“It never stopped,” I say, closing the door and watching her drive away. My heart hurt just a touch that she didn’t stay. I walk back into the house, my step a tad lighter than it was before. She calls me when she gets home, and we spend an hour talking about Drew and him showing off the new girl. When I hang up with her, it’s to me telling her I love her.
The next morning, I’m parked in front of her school, and I see her getting out of her car and making her way over. Her hair is perfectly styled as she wears another skirt with a nice top. Her bags are in one hand and her coffee in the other hand. I take my phone and call her, and I see her smile and then answer me.
“Hello,” she says.
“I love when you smile,” I say, and she stops walking. “You look beautiful this morning.” Her head flies up, and she looks around.
“Where are you?” she asks. I get out of my truck, and she sees me. “What are you doing here?” she asks into the phone, but then I’m close enough to her. I hang up as I walk over and bend down. I see her eyes in a panic, but I do it anyway. I kiss her on her cheek.
“I took Amelia and Chelsea to breakfast this morning,” I say, and she smiles. “I missed a lot while I was gone, so I’m catching up.”
“Well, isn’t that the sweetest,” she says, and a couple of the kids say hello to her when they walk in, and the bell rings. “I have to get going, but …”
“Why don’t you come over after school and we can make dinner?” I suggest, and she looks down. “Or not.”
“How about you come over to my place,” she tells me. “I have some work to do, and I work better at my house.”
“Done,” I say, and I look around, seeing that some eyes are on us. “I really want to kiss you right now.”
She smiles shyly. “If it makes you feel better, I really want you to kiss me, too.” Another bell rings. “I have to go.”
“See you later, Sunrise,” I say softly, and she walks away from me. Chelsea and Amelia wait for her by the door and say something to her, and then the three of them laugh.
I get into my truck and make my way over to my next stop. I look at the house and see two American flags by the door. I walk up the steps and open the door, seeing Cassandra sitting behind the desk. “I heard the ruffling of feathers that you were in town,” she says, getting up and walking around her desk.
“Hey there,” I say, bending to give her a hug. She’s been working for Beau for the past fifteen years. “Is he in?”
“He sure is.” She smiles. “Do you want me to bring you anything to drink?” she asks. I just shake my head and walk over, knocking on the doorframe. He’s sitting behind his desk, reading something, and he looks up.
He doesn’t smile at me nor does he have any reaction to me standing here. “I was wondering if we can talk?” I ask, my hands getting clammy with nerves. He stands up now walking around the desk, and he leans on it. Looking around the office, I see that it looks almost the same. There is a new couch and some new pictures that line the wall, but in the middle is the picture of my mother and him on their wedding day with me standing in front of them.
“I,” I start to say, and I look down. “I wanted to come by and talk to you.”
“Well, here I am,” he says, folding his arms over his chest.
“I get that you’re pissed at me,” I say, sitting down on the couch.
“Oh, I’m not pissed at you,” he says, pushing off now and coming over to sit on the opposite couch, facing me. “I’m disappointed, not pissed.” He leans back. “Okay, fine, I’m a bit pissed off also.”
“And you have every right to be.” I lean forward, putting my elbows on my knees.
“Do you know I found out in this office?” he tells me, and I look at him, shocked. “The day I became mayor, I came in here and was sneaking a drink of your grandfather's whiskey. I opened the locked drawer, not thinking anything of it.” My heart beats so fast. “There it was, a paper telling me that the woman I loved had a baby with my brother.”
“Oh my god,” I whisper, and he just looks at me.
“I’ve loved your mother my whole life. Every single day from the moment I can form memories, she was the one I was going to marry, and there it was that she chose someone else and not me.”
“What did you do?” I ask, feeling a sudden pain for him.
“I did what you did, more or less. I said not nice things. Things that to this day, I thank god she forgave me for. But when I heard her story, and I heard the reasons, I was so fucking relieved she didn’t give my brother you because you are hands down the best thing that will ever happen to him.” I wipe away the tear from my eye. “You said things that I know you regret, trust me, I know that, but you hurt a lot of people by staying away.”
“I know,” I say. “I just …”
“Your father,” he starts. “Jacob.” When he says his name, I want to tell him that his name is dad. He’s my dad. “He gave up everything for you.” He shakes his head. “And I mean everything. He gave up the woman he loved and the life he wanted, and he did it without once looking back. He didn’t care what blood type you were. None of us did.”
“It was
