Chapter 26
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SIX
LAINEY
“No,” I hear my mom whisper from my dad’s office. “Absolutely not.”
“Andrea, it’s my job.”
My mom’s voice projects a little more as she gets riled up, “It was your job last time too, and we all know how that turned out.”
“When are you going to let that go, huh? It’s been three years. I’m sick of living like this. If you wanted a divorce, you should’ve left then!” He seethes, his voice echoing throughout the hallway.
“A divorce? Is that what you wanted?”
“No,” my dad sighs, rubbing his temples. “That would only complicate things even more.”
My mother picks up a picture of the three of us from his desk, and I slink back behind the doorframe, hoping they don’t see me.
“He’s horrible to our daughter,” she whispers, rubbing her finger over the glass frame. “Their son. He takes it out on her at school, but we all know he blames you. He blames you, Ethan.”
My dad moves from his chair, rounding the desk, “Nash has always been troubled, even before. He never had a family. He just didn’t realize that they were always gone because he had Carson’s family and us.”
I shiver, thinking back to the last time I saw Nash before the closet incident.
My dad had a couple’s therapy session with his parents, and he came here.
We played UNO and laughed as my mom had to draw five.
Little did we know the couple's therapy had ended months prior, and while we were changing the color in our UNO game, my dad was railing Nash’s mom.
I step out of the shadows, “He trusted you. He sat in the church like the rest of us, every Sunday hanging on your every word. I believed every lie you ever told, and I didn’t even believe him when he told me the truth.”
My dad shakes his head, grabbing his briefcase off of his desk, “We aren’t doing this.”
I push myself between him and the door, “We never have. Just sweeping it under the rug and moving on might work for the rest of this town, but it will never work for me. I’ll never forgive you, and I sure as hell won’t pretend it never happened like mom!
I don’t care about reputations like she does.
I hope everyone sees you for what you truly are. ”
His eyes turn darker, and he pushes past me, but I swivel after him quickly, “You can’t ignore it forever!” I yell. “Nash hates me because I came from you, but I don’t blame him because I hate that too!”
“Alaina!” His voice booms.. “You need to start respecting me, yelling and screaming like this, isn’t it.”
I smile, quoting the Bible, “Honor thy father and mother, blah blah blah, right Dad?”
He stares at me, a warning in his eyes daring me to continue, but I do, “Adultery is a sin, daddy. Practice what you preach.”
He stares at me a second more before walking out the door, slamming it behind him. My mother’s eyes are watery, like she’s fighting the tears from falling.
“What happened to us?” she whispers, and I look down at my black nail polish. I pick off a tiny flake, watching as it falls to the cream-colored couch.
“Where is he going?” I demand. “And don’t lie to me because I’ll find out.”
She sighs, sitting in the chair opposite me, “Marriage Counseling.”
What?
That’s why she was so upset. She’s afraid it will happen again.
“Who?” I ask, preparing myself for the worst.
“Trey and Lauren Clark.”
Wait? Jovie’s Parents?
“You know that what he’s asking you to do isn’t okay?” I ask. “You have to know that, right?”
She doesn’t say much but fidgets around in her chair, smoothing her pencil skirt down, “We’ve settled our differences, Alaina.”
“Have you, though? Just because you’re the pastor’s wife doesn’t mean you can’t have your own identity. Who he is”—I pause and grit—“Is not who you are. You can stop playing the part whenever you want. It’s not healthy.”
She reaches for my hand, squeezing it gently, “You are a smart one, darling. I hope you are always true to yourself.”
I wish she’d be true to herself too. She deserves more, but if she is dumb enough to stay here with him and be his porcelain doll, then that is on her. I’ve spent three years showing them that I can see right through the bullshit.
Earlier I promised Drayton I’d be over for dinner, he said his mom likes to cook on Sundays, so I take a quick shower and debate what to wear.
Do I dress like I usually would? Do I wear a dress?
I’ve met Daria before and been around them a few times, but this seems more formal. It is just dinner with the parents but sending me straight to the chopping block is what it feels like. Would Nash be there? His father?
