had before. It’s just that every time I feel like we take a step forward, I do or say something that sends us twelve steps back.”
“I know man, and I get that, I truly do, but it really is simply a matter of giving her time, time to get to know herself again, to heal and forgive herself. Just let your heart guide you, Turner. Don’t try and push it. Let Clove be the one to take the lead. She loves you, and she’s not going anywhere. You get me?”
“I get you.”
“Good, now take your family and show them that kick ass new house, and when you feel up to it, give me a call.”
Zack bellows out to Krista.
“You ready, babe?”
“Call me later, yeah?” Krista calls out to Clove as she heads back to her and Zack’s car.
“I will.”
She climbs out of the backseat, sweat soaked to the back of her t-shirt, and gets into the passenger seat, buckling herself in. I climb into the driver’s seat and crank up the air, scanning the area for reporters to make sure we aren’t spotted. Not a word is spoken between Clove and me as I pull out of the hospital parking lot and drive in the direction of our new home.
“The silence is killing me here, Clove.”
She shifts in her seat, turning my way with her head laid back.
“Me, too. I’m sorry for overreacting once again. It’s just… I feel like I’m on this rollercoaster, slowly scaling up to the top, the anticipation and the excitement building up, and then, BOOM! All of a sudden the damn thing stops a hair before reaching the top and shoots backwards. Does that make sense?”
“That’s exactly how I feel, too. But as long as you promise me we will get through this together and face all these hurdles side by side, we will make it. We’re both going to say and do things to piss the other off, walk around on our tiptoes in fear of tipping the scale and sending the other one of us flying. Eventually we will reach the other side and take the ride of our lives with each other.”
“Turner, no matter what, I’m not going anywhere. One of the things I love about how we are together is that we have always been able to communicate with each other, so from now on, let’s vow to tell each other whatever is on our minds.”
I lift my hand from the gearshift and clasp hold of hers, bringing it to my lips and gently brushing them over it.
“I can do that.”
“Good,” she says with a smile. “Now, the more I think about it, the more excited I become about this new house. Where is it?”
“It’s right up here.”
I slow down and turn onto James Street, which is two blocks over from my mother’s house. Clove looks toward the new one-story brick ranch house at the end of the small cul-de-sac with excited eyes.
“This is ours?” she gasps.
“Well, technically it’s my mother’s. She had to make the purchase because as you know, I was in hiding from… well, you know...”
Her eyes fix on me with tears of joy beginning to pool inside of them.
“Hey. It’s okay. I don’t want to talk about it either; not today, anyway. I want to spend my wedding anniversary in my new house with my husband and our child.”
“Well, come on. Let’s see what our sneaky family has done to the place.”
Yesterday after Clove had her attack, her dad, my mother, and Krista spent all of last night setting up the necessary things we would need to get us by until we felt comfortable enough to venture out on our own. Just as I hit the button to the garage door opener, my phone rings.
“It’s Zack, want me to answer it?” Clove asks when she picks it up from the cup holder
“Sure,” I shrug.
Clove picks up, then suddenly lets out a terror-inducing scream.
“Noooooo!”
I slam on the brakes and Journey wakes up with a startled cry.
“Clove! What is it?”
She drops the phone in her lap and buries her face in her hands. I snatch it up, hearing Zack screaming Clove’s name.
“What the fuck is going on?” I yell back. I’m silenced in outrage as I hear his announcement.
“Tina got out on bail.”
Chapter Nineteen
Clove
“Clove.”
I hear Turner calling my name. I can’t move, can’t think of about anything else right now except hearing those words on repeat over and over in my head. She’s out. How in the hell did