Tears roll down the side of my face and drop on his chest. I wonder if he can feel the wetness through his shirt.
We lie like that for hours. And I fall asleep in his arms.
Chapter Twenty-nine
Liam
Thirteen years ago
Luke leaves me by Uncle Dirk’s pool and heads to the house.
“Where are you going? You’re the one who asked Mom to drop us here.”
“I have to use the bathroom.”
“Pee in the pool. We do it all the time.”
He shakes his head. “Not this time.”
I laugh. “Oh, you have to go number two.”
He looks sad. Maybe he’s tired from last night. I’m tired too, because I sat outside his door and listened for hours, wondering if he was mad at me.
“Liam, I want you to know …” He stops talking and looks like he’s about to cry—but he’d never cry in front of me, he’s too big for that.
“What?” I ask.
“Nothing. Just … you’re a good brother, is all.”
I smile, finally feeling like maybe he’s not mad at me after all. “You’re a good brother, too.”
I work on perfecting my cannonball. I’ll never be as good as Luke. He’s a lot bigger than I am.
Aunt Sylvia appears when I surface after a really good one. “Hey there, Liam. Do you and Luke want to stay for dinner, or did your mom leave something at the house?”
I try and remember what Mom said but can’t. “I think we can stay. What are you having?”
“Helen said she’d make your favorite.”
“Cheeseburgers?”
“You betcha.”
“We’re definitely staying.”
“Good. I’ll go let her know. When’s your dad coming back?”
“Tomorrow.”
“I’ll bet you’ll be excited to have him home.”
I think about everything that happened last night. I thought I would be happy to have him back. Now, though, I’m not so sure. I’m all mixed up. He’s my dad, and I love him, but a part of me thinks something is wrong, especially after Luke cussed at me. It scared me. But worse, he looked scared. My stomach is in knots. “Yeah,” I say, because I’m sure it’s what she expects.
I sit on the edge of the pool for a long time. Where is Luke? The sun starts to set, and there’s a chill in the air. I wrap up in a towel when I see Uncle Dirk walking toward me.
“Where’s your brother? Dinner’s almost ready.”
I shrug. “He went to use the bathroom, but that was a while ago. Maybe he’s sick. I don’t think he’s feeling well.”
“Great. That’s all I need, someone making me sick.”
A loud popping sound draws our attention to the house. I look at Dirk to ask him what it was, but he’s as white as a ghost.
He touches my shoulder. “Stay put.”
He runs up the path to the house, almost tripping a few times on the stones. I’ve never seen Dirk move that fast before, so of course I get up and follow him. At the door, I dry off quickly, knowing how he hates us tracking wet footprints on the hardwood floors. I hear screaming like I’ve never heard. High-pitched, bloodcurdling screams, like in the movies. I’m scared, so I slowly walk toward them.
Someone races into Uncle Dirk’s study. One of his security guys, I think. A moment later, he brings Helen and Aunt Sylvia into the hallway. He points at me. “Keep him out of here.”
Helen runs the other way down the hall, crying out in Spanish the whole time. Aunt Sylvia drops to her knees in front of me and wraps me in a hug. She keeps murmuring something about how sorry she is. Sorry for what?
I hear sirens. “Where’s Luke?”
Dirk appears in the doorway. He shakes his head at Sylvia, and she covers her mouth and sobs. “Go open the front door for them. Then take Liam into the kitchen and stay there until I come for you.”
Aunt Sylvia drags me to the door and props it open. A police car and an ambulance pull into the driveway. “Come quickly,” she says and takes me to the kitchen.
“Why are the police here? Where’s Luke? Is he in trouble? Why is there an ambulance?”
She points to a chair at the table. “Sit. I’ll make you something to eat.”
“Aunt Sylvia, why are you crying?”
She looks up at the ceiling and says something about God and strength.
A man appears. I’ve seen him on the grounds. “Mrs. Campbell, you’re needed in the front hallway. I’ll stay with the boy.”