Chapter 18 Caroline
CAROLINE
Thirteen Years Ago
Thunder rumbled, shaking the house with its intensity. Caroline glanced at the clock on the microwave. Justin was ten minutes late.
Ten minutes wasn’t a big deal. She picked up her phone from where it sat beside the warm cherry pie. No missed calls or texts. She found his contact and paused before placing the call. Surely, he was driving slow because of the rain. If she called, it would only distract him.
She put the phone down and whirled her hair into a high ponytail. Dinner was cooked, dessert baked, and every surface in the house cleaned.
Sinking into a chair at the kitchen table, she clasped her hands in front of her and rested her forehead against her knuckles. “Lord, please keep him safe.”
The hum of an engine had her lifting her head as headlights streaked through the small house.
Caroline dashed to the front door. “You work fast, Lord.”
She opened the door as Justin jogged through the pouring rain and bounded onto her porch. He stopped, dripping and shaking just outside her door.
“I’m soaked.”
Caroline grabbed his arm and tugged him inside. “Just get in here.”
Once the door was closed against the relentless rain, she headed for the hallway. “I’ll be right back.” She grabbed a couple of towels from the linen closet and rushed back to the living room.
A puddle had already formed around Justin’s feet by the time she returned. She draped one towel around his shoulders and handed him the other.
“Sweet sugarplum, you’re freezing.”
His whole body shook as he bent to wipe the floor.
“Don’t worry about that. Just get dry. Let me see if I can find you some clothes.”
Five minutes later, she’d gathered an oversized sweatshirt and a pair of jeans her brother, Clint, had given her to sew up a rip in the side seam. Justin was taller than Clint, but they might be close enough. She left them in the bathroom and went to check on Justin.
“Come on. I found you something to change into. You can take a shower to warm up, and I’ll put your clothes in the dryer.”
Justin bundled the wet towels in his arms and handed them to her with his head down. “Thank you. I’m sorry about the mess. And about being late.”
“Don’t worry about it. Just get warm and dry.”
She ushered him toward the bathroom and went to get the fire going in the fireplace. Her house wasn’t cold, but Justin was chilled to the bone.
It didn’t make sense. He’d only run from the truck to the house.
How’d he get so wet? Why was he so cold?
She busied herself gathering blankets until the hum of the shower stopped.
A few minutes later, Justin appeared wearing the clothes she’d pieced together for him and carrying his wet outfit.
The pants weren’t as short as she’d expected.
She met him in the hallway. “I’ll toss these in the dryer. They should be ready by the time we finish eating.”
After starting the dryer, she found Justin in the kitchen. His hands were propped on the counter, and his head hung low.
She slid her hand up his back as she approached. “Hey, is everything okay?”
He lifted his head, and a gasp escaped her in a rush. The left side of his face was swollen and a stream of fresh blood dripped down his jaw.
He brushed at his face and looked at the red on his hand. “Shoot, I’m sorry.” Grabbing for a paper towel, he rubbed it across his face before pressing it to his temple.
Caroline turned to her left and opened the freezer. She pulled out a pack of frozen carrots and lifted it to him.
“What happened?” The words were barely a whisper.
Justin wiped at his face again and accepted the frozen vegetables. “Dad. I knew I shouldn’t have gone there.”
She’d heard about the fights, but seeing the evidence and hearing about them were two different things.
“What did he do? What did…”
She couldn’t finish the thought. If Justin looked like this, what did his dad look like?
“I didn’t do anything.” Justin slapped the bag of carrots onto the counter. “Just let him hit me. I couldn’t hit him back.”
Shaking his head, Justin wiped at the blood again. “I wanted to, don’t get me wrong. I just… know I can’t now.”
“You mean now that you know about Jesus? Justin, I don’t think you’re supposed to just let someone attack you.”
