44. Theo
THEO
Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch
Mark Bell: So . . . are we gonna talk about it?
Comments:
Kerry Winsor: Joey Hancock has been banned from the group.
Mark Bell: That’s really all you’re gonna say?
Kerry Winsor: Oh, I have thoughts. But I’ll save them for Theo when I see him.
Mark Bell: If you see him.
When I thought about how everything would end, I always knew it would be devastating.
This was much worse.
The Strawberry Springs welcome sign was in my rearview mirror. The shop was closed, the door tightly locked.
Maybe I’d leave it with Kelsey. Maybe it would fade into nothing and be just like the dilapidated building I’d originally found.
I’d thought about this many times. I’d change my number and get as far away as I could. I’d find a new town and never look back.
But there was one thing I couldn’t leave behind.
Piper being in Knoxville was the only reason I was heading in that direction. I’d stop, say goodbye, and then start over.
Find somewhere else to hide.
The motel I found was decent, but far enough away that there weren’t many people. I had no idea how Piper was doing, but I needed to see her at least once.
I was in a state of numbness as I sat in the quiet room, the same feeling I’d had when I left at eighteen. There was no room for sentimentality or being sad. I had to move on.
It was harder this time.
Out the window, I watched Piper’s car pull in, and I stood mechanically. I opened the door and only made it one step before she collided with me.
“I’m sorry,” she said into my ear. “I’m so fucking sorry. I tried to stop him, but he wouldn’t listen, and I . . . I should’ve handled this better. I’m sorry.” Her voice was too fast and her entire body was trembling.
The ice around my heart melted, and for the first time in hours, I felt something. My own hands shook as I held her.
She was here. She was in my arms.
I felt alive again.
How the fuck was I ever going to let her go? I had to, but it seemed impossible.
“Piper—”
“I don’t want to lose you, but you’re leaving, and he . . . he—”
“Love, I need you to breathe.” I pulled away to look at her, and her expression crumpled. She sobbed in my arms, and I felt her pain like it was my own.
Hell, I had my own to feel.
All I could think about was her.
We were still out in the open, and I helped her inside the room before shutting and locking the door. She clung to me like I could vanish at any moment.
She was right to think that.
Emotion hit me all at once. My chest felt like it was collapsing and breathing felt impossible. I tightened my hold on her, tears springing to my eyes as I realized I didn’t know what would happen next.
It was all over.
“Joey figured it out,” Piper said as she pulled away. “He wanted me to leave Strawberry Springs, and when I said no, he said you’d manipulated me into staying, which is ridiculous. But then he put that post up to force you out, and I . . . This feels like it’s my fault. I’m so sorry.”
I blinked as I took it all in. I wasn’t sure what I felt about Joey—though, rage was the main emotion—but one thing was clear about Piper’s involvement in it.
“It’s not your fault.”
“But it is.”
“It was going to happen eventually.” I cupped her head tightly. “You know that, right? This was inevitable.”
“But by my friend? Someone I trusted?”
“That . . . that’s the worst part, I guess.”
She let out a long sigh. “I tried to stop him. I really did. I even tried to grab his phone. I touched him, and he . . .” She trailed off, eyes squeezing shut.
“What did he do?”
“He fought it. Hard. Then he pushed me and I saw it all again.” Her head fell to my chest. “I think I hate him, Theo.”
“Right now, we both do.”
“I’m sorry he told everyone.”
“And I’m sorry he hurt you.”
She nodded, tears still streaming down her face.
“So, what’s next?”
I opened my mouth to tell her the truth we both knew. But the words got caught in my throat. Piper’s hands curled into my flannel.
“Please don’t go,” she whispered.
“Love, I have to.”
She sucked in a breath. “But I don’t want you to.”
My heart felt like it cracked in two. There was a massive part of me that wanted to stay, and that voice was insistent.
But reality would win out. I was a danger to Strawberry Springs. I was someone who wouldn’t be welcomed now that my past was out.
“I won’t tonight,” I offered, resting a gentle hand on her cheek. “Stay here with me. We can talk in the morning.”
“But—”
“Piper, we’ve had a shitty fucking day. The last thing I want to do is fight. I just want you right now.”
She leaned into my touch, lip trembling as she nodded. “Okay. I’ll stay.”
I held her for a long moment, trying to memorize the feel of her in her arms. Maybe if I did, it would hurt less when I had to let her go.
“Whatever happens, just know I love you.”
Her eyes met mine. They glistened with the tears she was trying to hold back. “I love you too. So much that I never want this moment to end.”
It would. We were on borrowed time. My countdown had hit zero the second that post went up.
But I nodded anyway.
Tomorrow, I would have a stronger resolve.