“I don’t know how you did this, Mom.” I touch her face in the photo.
I grab the cleaning rag, unwilling to think about the very shitty options ahead of me, and tidy up. Cleaning is mindless and I’ve done enough thinking for a long time.
Once the bedroom is livable, I head to the worst room in the house, the bathroom. I gag and cut a hole in a plastic garbage bag and pull it on, making myself a hazmat suit. I swear, if anything is dead in here, I’m burning the house down.
For over an hour, I scrub every surface, and manage to keep myself from puking twice. I run the water, washing out the tub that’s now been bleached. I feel like I need to do the same to my body, when I hear Westin’s voice.
“Hey,” I say, wiping the sweat from my brow as I emerge.
He chuckles, looking at my homemade protective suit. “Interesting outfit.”
“Don’t mock. I was cleaning and needed protection.”
Westin shakes his head and looks around. “You did good.”
“I know, and look, you’re alive.”
“Why wouldn’t he be?” Dad asks.
“Because you’re crazy when it comes to men and me,” I remind him.
He waves his hand at me. “I scared off the idiots. Westin is a good one.”
“You figured that out in two hours?”
Daddy smiles. “Try two seconds. A man knows when another man isn’t worthy.”
I forgot, men have a secret radar that’s foolproof.
“Exactly, Mick,” Westin agrees. “Glad to see I passed the test.”
Mick? He called him Mick? What the hell? I think the fumes are sending me into some kind of alternate reality.
“Sure did. Wes and I got that carburetor working again. He’s good with his hands,” Dad praises him.
Mick and Wes? I have no idea what to think of this revelation, but at the same time, my heart swells. I’ve never seen my father like this, and it means the world to me. There’s no man in this world I love more than Daddy, and I don’t know if I could love someone who he hated.
Westin’s eyes are trained on me and I smile. How could I have been so blind? For two years, this amazing man has been right in front of me, and I’m not letting him go now.
“Well, he’s a surgeon, Daddy,” I grin. “Did you and Wes have a good time?”
“We were fixing a car, pumpkin, not braiding each other’s hair,” Dad scoffs and heads to the fridge.
I raise my hand in surrender and then remove the bags from my body.
Westin laughs. “Your dad had it figured out. I think he was being nice.”
“Serenity can tell you, I’m never nice when it comes to cars or my daughter,” Dad retorts and I nod.
“He’s right,” I agree. “He’s not even nice to his daughter about cars.”
“Well, then I’m glad I could help,” he tells Daddy.
Dad yawns and looks around the house. “You cleaned up. Everton will be happy . . . before he trashes it again.”
My brother’s name reminds me that I have a serious issue I need to handle before I leave. Who is going to help take care of the man who spent his whole life doing just that for me?
“I’m going to show Westin around the property,” I inform them both.
Westin raises a brow and I shake my head, hoping he understands not to fight me. I need to talk to him about my brother and his decision to leave. Maybe someone on the outside can see this for what it is and offer guidance.
“Sure, I’ll just watch the game,” Dad groans as he walks to the living room. “You two have fun.”
We walk out the back door, down the dirt path where the tire swing still hangs. His fingers are wrapped around mine, and I rest my head on his arm. This visit didn’t exactly go as I thought; it’s been so much better.
Seeing Westin fit in with my family has meant everything to me, now I need to see if he can help me deal with them. But right now, I just need to be home, and in the moment.
Chapter 24
“Do you think I did the right thing?” I ask Westin as we drive back to Chicago.
“Your father is perfectly lucid. We spent two hours together and I promise, I’d be honest if I thought he couldn’t handle it.”
Westin told me about their talk, and how Dad mentioned his stress about Everton and his lack of responsibility. Apparently, my brother’s drinking is even more out of hand than I knew about. Westin seems to believe it’ll actually be a relief to Dad that he’s gone.
“But the house . . .”
“You can’t fix this, baby. I know that’s hard, but believe me, he’s going to be fine. It just might require we take a trip up once a month.”
I don’t miss the fact that he said “we.” It also doesn’t scare me. In fact, it makes me smile.
“I guess we will.” I blush a little and now want to slap myself.
“I meant to ask you,” Westin clears his throat. “How is the trial going?”
Instantly, the good feelings I had about the day are gone. Now the dread of lying to him is all-consuming. What other choice do I have? I can tell him, but then that puts him at risk, and he’s repeatedly asked me to keep him in the dark.
“We’ll find out more with the scans in a week and a half.”
He nods. “Why don’t you sound excited?”
“It’s just a lot of stress, you know. And losing Mrs. Whitley really threw me for a loop,” I explain.
Westin offers me comfort with his touch. “I know, believe me, I know.”
“Can we talk about anything else?” I request.
Today has been such a great day, I just want to enjoy it a little more.
“Sure thing,” Wes smiles.
We fall silent, but it’s not awkward. We just are. For the next twenty minutes, Westin and I hold hands and I close my eyes, enjoying the peace that cocoons us. There’s something about being comfortable with someone in the silence.
The car stops in front of my apartment, and I sigh. “Thank you for today.”
He cups my cheek and leans forward. “There’s not much I wouldn’t do for you, Serenity.”
I rest my forehead on his. “I know, and I don’t deserve you.”
Westin tilts his head back so we’re eye to eye. “You deserve to be happy. I want to make you happy.”
I touch the prickly hair on his cheek. Westin has no idea, but before we went on this trip, I realized my feelings for him are far deeper than I wanted to admit. I’d been lying to myself, protecting my heart by saying it was just sex.
But it’s not.
When I think about my normal day to day, I realize he’s always been a part of it. When good things happen to me, I share with him.
He’s been faithful to me when he didn’t have to be. If I could go back in time, I’d slap myself for not seeing how perfect he is for me.
“Wes, you do make me happy. Come inside?”
He smiles against my lips and kisses me. “I’m more than willing to make you happy in that way too.”
“Good to know,” I laugh.
We get to the front door, and he holds me from behind, rubbing his beard against my neck, causing me to giggle. After a few more tries, I finally get the door open.