Chapter Twenty-Seven #2
She blinked the tears from her eyes. “No, he can’t.”
They spoke for a few minutes about other family members. Meredith learned that her father had reported her missing, not Amanda.
“You know what’s sad?” Amanda said. “I organized this gathering to spread the word about you, and it’s turned into a freaking vigil for Tripp Gilley. Everybody’s lighting candles for him and playing that goddamned song.”
Meredith caught the unmistakable twang of Tripp’s guitar in the background. For the first time in years, the sound didn’t turn her stomach. She actually started giggling. His death wasn’t funny, exactly, but the irony of the situation was. Amanda must have agreed, but she laughed along with her.
“You should probably get out of the crowd,” Meredith said. “There’s a post about me on some website.”
“I’ve seen it.”
“Reporters might contact her,” Wade said.
Amanda overheard this warning. “If they do, I’ll tell them no comment.”
“Tell Dad I’m okay,” Meredith said.
“I will.”
“I’ll come visit as soon as I can.”
“Who’s the guy you’re with?” Amanda asked. “Is he your boyfriend?”
Meredith wasn’t sure where she stood with Wade. “We’re seeing each other.”
Amanda made a sound of approval. “Bring him with you when you come up. I need a closer look.”
Wade smiled wryly.
“I’ll try,” Meredith said.
“Take care, now,” Amanda said. “Love you.”
“Love you,” Meredith said, and hung up. It wasn’t a typical Midwest goodbye, gruff and unsentimental. She wasn’t used to hearing those words out loud, or saying them. Sniffling, Meredith gave the phone back to Wade.
“I have to get back to Lost Lake,” he said. “Are you coming with me?”
Meredith nodded. She wanted to be with him, and she couldn’t go anywhere without a reliable vehicle.
“What happened to your truck?”
“It overheated. I think the radiator’s busted.”
He made a grunting sound that clearly meant I told you so. “I’ll get it towed to a local mechanic.”
She didn’t argue with this plan. Wade made the arrangements while she stared out the window, petting Chico.
She couldn’t pay for expensive repairs and might have to chalk up the purchase as a total loss.
The idea didn’t bother her as much as it should have.
She was alive, and she was with Wade. Maybe everything would work out.
When his phone rang again, he answered, and then passed the call to her.
“Hello?”
“Meredith?”
She recognized Garrett Rose’s voice immediately. “Hi, Dad.”
“Amanda said you were hiding out in Texas.”
“Yes. I’ve been in Lost Lake.”
“She told me why.”
Meredith took a deep breath, unsure what to say.
“I didn’t know,” he said. “If I did, I’d have torn him up.”
She smiled at the protective statement. “It’s all right, Dad. It’s over now.”
“I’m glad you’re okay.”
“So am I.”
“It’s good to hear your voice,” her father said. “I’m glad our last conversation … wasn’t really our last.”
Meredith understood what he was referring to. They’d only spoken a handful of times since she ran away ten years ago. His regret over their falling out was palpable. “I’m sorry for leaving like I did.”
They chatted about her brothers for a few minutes, and she promised to visit as soon as she had proper transportation.
“Anyhow,” her father said, clearing his throat. “I’m on my way to pick up the boys from baseball practice.”
“Tell them I said hi.”
“Will do. Take care.”
“You, too.”
“Bye, now.”
Meredith hadn’t expected any tender words from her father. She hadn’t expected him to call at all. The fact that he’d reported her missing shocked her. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she looked at Wade.
When he wrapped his arms around her, she surrendered to the moment and pressed her face to his chest. The tears flowed freely, surprising her once again.
His presence always seemed to bring all of her emotions to the surface, and his easy acceptance soothed her more than any words could.
His body felt hard and strong, his heartbeat steady.
She let herself cry and be comforted. Her nose started running, so she pulled away from him and searched for a tissue in her backpack.
Chico, who’d fallen asleep on top of it, didn’t appreciate the interference.
She blew her nose noisily, while Wade studied her with a half smile.
“What?” she croaked. “I look terrible, right?”
“You look adorable.”
“I bet your other girlfriends didn’t do this.”
“They used tissues, I assure you.”
“Did you have to bail them out of jail?”
“No,” he admitted. “That’s unique.”
She blew her nose again. “Your father said I wasn’t your usual type.”
