She finally lets go when she’s in my arms and sobs out. Father Rolly steps outside with us. “You should take her home,” he says and then looks at her. “You go home and take care of yourself.” Then he looks at me. “It’s about time she found someone who is going to carry her instead of bury her.”
My eyes follow Andrew as he walks away from us, and I look to my side as my father holds my mother in his arms. “Let’s get out of here.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Caroline
What started as one of the best days of my life turned so violently to the worst. All I can hear is Andrew yelling for Dylan. At first, I thought I was having a nightmare, but then I saw him walking toward us, his hands going everywhere, and I knew he was high. I’ve been around him long enough to know when he’s at the top of his high. And it was now, and there was no way I could shield Dylan from this. He stands beside me, and I swear I can feel him shaking.
My heart stops as he starts swearing, and I’m ready to just bolt into the church and shield Dylan from this. But it’s almost as if it happens in slow motion or maybe it’s just me having an out of body type of experience. Then his words hit me straight in the heart, not because I care, I’ve heard him say this every single time, but because Dylan is here and he’s watching and listening to every single word. “You ruined my life.” I hold Dylan in my arms, and I’m about to tell him to ignore him. “You and that fucking piece of shit kid you forced me to have.”
He sobs out this time, and everything after that just happens so fast. Justin’s arm shoots out to grab Andrew by the throat, and I’m screaming for him. He finally comes to me and takes me in his arms. My knees give out, and I don’t know if I’m walking or being carried to the car.
“You aren’t driving anywhere,” Matthew says to Justin. “You need to take care of your woman and kid, man,” he says, and we are all put in the back seat of a truck, and Matthew gets into the front seat with Cooper beside him.
“I'm so sorry he said that,” Justin says from beside me, and then he leans over and puts his hand on Dylan. “It’s going to be okay, buddy.”
He pulls me into his arms, and I try to be strong, try not to have Dylan see me cry, but I can’t help it. My heart hurts that he had to hear all that. That he has even one doubt that he is loved. I quietly sob in my hand, trying not to make too much noise, and the only thing I can hear is Justin’s soothing words. “It’s going to be okay.”
We get back to Justin’s place, and when Cooper gets out of the truck, he opens the back door and grabs Dylan, holding his hand until Justin is there beside him and he reaches his hand up so Justin picks him up. “It’s going to be okay.”
Cooper’s phone rings, and then he looks at Matthew. “Do they bring the food over?”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” he says, and he has this conversation as if we aren’t here. “Maybe have Michael come over so he doesn’t have to think about anything.”
Cooper gets back on the phone, and I suddenly just need to lie down. My head is almost spinning. “I need to lie down,” I tell Justin, who just nods his head. When we get into the house, I walk straight to the bedroom, and Dylan follows us. “I think I’m going to be sick.” I put my hand to my stomach, and I make it to the bathroom just in time before everything comes out, and I hear Dylan start to cry again.
“She’s going to be okay, buddy.” I hear Matthew say. “Justin would never let anything happen to her,” he says, and then the door closes, and Justin is there behind me, holding out a cold rag.
“Sweetheart,” he says softly, squatting in front of me.
“I’m so sorry,” I say, the tears flowing now as I look at him. “I’m so sorry I brought this to you, and that your family had to see that.”
“You have nothing,” he says quietly, “nothing to be sorry about.”
“Dylan,” I say right before the sob rips through me, and I put my hand in front of my mouth so he doesn’t hear. “I never wanted him to hear that. Ever.”
“Sweetheart,” he says, taking me in his arms and sitting on the floor. “Please stop.” We sit here until my sobbing stops, and my eyes feel so heavy it hurts to have them open.
“I don’t think he means it,” I say. “I mean, the bitch part he means, but the part about Dylan.”
“Shh,” Justin says. “The last thing you need to do is make excuses for him.”
I get up now. “Dylan,” I say his name, and Justin gets up, and we walk out of the room and see that Matthew and Cooper are in the living room talking in whispers. “I’m going to check on him.”
“Okay,” Justin says. “I’ll be right in.” He kisses my lips, and I walk to the game room. Dylan is lying on the couch with the television off, just looking at the wall.
“Baby,” I say, sitting beside him and rubbing his head. “Are you okay?”
“He hates me,” he says the words I never wanted him to say. “He called me a piece of shit.”
“He …” I start to make excuses for him, and then I stop. “He’s sick.”
“No, he’s mean, and a bad person, Mom,” he says to me. “You don’t treat the people you love like that.”
“You’re right,” I say. “I don’t want you to ever have to doubt how much I love you.”
He looks at me, my little boy who is turning into a man before my eyes. “I know, Mom.”
I sit on the couch next to him with my feet under me, and we fall asleep. I don’t even know how long I’m sleeping, but the doorbell rings, and we both jump up, running to see who it is. Both of us hoping that Andrew didn’t follow us here.
I walk into the living room and see that Justin’s mom, Parker, is now here, but it’s the two police officers that draw my eyes. “Justin,” Matthew says, coming into the room behind them.
“How can I help you?” Justin says, and his eyes fly to mine. My heart starts to beat faster than normal, and I think I’m going to have a heart attack. Dylan runs from beside me to stand next to Justin.
“We are sorry to be doing this,” one of the cops says, “but we have no choice.”
“Do what?” Cooper asks, and if I thought I was going to die before, nothing prepares me for what is about to happen.
“Justin Stone, there is a warrant for your arrest for the assault on Andrew Woods,” the officer says, and I feel like the floor is moving. My head is spinning, and I can’t control it. “We are going to have to cuff you,” the officer says.
“Seriously?” Matthew says. “In front of his kid.” Dylan stands in front of him crying, and there is suddenly screaming. Someone is screaming, and the floor is coming closer and closer to me as my knees suddenly buckle, and I hear Justin yell.
“Matthew, Caroline,” he says, and Matthew catches me right before I hit the floor, and the screaming stops. I suddenly realize that the screaming was coming from me.
“You can’t take him!” I say to the officers, trying to get out of Matthew’s hold. “Get off me!” I scream at him. “You can’t take him!”