I take a deep breath, pulling a black wrap dress over my head. I spend a little extra time on my silver hair, too, curling it into waves that fall down my back. I slip into some ankle boots, and by the time I make it down the stairs, I hear Drayton’s voice in my kitchen.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
I wasn’t ready for him to meet my mother. I round the bottom of the staircase and feel my face begin to turn pale when I see my mother’s smile. A genuine grin from ear to ear.
Drayton stops laughing when he zeros in on me, his eyes trailing down my body, “Wow, Lainey. You look incredible.”
My mom smacks his arm, “Pick your jaw up off the floor and keep your hands to yourself. Do you understand me, young man?”
Drayton smiles, his eyes never leaving my body, “Yes, ma’am.”
“Mom, this is Drayton Lewis.” I stop, unsure of what to say. Is he my friend, my boyfriend?
“Her boyfriend,” he finishes. “I’m her boyfriend. It’s nice to meet you.”
I feel my heart do a little flip against my ribcage.
My mom smiles at Drayton like she’s never seen a clean-cut kid before in her life. That’s when it hits me, and the irritation fills my entire body. She’s just happy that he’s not Madden.
Judgemental bitch.
I grab Drayton’s hand and drag him quickly toward the door, “I’ll be home later.”
We make it to Drayton’s Jeep, and I slam myself inside, wanting to scream. I pull a cigarette out of my purse and light it up.
“Is everything okay?” Drayton asks, the engine whirring to life.
“Yeah. It’s fine. I’m sorry about my mom.”
“Alaina is a pretty name,” he smiles, and I stare out the window. I remember how the name sounds coming off my father’s lips. I hate it.
“Alaina is gone.”
“Where did she go?” he teases.
“Nash locked her in a closet two years ago. Poor gal never got out.”
He doesn’t have to respond because he knows what I mean. We talked about what happened, about why Nash hates me.
We make it to Nash’s house, where everyone is currently living, and I feel the dread cover me like a blanket.
“He’s not coming.” Drayton says, sensing my hesitation about walking into Nash’s house. “He’s actually in quite a bit of trouble, so don’t worry.”
I nod, feeling the contents of my stomach swirl as he opens the front door. Daria meets us in the foyer, grabbing my hands, “Lainey, you look adorable. Drayton, she’s so beautiful, don’t you think?”
Dray smiles, pulling me into his side, “She’s perfect.”
He kisses my temple and snakes his hand around my back protectively.
Awareness makes every hair on my forearms stand up. I have a boyfriend, and I am having dinner with his family. We enter the dining room, and it is easy to notice the changes that have already been made since the last time I was here. I search the table, counting the place settings.
Four.
That had to mean Nathan Langdon was here. He’d never acted as if he disliked me, but that didn’t matter if he was anything like Nash. I was guilty by association.
I am not my father.
I repeat that phrase in my head, over and over, as we sit down at the table. Daria places a basket of bread in the center, “You kids must be excited for tomorrow. You will finally be at the same school.”
I shake my head to agree, but all I feel is dread.
I want Drayton near me, but I know that it will be hell for him.
Nash will make sure of that. He wants nothing more than to see Drayton suffer and prove to him that he is nothing when it comes down to it.
It will be hard for Drayton to go from the top of the food chain at Oak Valley to the dumpster crew at Legacy.
Nathan enters the house, quickly hanging up a business call to kiss his wife.
The affection that I’m not sure Nash ever saw between his parents, and I know how that must eat him alive.
His dad did everything possible to stay gone before, and now that he’s found Daria, he’s home for dinner every night?
Everyone takes their seats and we begin filling our plates.
“Lainey, you okay?” Dray whispers, and I nod, but my mind is anywhere but here at the table. Still, I try my best to be present and smile.
“Did you talk to Carter? Is Nash okay?” Daria asks, pouring herself a little wine from the bottle in the middle of the table.
“He’ll live,” Nathan growls. “He’s stupid, but he’ll live.”
