Chapter 13 #2
As I walk him to the door, my mind races with thoughts, emotions and memories that’ve been buried for years.
It took a long time, a very long time, not to think of that summer every day anymore.
I can’t revisit that dreadful time and continue to care for my family.
I know that as sure as I’m breathing. It would undo me all over again.
I survived it once. I can’t do that a second time.
“I’m sorry to show up out of the blue this way and upset you, but I didn’t want to call you with this news.”
“You’re only doing your job. Congratulations on becoming chief, by the way.”
“Thanks.”
“Your dad must be proud.”
“He is.”
“The rest of your family is well?” I force myself to ask even though I don’t care about anyone from that time except for him, the one friend I had.
“Yeah, Dallas lives locally with his wife and three kids, and Austin is in California. She’s married with two little boys.”
I feel rage at the mention of Dallas, who also lied about me to save Ryder. “What about you?”
“Not married and no kids. I guess you could say I’m married to the job.”
“Thank you for coming, Houston. I’m sorry if it was a wasted trip.”
“It wasn’t wasted because I got to see an old friend. I’m glad to see you happy and doing well, Denise. You deserve that.”
“We all do. Don’t give the job too much.”
“I’ll try not to.” He gives me the tender look of an old friend. “Take care of yourself.”
“You do the same.”
Kane’s homecoming is the usual circus with the kids wanting every second of his attention after missing him for two weeks. He takes Charlotte and Levi to the park and then helps with homework and baths while I go through the motions of making dinner.
“What’s going on?” he asks when he catches me zoning out for the third time.
“We’ll talk after they’re in bed.”
“Are you okay?”
“I think so.”
He gives me a curious look before scooping up the twins to get them to bed first.
Charlotte and Levi take longer to settle down and require multiple stories from daddy.
He comes downstairs more than an hour after he went up.
I’m waiting for him with a glass of the Cab he loves.
“First things first.” He sits next to me and leans in for a lingering kiss. “Hi there.”
He makes me smile even at the most difficult of times. “Welcome home.”
“These deployments get harder all the time. I want to be here with you guys.”
“Does that mean you’ve made a decision about staying in?” As he nears the eight-year mark, he’s torn about whether he wants to make the navy a career.
“Maybe, but we’ll talk about that later. What’s going on with you?”
“Houston Rafferty came to see me earlier.”
That name and the memories that go with it shock him as much as Houston’s visit shocked me. “What’d he want?”
“To tell me a witness has come forward who can back up my story about what happened that night.”
He stares at me, his expression conveying shock and anger. “A witness has come forward now? Where’ve they been all this time?”
“She had close ties to him. Apparently, she couldn’t live with it any longer after she heard he’s running for Congress.”
Kane blinks and looks as angry as I’ve seen him since that summer. “He’s running for Congress.”
“That was a surprise to me, too, but the witness told Houston there was no way she could let that happen.”
“But she had no problem watching you be savaged when this first happened? She didn’t have the decency to step forward when her testimony would’ve sent him to trial?”
“It was complicated for her.”
“Complicated for her?”
“Shhh, Kane. Keep your voice down.”
“I’m sorry, Dee, but I don’t want to hear how this was complicated for her. You went through hell, and she could’ve helped you but chose not to.”
“Houston said her brother was best friends with him.” We never say his name in this house. “Her best friend was dating his brother. She wasn’t supposed to be there that night and would’ve gotten in big trouble at home. Not to mention she grew up with him and didn’t know me from Adam.”
“She saw you being attacked and assaulted and said nothing. I don’t care what reasons she thinks she had. There’s no excuse for sitting on something like this for fourteen fucking years. And that son of a bitch is running for Congress?”
“Kane…”
“I’m sorry, but this is infuriating.”
“I know.”
He softens, puts his arms around me and holds me close. “Of course you do. What did you say to Houston?”
“I said I wasn’t interested in revisiting that time in my life.”
I wait for him to respond, but he doesn’t, so I pull back to look at his face, which is set in a stormy expression that’s so unlike his usual chill demeanor it’s unsettling. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I want you to nail that mother f’er to the wall. He’s running for Congress? Fuck that shit, Dee. He doesn’t deserve that kind of job. He doesn’t deserve anything after what he did to you.”
“I don’t know if I can do it. The first time almost killed me.”
“It’d be different this time. You’d have someone backing up your story, and you’re not seventeen anymore, having to deal with other kids defending him.”
“The same people will still defend him, especially the ones who lied under oath to defend him the first time.”
“So what? They can’t touch you. You’ve got a whole life that has nothing to do with them.”
“I don’t want everyone in my new life to know about this. I don’t want to reopen that wound. I’m afraid it’ll change everything and undo all the hard work we’ve done to move on from it.”
“Those are reasonable concerns, but let me ask you this. What if it’s not just you he’s done this to? What if there’re others?”
“Don’t put that on me! I can’t be responsible for what he’s done to other people.”
“I’m not saying you’re responsible. I’m saying if you testify, maybe you can stop it from happening to someone else.”
I get up because I can’t bear to sit still. “I don’t want anything to do with it.”
“It’s your call.”
“Will you support me if I decide I can’t do it?”
“I’ll always support you, and you know that.”
“It may not even happen. Houston is talking to the AG’s office. It’ll be their call about whether to reopen the case after so much time has gone by.”
“Whatever you decide to do, I’ll be right there with you.”
“Thank you.”
“Come back over here.” He holds out his hand to me. “I missed you so much.”
I take his hand and sit next to him. “I missed you, too.”
As I lean into his warm embrace, I’m determined not to let the past interfere with my happy, contented present. But that’s easier said than done. Ever since Houston showed up on my doorstep, the memories of that time are as fresh as they were then.
“Have you told your dad about this?” Kane asks.
“No, I wanted to talk to you first.”
“You need to tell him.”
“I’m afraid Dad will kill him when he hears he’s running for Congress.”
“He won’t do that, but he’ll want to. Just like I do.”
“I can’t talk about this anymore if I’m to have any chance of sleeping.”
“What can I do?”
I wrap an arm around his waist and snuggle in closer. “Just this.”
“This is my favorite thing in the whole world.”