“Hilary,” I try again, “Robbie kissed me. When I wouldn’t return the kiss he bit my lip,” I tell her wiping some of the blood on my thumb to show her. It’s slowing now, barely trickling from the wound, but there’s enough there to prove my point.
“Robbie?” Hilary asks, turning to face her fiancé.
It hurts that she doesn’t believe me, but at least she’s questioning him.
“Pumpkin, you know me. You know how much I care for our relationship and value you. I’d never do what Tabby is accusing me of. I warned you early on that your sister would probably be bitter we were together. I knew it was a bad idea to have her in the wedding, but you wouldn’t listen.”
“Hilary?” I whisper in question. My heart is pounding. Before today I had pretty much given up on all my family, but I love Hilary and I had hopes that she would always be my connection to family. I even had this dream in my head that once she was married, she would take the time to mellow and reflect on what it meant to have someone in your life you could count on. I have a very sad feeling that I was wrong.
“You always thought you were so much better than me, Tabby. You couldn’t wait to go off to college with your career. It didn’t matter that you left behind people who cared about you. We were never enough for you. I thought Robbie was wrong when he said you would be unhappy about the two of us being together. I thought you would want me happy, but you’ve tried to talk me out of this from day one… and now this.”
“Hilary—”
“Just go Tabby. I’m marrying Robbie today and I don’t want you here.”
Her words feel like physical blows. I look around and they’re all looking at me like some kind of monster. My father is standing over to the side and I think I see a glimpse of sympathy there, but he’s not bothering to stand up for me. I didn’t really expect him too, but still…
Robbie on the other hand is smiling. He’s won and he knows it.
I turn to leave.
“Tabitha?” Brody asks. I look up at him and I don’t bother to hide my sadness—I couldn’t even if I tried.
“I want to go home, Brody. I don’t belong here. I don’t think I ever did,” I tell him and I feel tears stinging my eyes, but I don’t let them fall. I don’t want Robbie or the others to see them.
“Right, then,” he says and I expected him to walk me out.
Brody—like Brody always manages to do—surprises me. He walks up to Robbie and he punches him again, this time in the stomach and he does it ten times harder than he did before. I know because Robbie immediately groans and claps his arms over his stomach and I can hear him even over the gasps of the crowd that has gathered. Robbie falls to the ground and curls in pain.
Brody probably shouldn’t have done it, and I should yell at him about it, but I don’t. Robbie deserves it. It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy really.
“You ever come around my woman again and even the crows will have a hard time finding your body to feed off of,” Brody growls.
When Brody strides back to me, it’s then I see the anger in his face. He’s so mad that it’s vibrating through every pore. I probably should be afraid, anyone who sees him right now would, but I find I can’t be.
This is Brody. He’d never hurt me.
He proves this when he lifts me up into his arms as if I weigh nothing more than a feather.
“Let’s get you home, gorgeous,” he whispers, leaning his head down to kiss my forehead.
I’m so full of pain right now, I don’t know how to process it. But, with Brody’s words, I close my eyes, let his voice seep into my bones and I feel… loved.
So I don’t even hesitate. I wrap my arms around Brody and snuggle into his warm chest and I whisper the words I should have told him earlier.
“I love you, Brody.”
I shouldn’t have worried about telling him. The world doesn’t end. Brody doesn’t drop me and take off running. He squeezes me tighter to indicate he hears me. He turns around to look at my family. I don’t bother opening my eyes. I don’t want to see them. Not now… maybe never again.
“You can all stay away from Tabitha. Don’t bother even calling her unless it’s to apologize and then it’s up to her if she ever talks to you again,” he tells them and then he carries me out of there.
I’m smiling. Not because I’m happy—who could be happy after all of that? I’m smiling because I have Brody’s arms around me and I feel… safe.