Flock (The Ravenhood #1) - Kate Stewart Page 0,106
when faith becomes her burden and possible breaking point. I might have needed to sterilize her environment to feel better about her situation, but what she truly needs isn’t in plastic bags.
She doesn’t bother to ask, and she doesn’t have to. I kneel next to her as she flips through the pages and begins to read.
Back in Tyler’s truck, we collectively stare at the house. She’d thanked us and hugged Tyler for several seconds before she’d given me a slight smile and closed her door. I eye the plants on her porch as he turns the engine over.
“Shit, I forgot to water her porch plants.”
“You’ve done enough.” His whisper is covered in melancholy. I could have asked for directions because I’d forgotten the way, but I needed back-up. It’s a hard situation to deal with, especially letting a stranger in, and I needed that familiarity from Tyler to get through her door. But even with him there, it was still hard, and it’s just as hard now leaving her alone to waste away in that house, especially knowing how scared she is. She may have chosen to stop fighting and die alone, but she doesn’t want to be alone when she gets there.
“She needs to believe,” I look him over. “She’s terrified.”
“I know.” He turns and meets my gaze. “Do you believe in all that shit y’all were talking about?”
“I want to. And if I were told I might die, I damn sure would be praying for my salvation every day. I guess that makes me a hypocrite when it comes to religion. I am because I’m only faithful when it’s convenient.”
His nod is solemn as he peers back toward the house as we continue to idle. “She’s changed a lot, but I can still see her in there.” A reminiscing smile tickles his lips. “And you will never be the heathen she was.”
“You know I have secrets of my own.” I swallow and brave a glance his way. I see no judgment, which only endears him to me. He squeezes my knee briefly and winks.
“You’ve been corrupted.”
“Willingly corrupted.”
“You are good people, Cecelia.” His eyes drift back to the house. “Dominic’s tried for years to get her to start living right. They—” He clears his throat and darts his gaze away, “tried.” He’s in pain. Real pain. And that’s when I know I was right. His eyes light up when he speaks. “You might not see it now from the shape she’s in, but eight years ago, she was one of the most beautiful fucking women to walk this Earth. Her ex ruined her, and she let him.”
“She wasn’t just a crush, was she?”
He slowly shakes his head. “I was comfort for her, but she’s the one who crushed me. Despite being a punk-ass eighteen-year-old, I knew I loved her. He’d left her years before we hooked up. She was already heavy on the bottle and when she sobered up, she made it clear to me I was a mistake. I enlisted right after.”
“Oh my God, Tyler, I’m so sorry.”
He wipes his hand over his face. “It was never going to work anyway. The military was always my plan, and she was too far gone by the time we happened. I—” He shrugs, though I know the weight on his shoulders is too heavy to shake away. “Can’t help who you fall for, right?”
“Ain’t that the truth.” I study his stark profile. “Did Dom know?”
“No. No one. You’re the only one I’ve ever told. And she…well, she’ll take it to her grave. She’s the best at keeping secrets. Better than any one of us.” He takes one more look at the house before pulling out of the driveway. “She was only twenty when she…became a reluctant parent.”
My age. I can’t imagine.
“But she did what she could. The irony is it’s her ovaries killing her anyway. One big life fuck you. I wouldn’t have given a damn about her age, then or now, if she would have let me in. Fuck, I hate seeing her like this.”
I cover his hand on the seat with mine. “I’m sorry I dragged you into this. If I would have known, I never would have asked you.”
“No, I’m glad you did. I thought it was best to stay away, but now that I’ve seen her…I know better. I’ll do better and I won’t let her suffer alone anymore. She dismissed us and broke my fucking heart, and then I turned around and gave up on