“You play football?” Chastity asks.
“I do, are you a fan?”
She shakes her head. “Not really.”
His eyes narrow and I clear my throat. Last thing I need is him to suddenly grow a brain and figure it out. “Well, we have to get to a client…” I say.
“Right. Thanks for stopping by and sorry about the other night. You know how it is with kids, I’m just not built for it. I was trying to do the right thing but with Teagan that’s pretty impossible.”
No, I don’t know how it is, Keith. In fact, I think you’re a fucking idiot who needs to have the shit kicked out of him. You’re a spineless prick for taking advantage of Teagan, and now for being a horrific excuse for a man by hurting your daughter, whether you ever wanted her or not and if I didn’t have my own kid to worry about, I’d be in jail.
I can’t say any of that because I’m standing here with Chastity—at a funeral. So, I nod a little, as though I think he’s got a point, which I don’t. “Well, I would appreciate you staying away from us while you’re around.”
He looks at Chastity again and then back up to me. “Won’t be a problem. I have no desire to see anyone in this town.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Teagan
Present
“So,” I say with my best half-awkward-half-excited voice. “Are you settling in here?”
Everly scoffs. “You may be dating my dad this week, but we are not going to be friends.”
Oh, good, and I thought this might go poorly.
“You’re right. You totally don’t need friends.”
“Nope.”
“I get it.”
She turns her head to look out the window.
I swear, I owe my mother one hell of an apology. “Your dad said you went out for the cheerleading squad?”
“Yup.”
I’m trying here, but Lord am I failing. I’m not sure how to connect with her. Cheerleading was my for-sure in, after that I’ve got nothing.
Maybe I can draw out some form of emotion and then go off that. At this point I don’t have anything to lose.
“Can I ask why you seem angry at me?”
Everly’s eyes turn toward me. “You can’t have my dad. He’s still in love with my mother and he will never love you like he loved her.”
I release a heavy sigh. I want Everly to at least be open to liking me. There’s a long way to go before that will ever happen but this is a start in the right direction.
“You’re right.”
“I’m—what?”
Good. I’ve flustered her a bit. “You’re right. He will never love me like he loved her.” She opens her mouth and closes it. “Did you think that I thought he would?”
“I don’t know what…I mean…”
“I’m not under any delusions that we will ever have what he had with your mom, who I know you think I didn’t like, but I did. I really respected her. She was funny, pretty, smart, and I remember she could do that thing with her nose.” I smile warmly.
“She thought she was a witch.” Everly’s voice loses a touch of her edge.
“She would wiggle it all the time when we talked to make your dad lose his train of thought.”
Meghan may have hated me, but the feelings weren’t mutual. I wasn’t her biggest fan, but I will never allow Everly to think I hated her mother. She got the guy. I wasn’t strong enough to tell him and that was on me.
“He hated it. He would yell when they were fighting and she’d wiggle it to make him stop.”
“I can imagine she would.” I chuckle.
Everly’s hands unclench and she rests her head back. “I didn’t know you knew her like that.”
“I was friends with her too, which is why losing them both was so hard for me. I wish I could’ve at least talked to her again.” I say the words and park in front of the house. “I would’ve liked to have met you, especially.”
“Me?” she asks with narrowed eyes.
“Yeah, your mom and I were pregnant at the same time. We talked about our kids being best friends. Which is apparently the opposite of what you and Chastity are.”
“Yeah, we’re definitely not alike.”
“No, she’s actually like your dad, which is weird.”
Making fun of Derek wasn’t my goal, but whatever lane opens, I’m going for. She’s not giving one-word answers, and for that, I’m grateful.
“Yeah, and he says you and I would’ve been friends in school.”
“We would’ve,” I say with a smile. “I was really cool, unlike your dad. Who I can assure you was a total dork in high school.”
“My mom wasn’t.”
“No, she wasn’t. She was really kind.”
In many ways, Meghan was a lot like me. We were both popular, smart, and athletic, but Meghan had the courage to always be nice—at least in college from what I knew. We used to joke with Derek that he was still trying to fit in with the cool kids. I knew the truth though—he was a million times better than I was and I was trying to not let him figure it out. I was always afraid he’d see the truth and walk away.
I haven’t thought about that time in my life in so long. It had to have been horrible for her to make him hurt me.
She tucks her hair behind her ear. “I really miss her.”
“Of course you do, honey. She was your mom and loved you very much.”
She nods.
“I’m sorry that you’ve lost her.”
Everly is a good kid, I don’t doubt that. She is overwhelmed with feelings that she doesn’t know how to handle. When I look back at the meanest people in school, they were often the ones in the most pain. They cried out because it was easier than sitting in the hurt.
I believe it’s the same with Everly.
She lashes out because it’s the best way to hide from her grief.
“Me too.”
“Well, if you ever want to hear stories or talk about her, I’m here.”
Her brown eyes are filled