“What happened?” Daria asks, obviously not knowing the whole story.
“Flipped down the mountain in a RZR, landed on its top. He has a broken arm, but it could’ve been a lot worse.”
Drayton drops his fork onto his plate with a clank, “A broken arm?”
“Yeah,” Nathan sighs. “I’ll have to take him to an orthopedic doctor when they get back. Hopefully, it’ll just need a few weeks in a cast.”
“What if he needs surgery?” Drayton questions.
“Then I guess he can kiss baseball goodbye this year.”
I make a mental note to text Cori and ask if she’s talked to him.
“Do you think he needs help?” Daria asks. “Like professional help?”
Nathan takes a bite, chewing it entirely before responding, “No, he needs structure and parents. I just didn’t realize how bad.”
She rubs her hand against his, “You can still fix it. It’s not too late.”
We finish up our plates, everyone begins to scatter, and Drayton leads me by the hand up to his new room, pulling the door closed behind us. He’s been here for about a week, but I’ve yet to step foot in here. It’s different from his old room, but it’s still his stuff.
“I hate it here,” he sighs. “It doesn’t feel like home. My mom is anxious, too. She won’t tell Nathan because she wants to help him with Nash, but being in a place this big is scary for her.”
Right. The fire.
I can’t imagine how that must’ve been for them. Awful.
And Drayton losing his baby sister?
Devasting.
I wonder if Nash knows any of that. He probably didn’t care to ask, and I highly doubt he even went to their wedding.
“I’m sorry you have to do this. It’s not fair.”
He pulls me down next to him on his bed, positioning my head on his shoulder. His hands slide into my hair, causing my heart to beat faster.
“Our parents do things all the time that aren't fair to us. One of mine even died, and that definitely wasn’t fair.”
“What was he like?” I ask, hoping that he’ll tell me.
“Hilarious. Strong. Kind. One of the good ones.”
I tilt my head up to him, “So a lot like you?”
He smiles, bringing his lips to mine, and all of my anxiety washes away with his kiss. He opens his eyes looking straight down into mine, and I feel something I’ve never felt before.
I’m not entirely sure if his heart is changing mine or restoring it, but I think I’m falling in love with him.
“Will you be my date for homecoming?” I ask, following it up with a quick bout of word vomit, “I know you haven’t even set foot in Legacy yet, but I want to stake my claim on you, and I just—”
He interrupts me, grabbing my jaw, “I’m your boyfriend, Lainey. You aren’t allowed to go with anyone else.”
Then he kisses me again, soft and delicate but in a “you’re mine” kind of way. I roll into him, feeling the rigidness of his body against my more petite one as our tongues clash together.
His hands roam up my torso and his fingertips brush the pale skin underneath the fabric of my dress, that is now hiked up above my panties. The further his hand roams upward, the heat between my thighs grows.
As his hands wrap around my back to unhook my bra, I stop him, “Drayton.”
“Yeah?” he breathes, all but panting at this point.
“Can we slow down a little?”
We’ve made out plenty of times, but this is the first time it’s gotten this far. I’m pretty sure that my first time will be with him, but I don’t know when the right time will be. Especially after hearing Cori say she wishes she would’ve waited.
He pulls back, fixing my dress, “I’m sorry. I got carried away.”
“I want to,” I rush. “I just haven’t ever.”
“You’re a virgin?” he gasps, sitting straight up in his bed.
“Don’t act so surprised.”
The shock on his face is priceless, “I just didn’t expect that. I honestly figured you and Madden had.”
I internally roll my eyes, “I told you that Madden and I are friends, and we’ve never crossed any of those lines.”
Drayton smiles, “I like him more and more by the minute.”
“I’m sorry. I just don’t know If I’m ready.”
He pulls me back closer to him, kissing my neck, “Well, I’m not here to rush you.”
“What are you here for then?” I tease.
“To make you fall in love with me, duh.”
“You’re on the right track, Dray.”
Because I’m headed straight in that direction.