Chapter 46
46
I pace my crowded living room.
Adrian is at the precinct with Jenna and hasn’t returned any of my texts.
I want to know what she tells them and their responses. She kept her secret for years. I wouldn’t put it past her to try to change her story.
Why she came to me for help will forever confuse me.
I was the other victim in the accident she’d caused.
I don’t know if she came to me out of guilt or if she truly believed I’d be out of my mind and represent her. After seeing her face in the restroom, I’d bet it’s a guilt thing.
River, Ava, and Amelia are settled on my couch with their attention pinned on either their computer or phone. They’re researching everything they can find about Jenna’s accomplices. Ava is also texting her dad for information. He and my uncle Kyle—Callie’s dad—worked for the police department before starting their own detective agency.
All three guys moved after graduation. Greg scored a football scholarship, then lost it not too long after. Josh joined the military, and no one knows what happened with Jayden. They weren’t my friends, so I never kept up with them.
I truly believed Earl was responsible for the accident.
Guilt knots in my stomach.
I regret not doing better research, especially after I learned the PEP took his case. It should’ve been a sign for me to study it.
“Greg still lives in Iowa,” Ava reports. “Divorced, two kids, works construction.”
“He’s also had multiple DUIs,” River adds. “Three aggravated assault and battery charges and a domestic violence felony.” He curls his lip. “What a piece of shit.”
We all nod in agreement.
“All signs definitely point to him being batshit crazy enough to do what Jenna said,” Amelia says.
I stop pacing when my phone beeps with a text.
Adrian: Leaving the station now and headed that way.
As relieved as I am that he’s coming here, there’s still a sense of nervousness. We planned to talk about the Earl situation tonight, and now, everything’s changed.
Yes, he didn’t tell me about seeing Earl in prison or his involvement with PEP, but now, it feels like so much stuff has happened that him keeping it from me seems almost small. Also, if he had told me immediately when he saw my name and walked away from the case for me, then maybe we’d never found out Earl was innocent.
“I just found Greg’s ex-wife’s socials,” Ava says. “Let me see if I can DM her and ask if she knows where he’s at.”
I sit down at the kitchen table and start reading over Earl’s case notes. I shut my eyes, and in my head, I try to match up the prosecutor’s timeline with what happened that night.
They listened to my 911 call, so most of it lines up with my memories.
But now, I’m questioning everything.
Everyone’s attention moves to the front door when Adrian walks in. He gives the three on the couch a head nod and kisses the top of my head before taking the chair next to mine.
The cottage goes quiet.
My friends know what happened between us. Thankfully, no one has mentioned it tonight or given their input. This is something I need to figure out on my own.
“Want to go to the brewery and stalk the lowlifes there?” Amelia asks the room, but the question isn’t directed at me or Adrian. “Drinks are on me.”
“You guys go ahead,” I answer. “I’d prefer to stay in tonight.”
“I’m game,” River says. “I’ll need something mixed with an energy drink, though. I’m not going to bed until I find Greg.”
“Right there with ya,” Ava says, shutting her MacBook and securing it under her armpit.
The three hug me and tell Adrian goodbye before leaving.
After they shut the door behind them, my heartbeat quickens.
“How are you feeling?” Adrian asks me.
“Okay,” I whisper, shoving my MacBook away and rubbing my eyes. “I mean, given the circumstances. I’m relieved Jenna finally told the truth. I’m also mad at myself for not doing more research when the accident happened. I completely believed everything I was told.”
“Essie,” Adrian rasps, “you had no idea he wasn’t guilty. You were a teenager, for Christ’s sake. You never saw the driver. You saw a truck, and that’s what you told the police. You didn’t pick him out of a lineup. You told them what you saw. They did all the work from there.”
My shoulders slump. “I’ve told myself that in my head all night, but it doesn’t change that almost a decade of his life was stolen from him.”
“And now, we’ll give that back.”
“You tried to do that, and I got mad at you for it.”
“No, you got mad because I wasn’t up-front about it. Don’t you dare put that blame on yourself as well. You didn’t get mad at me for helping with Earl’s case. You got mad that I kept it from you, which is understandable.” He shakes his head, clasping his hands together and resting them on the table. “Don’t let me off the hook for that.”
“Adrian,” I murmur and go silent.
I don’t know what to say.
“I hurt you, Essie,” he goes on, his voice choking up. “I begged you to give me a second chance after my first fuckup and then messed up again. Both times, I could’ve easily protected your heart had I told you. But I wasn’t, and that’s something I’ll always regret.”
“Why should I trust you with my heart again then?”
“You shouldn’t.”
I wince, drawing back in my chair.
“But I’m begging you to. One more chance. I know it’s asking a lot. It’d be you trusting your heart with someone who didn’t cherish it before.”
I sit there, my back straight, and my gaze rests on his.
There’s an apology in his eyes.
Remorse.
“Okay,” I say. “One more chance.”
Some people might say I’m letting him off too easy.
Maybe I am. But at this point, I don’t care.
I know what I want.
Cutting Adrian out of my life would be like cutting out a piece of myself. He makes me feel comfortable and secure in my own skin. I’ve loved him for years, even when we weren’t together.
“Keep me accountable,” he goes on, his tone stern. “Make me be a better man for you, or drop me. The moment I saw you, I knew you were who I’d been looking for my entire life. I don’t want to lose you.”
Tears are in my eyes.
Jesus .
Do these things ever turn off ?
After all this chaos passes, I swear to God, I’d better not cry for a year.
Unless it’s from stubbing my toe or something. But still, I should be stronger than that too.
Adrian presses his hand to his chest. “I’m yours, Essie, until the day I die. I love you.” He stands, moving to my chair, and pulls me to my feet.
We face each other, our mouths only inches apart, and I trace my finger along his lips. “And I love you. I’m yours until the day I die.”