Chapter 41
Forty-One
“They should be back by now,” I say, pacing the length of the kitchen.
“Will you please come sit down? You’re making me nervous,” Carson asks from where he’s sitting on a stool at my kitchen island.
Ignoring him, I keep walking.
“Hannah said they’re on their way back and they will be here within the hour.” Logan checks the time on his phone and says, “They should be here anytime.”
“Well, Beck didn’t message me,” I mutter, more to myself than anyone else.
“Is he always like this?” Dillon mumbles under his breath to Riot.
“Nope.” He bends his head to the side, stretching his neck. “This is new. He is usually the calm one in the group.”
Carson knew I was worried about Beck and Hannah’s trip to see Braden’s new girlfriend. He took it upon himself to invite the guys to my place to help distract me. It’s not working.
Claire and Ben are on a playdate, and surprisingly, Meg is at home with Jeff, or they would be here as well.
For a man who had never had guests before, my home has had a revolving door these past couple of months. I’m not complaining—too much.
“I should have followed her,” I grumble, running both hands through my hair.
“That’s the worst thing you could have done,” Riot tries to reason with me. “You know she needed to do this on her own.”
I know he’s right, but fuck, it’s hard waiting for her to return.
Honking from the driveway grabs our attention. I’m already standing, so I get to the door first and throw it open.
Behind all the various vehicles that were already parked in the driveway are Hannah’s blue Jeep and a black pickup truck with dark tinted windows that I have seen around town.
“See, I told you she was fine.” Carson claps me on the back as we watch Beck jump out and slam the door. The broad smile on her face could light up any room.
Logan pushes past us and jogs down the stairs, going directly to Hannah, pulling her into a tight embrace.
“Nice wheels,” Carson whistles. “Did he take good care of her for you?”
“It’s cleaner than I thought it would be, to be honest. No gas in the tank, though.” Her bright blue eyes stay locked on me as she crosses the driveway. “I enjoy driving Nana’s car more, though. To be honest, I never wanted this one; it’s way too big for me to drive daily.”
“I can help you sell it if that’s what you decide to do,” Dillon offers from where he’s leaning against a timber post.
She glances at him briefly. “Thank you. I may take you up on that.”
Coming to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, she smirks and says, “Have you been waiting for me, Pretty Boy?”
“You know I was, Trouble.” I smirk. “Get inside; it’s too cold to be standing out here on the porch.”
“Bossy,” she whispers as she quickly pecks me on the lips before following everyone back inside.
Brat.
Once everyone has gathered in the living room, Riot asks, “So, your meeting went well? I didn’t expect you to come back with the truck.”
“I didn’t know it was an option,” Beck says, coming to sit on the arm of my chair.
“I’m happy you got it, but I was looking forward to repossessing it right out from under his nose,” Dillon drawls, adjusting his cap.
“I’ll keep that in mind if I ever need to steal a vehicle in the future.” Beck chuckles, her hand running over the back of my neck.
“What happened?” I ask, pulling her down onto my lap. “Did you have to see Braden?”
“Nope.” She purses her lips and shakes her head. “Jade brought the keys for the truck and the house with her to the diner.”
“She was very nice,” Hannah interjects. “We had nothing to worry about. She’s cut all contact with him and just wanted to make things right.”
“Where was the truck?” I ask Beck, gently squeezing her hip.
“Parked out in the open, behind her building. She confirmed that he had been using her car lately. He could have come back and forth to Emerley, and nobody would have known. I am surprised that Brian didn’t pick up on it though,” she says, rolling her eyes.
“What if he came back while you were there? Did you have a plan?” My words come out in a rush.
“Relax, you worry too much. It’s going to turn your hair grey,” she says, threading her hands through my hair at the nape of my neck, before continuing. “He wasn’t in town. A man driving a black Escalade picked him up early this morning.” She quirks an eyebrow at me.
When Vaughan told me about his plan to get Braden out of town, I was all for it, but it had to be Beck’s decision. Finn being in the area is a good sign that pieces are falling into place.
Breathing a sigh of relief, I hold her closer.
“What happens now?” Carson asks, leaning back in his chair.
Adjusting herself on my lap, she reaches into the pocket of her denim jeans and fishes out a keychain. “I guess it’s time to take back the house.”