“But he’s my dad!” Justin threw his hands out at his sides. “I can’t read the Ten Commandments and just forget the one that says honor your father and mother. How am I supposed to honor that?” he asked, pointing toward the front door as if Chuck were standing there as Exhibit A.
Caroline opened a drawer and pulled out a tattered cleaning rag with shaky hands. She turned on the faucet and held the rag under it before squeezing it out and turning to him.
The cut was on the edge of his brow, still seeping bright-red blood down his bruised face.
She touched the rag to the brutal place as a drop of water fell from his freshly washed hair onto her finger. When her gaze met his, her vision swam.
Justin brushed the pad of his thumb over her cheek. “Please don’t cry. I’m fine.”
She sniffled and shook her head. “You’re not fine.”
His hand wrapped around her wrist, his thumb pressing against the thudding of her pulse. “I promise I’m fine. He didn’t hurt me.”
“How can you say that? You’re bleeding and bruised and freezing!”
He pulled her closer with an arm wrapped around the small of her back. “I’m much better now that I’m with you. I’m not cold anymore, and you’re doing a good job stopping the bleeding.”
She pulled the rag away to check the cut. This time, the red didn’t seep out. “Let me get a bandage. I think you need stitches.”
“You got any super glue?”
She swatted his arm and pulled out of his grasp. “You are not gluing your skin together. That’s a terrible idea.”
His eyes widened and he looked away. “Okay. Then I won’t tell you how many times I’ve done it.”
Her jaw hung open. “Justin!”
He held up his hands in surrender. “It was better than nothing.”
Fudge cake, another reminder of how awful life had been for Justin. She’d never had stitches, but her parents would have gotten her the care she needed if she was ever injured.
She couldn’t speak, and she couldn’t stand in front of him without bursting into tears. The sadness welled up inside her until it demanded a release.
“I’ll be right back,” she whispered before turning on her heel and darting for the linen closet. She took her time locating bandages and anything else she thought he might need for the cut.
Letting out a whoosh of air from rounded lips, she wrapped her hand around the supplies and closed her eyes. “Lord, please give me strength.”
When she returned to the kitchen, Justin was putting two plates of meatloaf on the table.
“Let me bandage you up first,” Caroline said as she opened the Band-Aid with shaking hands.
His big hand wrapped around hers, stilling the trembling. “Sweetheart, please calm down.”
“I’m calm. Totally chill. I’m so chill, I’m a popsicle.”
The right side of his mouth turned up in a grin. “I love popsicles.”
Then his lips were on hers, brushing softly, then pressing until she melted into him. The missing him. The wanting him. It all culminated in his heated kiss as she pulled him closer.
Did she have to let go? Couldn’t she stay like this with him, hiding away from the troubles of the world forever?
He peppered small kisses on her jaw, her cheeks, and her brow before stepping back. “I have some news.”
“Good news or bad news?” she asked.
“Good news. A scout from the Miami Marlins was at my game this week. He’s already reached out about a meeting.”
Caroline grabbed Justin’s arms. “Are you serious? That’s huge!”
Justin shrugged. “The Marlins would be a good team.”
Blinking, Caroline ran back through the conversation. “Wait. You said Miami?”
He slowly nodded. “Florida.”
Florida. Not just the northern part of Florida. South Florida. As in thousands of miles away from their home in Colorado.
“I hear it’s sunny there,” she said, smiling through the choking fear of the unknown.
Their future was still unwritten, but one thing was for sure. They could tackle whatever came their way together. She’d have to tell her family that not only was she dating Justin McKinnon, but she was pretty sure he would propose soon and they’d move wherever his career took him.
Working at The Cakery was all she’d ever wanted to do, but there were bakeries everywhere. She’d find her place and be happy anywhere as long as she could be by his side.
She gently wiped at the dried blood on his face, wishing she could erase it all. “I’m so proud of you. Your dreams are so much bigger than mine.”
Justin brushed a hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear and letting his fingertips trail down her face. “My best dreams are about you.”