Chapter 24
Cody
The sound of the nail gun echoes through Addison’s cabin. We’re doing the flooring and trim now. We’ll have the place move-in ready before September.
I grab my thermos I left at the other end of the room and take a couple gulps. Jesse’s crouched down, loading the nail gun. His hat is flipped backwards and he’s wearing a smile that says he’s about to ask something he knows he shouldn’t.
“How’s Karissa?” He smirks.
“Good. Worrying a whole lot, but overall…good.”
“Worrying about what?” Mason asks, clicking the flooring together but listening.
“Like…” I run a hand down my jaw. “The other day she asked how deep the lakes are around here. Then she walked me through what she’s thinking she’d do if her car went under.
Everything from unbuckling herself, getting Emma, breaking the windows.
She was looking at emergency stuff online that she wants just in case. ”
Mason lets out a low whistle. “Damn.”
Jesse straightens. “That’s not normal.”
“Yeah,” I say. “It’s out there.”
“She probably needs to get out of the house,” Jesse says. “Ella was like that after Cora was born. All nerves and worst-case scenarios. A couple date nights helped.”
“Date?” I scoff. “Yeah right.”
“Oh, grow up,” Jesse mutters.
“I’m just sayin’.” I shrug. “I don’t wanna give her the wrong idea.”
“Wrong idea?” Jesse grins and winks at Mason. “You mean the right one?”
Mason just laughs.
“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?” I say testily.
Jesse doesn’t back down. “Cody, you like her. Don’t be an idiot.”
“I’m not being an idiot.”
“Then what’s wrong with her?” Mason adds.
“Nothing. She’s fine, great. But that doesn’t mean I like her.”
“Okay. Love, then?” Jesse laughs.
“Nope,” I’m quick to say, and I chuck a trim cut-off at him. It bounces off his waist.
“Don’t get mad at me,” he says. “You’re the one suffocating behind walls you built yourself. I mean, seriously…can you even frickin’ breathe in there?”
“I’m not suffocating,” I mutter.
“You are. Ever since—”
“Don’t bring her up. And don’t talk about shit you know nothing about,” I snap, my voice raised more than necessary, but Jesse doesn’t flinch.
“I’m just stating the facts. You swore off women like they were a disease! Look at Mom and Dad, me and Ella…Wes and Addie, for crying out loud. You think we’d be who we are without women?”
Mason glances at me, then back at the flooring. “He’s got a good point, dude. They’re not all bad,” he adds, voice low. “Just hard to find the good ones sometimes.”
And I know Jesse isn’t wrong. But that doesn’t mean I want to talk about it.
I exhale through my nose, my nerves calming down enough that I don’t wanna punch my brother in the face anymore. “Karissa knows about Bree. So just trust me when I say she gets why I am the way that I am.”
“What all did you tell her?” Mason asks, curiously.
“Everything. That it didn’t end the way people think it did.”
Jesse shifts his footing. “What do you mean?”
I inhale deeply, wondering if I want to talk about it or not…the truth.
“It wasn’t cold feet,” I say.
There’s a beat of silence between all of us.
Jesse’s voice is softer now. “What? Then what was it?”
I shake my head. “I don’t wanna talk about it.”
Jesse doesn’t push, but he looks like he wants to. Mason looks back to his work; he’s definitely not gonna push for answers either.
A few minutes pass by, and Jesse leaves to get more casing. The second he’s in his truck and out the lane, Mason’s turning the music back down and clearing his throat.
“You know,” he says. “I saw Bree. Couple weeks ago.”
My stomach tightens.
“She was at a gas station filling up,” he continues. “Little boy in the back seat. Looked about six. Maybe seven.”
The words twist my stomach harder. Makes me wanna throw up.
Mason’s voice is still careful. “I didn’t say anything. She didn’t recognize me, but…” He trails off. I can sense the question on the tip of his tongue but he’s too nervous to ask.
“No.” I shake my head. “It’s not mine.”
Mason just nods.
I pull in a breath. “She cheated on me. Got pregnant. Slept with me after so she could pull it off as mine. I didn’t know until our wedding day.”
He blinks. “What?”
“Yup.”
“Damn, dude.”
“That letter wasn’t a peace offering, it was a confession.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?”
“I don’t know.” I shake my head. “Because I didn’t want a pity party.”
Mason watches me for a second. “Okay, but that’s sort of a big deal. Heavy thing to carry around by yourself all these years.”
“Yeah, well, it’s the past. It’s fine. I’m good.” I reach for another piece of flooring.
Mason and I work in silence for a while. I replay the short conversation in my head, relieved, actually, that I got it off my chest once again.
Just then, Addison’s car rolls up the drive. If she hears even a sliver of this conversation, it’s over. She’ll tell Mom, and Mom’ll tell Dad.
I look back over to Mason. “Mase, not a word.”
He nods. “You got it.”
I know he won’t tell. He’s probably the best secret keeper aside from myself. Jesse’s decent, but he would tell Ella, and Ella would definitely slip up somehow, somewhere. Always gotta think about the trail.
“Wow!” Addison says when she steps inside. “You guys got a lot done!”
“Damn straight; you owe us.” I grunt.
“I owe you all nothing. I helped paint every one of y’all’s cabins and decorated.”
“Alright, well, you could’ve at least brought us a Gatorade or something,” I press.
She smirks and pulls out two big bottles of blue Gatorade from her bag. “Anything else?” She smirks again, tossing them our way.