“What type is that?”
“Classy and well-groomed.”
He pulled her back into his embrace, heedless of the crumpled tissues in her hand. “You smell like a wood nymph,” he said, burying his face in her damp hair. “And you look like you’ve been frolicking naked in the rain.”
She braced her palm on his chest. “I look like I’ve been rolling in mud.”
“If you think that’s a turnoff, think again.”
“I’m all wet.”
He murmured his approval, as if she’d meant something dirty.
She twined her arms around his neck and clung to him.
It felt good to be suffused in his warmth, after the day’s chill.
He reached under the hooded sweatshirt to test the dampness of the fabric.
She lifted her lips to his, and he accepted the peace offering eagerly.
He kissed her as if he’d been waiting his entire life to do it.
He kissed her as if he’d lived only for this moment.
He kissed her as if he might never get the chance again.
She kissed him back with all of the love she felt but could not express.
With all of the hope and hunger inside her.
With sweetness, and with sorrow. The exchange became heated, with his hands roaming her body and hers tangling in his thick hair.
His tongue plundered her mouth in passionate strokes, over and over, taking and giving in equal measures.
He tasted faintly of peppermint. The windows in the truck fogged with steam.
Wade groaned and tried to get closer, lifting her against him. This move dislodged Chico from his nap. The dog startled awake with a grumpy snap. They broke apart, laughing softly. Even without a feral Chihuahua, the cab of the truck wasn’t spacious or private enough for a sensual interlude.
“He bit your father earlier,” she said.
“I’m sure he deserved it.”
“How did you convince him to release me?”
“I threatened to expose a family secret.”
Her chest tightened with a mixture of sympathy and guilt. She’d disrupted Wade’s life. She’d interrupted any sense of peace and order. Raising her hand, she touched his clenched jaw. “I’m sorry I left without saying goodbye.”
He captured her hand and held it. “So am I.”
“Tripp threatened to kill everyone I love.”
“I know.”
“I was afraid he’d kill you.”
His eyes met hers again, assessing. “And you decided to save me by putting yourself in his path?”
She frowned at the question. “No. I meant to warn Amanda and come back.”
“It was dangerous for you to go on your own,” he said.
“You’re right. It was dangerous.”
“Why didn’t you ask for my help?”
Meredith shook her head. “I was worried that you’d try to retaliate against Tripp, or file charges against him. He had a half-dozen bodyguards, and some of them were former cops. He had the law in his pocket.”
He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “He’ll never bother you again.”
Meredith didn’t wish to celebrate Tripp’s death, but she felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She could go back to Kansas if she liked. She could leave Texas and start over. The only place she wanted to be was Lost Lake, however.
Wade released her hand and turned his attention to the road. He maneuvered into light traffic. They passed her abandoned truck on the outskirts of town. Rain continued to fall, bringing heavy clouds that darkened the afternoon sky.
Wade seemed lost in his own thoughts as he drove home.
Sheriff Nava called, and Wade claimed he’d been dealing with a family emergency in Last Chance.
He said he’d be back to Lost Lake in a few hours.
Meredith used her backpack as a pillow and curled up with Chico.
Sheriff Hendricks’s insults echoed in her ears like an infection, and the photographs of dozens of pretty women flashed through her mind.
She wasn’t like the women on Wade’s social media page.
She wasn’t classy. Wade found her attractive, obviously.
He’d asked her to be his girlfriend. Maybe he was serious about her.
Maybe he wasn’t. Facing reality was, in some ways, more difficult than staying in survival mode.
She didn’t have an excuse to avoid emotional attachments.
She couldn’t justify breaking up with Wade for his own good.
She had too much pride to break up with him because he was too good for her.
If she loved him—and she did—she had to go all in. She had to tell him how she felt and hope he felt the same way.
The thought of putting herself out there, after two years in hiding, terrified her.
She’d been on the run, avoiding risks, and guarding her heart.
If she confessed her love to Wade, and he rejected her, she’d be devastated.
She’d rather go down fighting, though. She had to stay strong and stand her ground, like Wynona said.
Nothing was holding her back anymore. No one was searching for her.
She controlled her fate from this moment forward.
She could go anywhere she liked and do whatever she pleased. She was a free woman.
But all she wanted was to be his.