“I do, sir,” she says, nearly knocking me off my seat. She does? She’s never been very forthcoming about how she plans on getting this thing paid for. I had no idea she had that kind of money. “I consider it an investment, not only to my bank account, but in myself, in the youth of this town, and the future generations to come.”
The whole crowd stands and starts cheering, clearly impressed that she’s willing to take money from her own pocket as a way to invest in the youth of this town.
The man at the table waits for everyone to quiet down. “What is it exactly you’re here to ask for today if you don’t need our help in building this place?”
“I need your support, sir. I need the proper permits.”
He looks at her from over his silver-framed glasses. “Everyone in favor of a youth center, say aye.”
One by one, each member of the board sitting at the table says, “Aye.”
“Request approved. You can pick up the necessary permits next Monday at the courthouse,” he says, and the room erupts again. Nina rushes to me and wraps me in a big hug. This would normally make me pull away, but I don’t. To everyone else, I’m just hugging the girl I helped by speaking at this meeting. I release her and help her gather her things, and we walk out, smiles on both our faces.
The second I climb behind the wheel, she moves to straddle me, her lips finding mine as her arms lock around my neck. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she says against my lips. I can’t even kiss her as I’m laughing so hard.
“You’re welcome. You did really well tonight. You did all the work. You deserve it, baby.” I cup her cheek and look deeply into her glassy eyes. “Why are you crying?”
“I’m just so happy. I never thought I’d actually be here, getting this approved. I’m one step closer to my dream.”
I kiss her one last time before starting the truck and taking us home. The question is on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t force myself to say it. I mean, it’s none of my business, but it doesn’t stop me from thinking about it. How did she get all that money? And if she does this, opens the youth center, is she going to be broke? Will she be pouring every cent down the drain?
When we walk into her place, I unbutton my shirt and toss it onto the couch with my hat. “Nina, can I ask you something?”
“Yeah,” she says, removing her shoes as she sits on the couch.
“Why didn’t you tell me how you were planning funding the center yourself?”
She looks up at me with her big, blue eyes and shrugs. “I just didn’t think it was important. And when I talk about my money, it only reminds me of how I got it to begin with.”
I place my hand on hers and pull her onto my lap. “Your parents?”
She nods as tears start to form in her eyes.
I take in her appearance, how she should be beyond ecstatic right now, but how, instead, just the mention of her parents makes her lock up. Maybe now is the time to tell her.
“I need to tell you something about the bombing.”
She looks up, eyes locking on mine. “What about it? You didn’t cause it, did you?” she jokes.
I laugh. “No, but I… I did see your parents there.”
Her brows pull together. “You did? How did you know it was them?”
I swallow down all the anger, pain, and emotion that starts to make my throat grow thick. “I wasn’t there before it all went down. I rushed in once the silent alarm was triggered. We were ordered to stand down, but I managed to convince my superior to let me go in. I was known for talking people down. It was kind of my thing.
“So I went in. But this wasn’t just one guy trying to rob a bank. It was a whole team, and they were prepared. I tried every trick I could think of to talk down the leader, but he wasn’t having any of it. He raised his gun and shot me, point-blank. When my team outside heard the gunshot, and I was no longer in their line of sight, they fired back. All of the bank customers were already lying on the floor, so they knew or, rather, hoped that they were out of the way. I don’t remember everything because I was lying on the floor, fighting for my life, but the next thing I knew, everything went to hell. It was like one minute, everything was fine—other than being shot—and in the blink of an eye, there was shattered glass everywhere. People were crying and screaming. There was smoke, but I didn’t know where it was coming from. Hell, it could have just been the dust that was knocked around from all the gunfire. I wasn’t sure.
“But I opened my eyes, and there was this couple. The man wanted to help me, but he was afraid to leave his wife behind. I remember him heading for me. Then there was this blinding pain that pulled me out of the darkness. My eyes opened again, and they locked on the man. He was applying pressure to the bullet wound to help slow the blood loss. I had all these questions for the man. Like why are you helping me? They should have been trying to get to safety. Most of the gunfire had ceased, or at least, I didn’t hear it going off like crazy. I opened my mouth to ask the man, but I couldn’t form the words. I didn’t know if I was in shock or what was happening. And it was like the man knew what I was asking. He said, ‘Because the world needs you.’ The next thing I know, I’m being packed into the back of an ambulance. I was in the hospital for nearly a month trying to recover from the gunshot wound, and I had inhaled a lot of smoke and dust and shit from the explosion. I ended up with a pretty serious respiratory infection, and the infection spread to my blood. I went septic, but since I was already in the hospital, they caught it soon enough to stop it all in time.
“When I got out, I looked up all the victims from the robbery. I put a name with the face. That face belonged to your dad. Your dad used his last minutes to save my life and protect your mom as best as he could while having little to no control over the situation. I know you miss them, Nina, but your father, he died a hero. At least in my eyes. Without him, I would’ve bled out. I would never have moved here. I never would’ve met you.” I reach up, cupping her face in my hands and drawing her watery eyes to mine. “I like to think he brought us together, Nina. I’m only here because of him.”
Tears overflow her blue eyes quickly and roll down her cheeks. “You met my dad?” she asks between sobs.
“I did. He was a good man, Nina. And even though I only got to meet him at the worst moment of my life, I could tell he was a good man. He loved you and your mom like nothing else. I know that because a man who knows love knows to cherish all life, even mine, a man he didn’t even know.”
She rests her head against my shoulder, crying and soaking my shirt. Guilt eats at me.
“I’m… I’m sorry I couldn’t save him. I wish I would’ve pushed him away and told him to run and save himself, to get your mom out. Had I done that, they might still be here with you today. But I was weak. I couldn’t think of anything other than the fact that I was dying. I wish I could’ve saved them for you.”
She pulls her head back, and this time, she cups my face, keeping my eyes locked with hers. “It wasn’t your fault, Bryce. You didn’t make them stay in there. You didn’t come in to rob the bank. Hell, you didn’t make them go to the bank that day. It was just a horrible coincidence. I don’t blame you or anyone for the loss of my parents.”