“Are you going to move back in?” Riot furrows his eyebrows.
“Fuck, no.” She shakes her head quickly. “I have too many unpleasant memories living there. Besides, I enjoy living at the yellow house, surrounded by Logan’s garden gnomes.” She winks at Hannah.
“They don’t belong to me.” He visibly shivers. “They come with the house, or maybe it’s the other way around. They’re slowly taking over the neighbourhood.”
“Do you have much time left on your lease?” Riot asks.
“No. I already reached out to my landlord. She has a new tenant lined up, so as soon as it’s empty, I’ll hand over the keys. You have no idea how good it feels to be this close to freedom.”
Dillon stands with his phone in his hand.
“Sorry, I can’t stay. Harold ‘needs’ me.
Probably misplaced the remote or some shit.
I swear to God, the worst thing I ever did is teach him how to use a cell phone,” he complains.
“I’m glad everything is working out, Beck.
Let me know about the truck.” Waving, he leaves the six of us to figure out the next step.
“Do you want to drive over and check it out?” Carson suggests. All eyes are on her as they wait for an answer.
When she hesitates, I say, “We don’t have to do anything else today. Getting the truck back is a huge, unexpected win.”
“No.” She moves from my lap and stands. “I want to go to the house. At least see what kind of mess it’s in. Braden isn’t known for his housekeeping skills. I doubt I’ll get my deposit back.”
With the decision made, we pile into our trucks, leaving Beck’s safely behind, and make the quick trip across town to check out the home she once shared with Braden.
The older stone and stucco house is on a quiet residential street.
It and the surrounding homes are all well-maintained.
Some neighbours have already strung their lights for the upcoming holiday season.
There is no sign anyone has been here recently, given the number of flyers sticking out of the mailbox.
“Are you ready?” I ask Beck as she stares out the windshield. When she says nothing, I ask, “Are you okay? We don’t have to do this today if it’s too much. Or I can go in and scope it out to see how much needs to be done.”
“No, I need to do this. I’m fine.” She lifts the corner of her mouth. “It’s strange. This is the first time I have been here since I left. I didn’t think I would ever come back. I promise I’ll tell you if I’m not, okay?”
We meet on the front steps and wait for our friends to join us. Beck inserts the key in the lock, twists the knob, and has to push the stiff door open. When she flips on the lights, you can see dust motes floating in the stale air.
Everyone branches off in different directions.
“I swear to God I owned furniture when I lived here,” Beck says, wandering around the room. The only thing that remains is a beat-up recliner and a TV tray. Even the television is gone.
“Can confirm.” Hannah comes to stand beside her.
The small kitchen table is stacked with mail. There are dirty dishes in the sink, and the garbage needs to be taken out. The fridge is almost completely empty except for a few condiments and an expired litre of milk. Cupboard doors have been left ajar.
“This bedroom is empty,” Carson calls, stepping back into the hall and shutting the door.
“This must be the one he’s using,” Riot says. A box spring and mattress have been shoved into the corner. The sheets are in a crumpled mess at the foot of the bed. A couple of laundry baskets heaped with unfolded clothes sit near the open closet. Clean or dirty, I have no idea.
“I can’t believe he got rid of the bedroom furniture as well.” Hannah’s forehead crinkles.
“I think he started liquidating assets when I stopped sending him money.”
“I’m sorry,” I say, wrapping my arm around her.
“Don’t be. There was nothing that can’t easily be replaced. Most of the furniture was thrifted. He thinks he’s hurting me, but really, he did me a favour—less for me to haul out of here.”
“Should we get started then?” Logan asks. “We already have trucks here. It won’t take long to load them up and take what you don’t want to the dump.”
“I don’t want anything.” Beck wrinkles her nose as she looks around the bare room.
“What about his clothes?” Hannah asks, running her hand through what has been hung up in the closet.
“Toss them,” Riot says. “I’m going to grab some garbage bags.”
“I have a few boxes in my truck,” Carson adds.
“No, I’m going to pack them up and figure out a way to get them to him. Jade left a bag of things in the truck as well,” Beck says as she inspects the bedroom. “He will never step foot in this house again, though.”
“You are a better woman than I am,” Hannah mutters.
“Okay.” Beck nods her head once. “The quicker we get started, the quicker we can get out of here, and I can close this chapter of my life.”