Finn waits a beat for my answer, then carries on when it becomes obvious that it’s not coming.
“She didn’t,” he says, his voice barely above a whisper.
I put the pieces together right away.
He said she.
And there’s only one woman that’s ever mattered to this guy.
His mom.
“She was terrified of it, actually.” He pauses. “She could barely get in the pool with me.”
I know he’s probably just sharing because he’s drunk, but I’ll be damned if I don’t learn what I can while it lasts.
“She hated boats, too. Even after my dad tried to name one after her.” A deep laugh rips from his throat, and the sound alone makes my bones quiver. “God, she hated that fucking thing.”
I hold my breath with all my might, scared that I’ll say the wrong thing and the spell will break.
“It took me a year to convince her to get on it.”
My heart immediately splits down the middle.
“I thought…” The pain in his voice tears me apart. “I thought if she just tried it once…”
He never looks at me as he divulges his darkest secrets, staring blankly into the night as if he’s somewhere else.
Out of his body.
Out of his head.
Out of this shit town.
“One time.” He proves me right. “One fucking time. That’s all it took.”
Oh my God.
The one time she got on the boat, she drowned?
I’m startled when he chucks his beer down the bridge with all his strength. I hear the glass shatter against the rocks, and all I can think is…
That could be his skull.
Just one wrong move and he’s dead.
And the worst part?
I don’t think he wants to die.
I’d bet my soul that he’d never actually jump off that bridge.
He’s tempting fate. Giving the universe a chance to do it for him. Waiting to see if karma will take the bait and punish him for what he did. Because deep down…
He thinks that’s what he deserves.
I stop inches before the bridge begins.
“It wasn’t your fault,” I croak.