I jump into the passenger seat of Lukas’s Jeep, and he turns on the ignition. “Ready to go home?”
I give one last glance at my childhood house before saying, “Can we make a stop?”
* * *
We enter the bar Rendezvous. Although it’s a bright, sunny day, it’s dark inside the bar, with the blinds shut and sangria-colored walls allowing no light to reflect.
“What will you boys have?” a smiling bartender asks.
“Two Scotches neat,” I reply, flopping down on one of the barstools.
“I thought you got your girl back?” She peers in my direction after placing the tumblers in front of us. It takes me a while to notice the tattoos on her wrists.
I was at this bar after Rose told me about her past. It was the day I first called her my girlfriend in front of everyone.
“You visiting this bar often?” Lukas cocks his eyebrow at me before grabbing his glass.
“Nah.” I shake my head. “Just once.”
“Yeah, dude got his girlfriend that day. I guess it was a happy-sad day for you, huh?” She plays with her tongue piercing. She’s as talkative as I remember.
When she finally leaves us, attending to the two guys sitting on the other side of the bar, Lukas asks, “Why are we here?”
“I don’t know. I just want to breathe for a moment.” My mouth dries as Roxy’s words hit me again. “I can’t wrap my head around all this…information. I can’t unsee the image of Rose as a baby.” My hands tremble against the Scotch glass. “If he wasn’t dead, I’d have killed him myself,” I whisper, my head hanging low.
There’s a moment’s pause before Lukas replies. “No, you wouldn’t have. You have a lot to lose and nothing to gain.”
“But the anger rolling through me… I’m worried I’ll hurt someone. I’m scared I’ll hurt myself, and I don’t want Rose to see me like this—broken. I don’t want her to be petrified again.” My insides quiver just at the mere thought of her having another panic attack.
“I understand, Zander. I understand more than you want me to. But don’t underestimate your love. You’ll walk to hell and back before you let a scratch on her.”
“I’m sorry, Lukas.” I turn my head toward him. “I—”
“It’s okay. My story is for another time. Today is a good day. Embrace it. Beast got his family back. Rose finally knows about her past. You guys can move forward toward a bright future free of past secrets. A future filled with love.”
“I hope you get all that someday too.”
He stiffens beside me and then, without saying a word, throws back the Scotch.
17
ROSE
This morning can’t be real. I close my eyes, hoping that when I open them next, things will be different, but no luck.
Everything is the same.
I’m still sitting on the same couch. Sophia’s intermittent sobs continue to turn the air in my living room icy cold.
“Rose.” Kristy stretches her trembling hand toward me. “I’m so sorry.”
I shake my head. What is she apologizing for? Sophia’s lies have hurt her the same.
Whenever I secretly imagined this day, a day when someone would come searching for me, I always thought it’d be a bittersweet moment. My parents would have looked for me all these years, and now they wouldn’t be able to wait to bring me home. They’d show me my room, a place they would have set up in hopes that they’d find me someday. They would have birthday presents stacked for all my lost years.
But the truth turned out totally opposite. My mother went above and beyond to hide my existence. My dad thought I was dead.
Kristy squeezes my hand from across the couch. “I always wanted you to be my sister.”