It threatened her life if she doesn’t leave town.”
“Did you call Noah?” Simone asks. “Or the police?”
“The police.” Jess wraps her arms around her chest, the fear in her voice twisting inside my heart. “They have the message and are investigating it.” She lifts her shoulders with a small shrug, her trust in the police no less obliterated than before.
Creases form between Mom’s eyebrows. “Any idea who might have left it?”
“It could be any of the protesters who were outside her house,” I say. “Or it could be someone else we haven’t considered.” Like Katelyn. But would she really do something like that just because she wanted to date me when I’m not interested in her?
I have a hard time believing that. She’s selfish enough to spread rumors. She’s not selfish enough to threaten physical harm.
Dad comes over with a plate of grilled hamburger patties and puts it onto the table next to the buns. Melted blue cheese oozes across the top of each one. “Burgers are ready.”
Mom passes a plate to Jess, her hand trembling. “Here you go, Jess.”
Mom has the steadiest hands I know. But it’s not only her hands that shake. She looks…twitchy. Nervous.
And that settles in me the wrong way. “You haven’t heard anything about who might have left that message for Jess, have you?” Almost all emotion is stripped from my tone, other than a slither of anger that hits the last part like a hammer to nail.
Surprise or guilt or something else widens Mom’s eyes. “Why would you think I know anything about it?”
I shrug as casually as can be even though suspicion pounds in my chest. “You seem nervous.”
“Son, what exactly are you accusing your mother of?” Dad frowns, having no idea what I’m talking about. He was at the grill and too far away to hear the beginning of our conversation.
I raise my hands. “I’m not accusing her of anything. I was just wondering what she might know about it. She could have overheard someone talking about leaving a note at my office.” I wouldn’t put it past a couple of her friends who she’s not super close with to be responsible for the message.
They’re not the type to commit bodily harm, but they are the sort to leave the note to scare Jess away.
Mom lifts her shoulders and her chin. “I’m nervous because my son is dating a woman who was incarcerated with dangerous offenders.”
“Mom!” The word explodes from Kellan, sharp and to the point. Garrett and Lucas appear dumbfounded—either because of what Mom said about the woman they consider a friend or because of Kellan’s reaction.
Jess and Simone look like they’d rather be anywhere but here.
And Dad…Dad’s expression is that of a man who has stepped into a parallel universe and has no idea what’s going on. “Honey, Savannah Townsend wasn’t guilty of her husband’s murder. And Troy’s a big boy. You don’t have to worry about him. He can take care of himself.”
She throws him a death glare. “He’s still my baby!”
Dad wisely reverses a step. “He’s a grown man.”
“I’m also standing right here,” I say. “Maybe Jess and I should leave till you come to your senses, Mom. I won’t have you accusing my girlfriend of something she’s not guilty of. She’s already gone through enough without you hurting her.”
Mom stiffens on the other side of the table, her spine straightening.
“N-no.” The word stutters from Jess, unshed tears roughening her voice. “You stay, Troy. Bailey and I will leave. I don’t want to come between you and your family.” Her face is so pale and drawn. I want to hold her and take her away from here and punch a tree all at the same time.
“You don’t have to leave. Either of you. I…I just need time to…” Mom’s tone isn’t unkind, but it’s also not warm and friendly. She swallows. “I just need time to get used to this.” She points to Jess and me, her finger lingering on Jess longer than necessary.
“No, we do have to leave,” I tell Mom. The droop of Jess’s shoulders and the shine to her eyes warn me she’s barely keeping herself in one piece. I need to get her out of here.
My hand still holding Jess’s, I lead her and the dogs to the side gate. No one tries to convince us to stay, and I’m grateful for that.
I get Jess and the dogs into the truck. Butterscotch jumps into the back. Bailey joins Jess in the front.
Jess looks at me from the front passenger seat, her eyelashes glittering with tears, her body shaking. “You should stay, Troy.” One tear breaks loose and trails down her cheek. Followed by another. She hiccups a sob, her weary smile failing to mask her devastation.
I gather her in my arms, her head in the crook of my neck, and I hold her as she crumples into me under the weight of her sobs. “I’ve got you, Jess. I will always have you,” I murmur against her temple, causing a wisp of hair behind her ear to flutter.
I have no idea if my parents’ neighbors are wondering what’s going on as I stand beside my truck, a crying woman in my arms, outside Mom and Dad’s house. I don’t give a crap either way. The only thing I care about is the woman in my arms, in my heart, in my soul.
Butterscotch and Bailey whimper, ever sensitive to Jess’s pain.
It takes a few minutes before Jess’s sobbing is under control. I remain standing on the passenger side of the truck the entire time, holding her.
She sits upright and smiles at me, the curve of her lips a gentle up-kick. “I’m okay now. I’m ready to go home.”
I wipe my thumbs under her eyes, drying away the tears. “I have somewhere else in mind first.” I buckle her seat belt and jog to the driver’s side of my truck.
I grab some burgers and fries at the local drive-thru, drive to Windermere Lake, and park near the entrance to the hiking trail.
We sit at an empty picnic table and eat the food, then walk along the trail, holding hands. Butterscotch and Bailey lead the way, sniffing the ground and tugging on their leashes. Jess and I don’t talk. We let nature—the birds calling from the trees, the warm breeze, the pine scent—fill us with peace.
The trail widens at one point, forming a small clearing. The lake is on one side of us, the forest on the other. Dirt and dried needles and leaves make up the ground beneath our feet.
I stop walking and pull my phone from my pocket. I tie the dogs’ leashes to the trunk of a tall skinny tree and select a Pushing Limits song from one of my playlists. I hit Play and put the phone on a large boulder close to the water.
I pull Jess to me and twirl her to the ballad, doing whatever it takes to put the smile back on her face.
She laughs as we move around the clearing. I dip her, and she giggles.
The song ends, and I pull Jess closer. The next one isn’t a slow song, but I sway her on the spot as though it were. “I’m sorry about my mother. I’m not going to apologize for her behavior. Only she can do that. But I am sorry for the pain she caused you. I don’t know what’s gotten into her.”
Jess’s smile fades. “Like she said, you’re still her baby.”
I grunt, not exactly thrilled to have my grown-ass self referred to as a baby.
Jess laughs softly, the low sound vibrating through her chest and into mine. “You might not like that, but it’s true. She might never accept me as your girlfriend. She might always think the worst of me.” Jess looks down, hiding her face from me.
I lift her chin with my finger. “I have a hard time believing it. She’s smarter than that. But no matter what she thinks, my brothers and our friends and I don’t believe any of the lies about you. You’ll always have us on your side.”
“I know,” she whispers, resting her head on my chest. “I know.”