love and care for. You are beautiful and smart. Don’t let his poison ruin your life like it did mine. I’m so sorry I left you there. So, so sorry.” She yanks me against her chest, and we sit there, crying all the tears of lost years and so much hurt from one man. “Can you ever forgive me?”
I swallow the lump in my throat. “Yeah, of course. I just wanted an explanation. I’m sorry he hurt you as well. Looks like you’ve done so much better, though.” I tip my head toward the door.
A smile brightens her eyes. “Paul’s perfect, and I have no doubt you’ll find someone to treat you the way he treats me someday too.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“I’m here any time you want to talk. If you want to talk to a professional, I can organize that as well. You tell me what you need, and I’ll sort it out.”
“I think it will just take time,” I say.
Mom kisses my forehead and says, “We don’t have to do anything today if you don’t want to.”
“No, I want to do it. It’s not much. Just the final touches before my stuff arrives. Oh, I forgot to mention that all the stuff is being shipped here. Is that okay?”
Mom smiles. “Of course. You can put it in the shed out the back and sort through it as you need to. I’ll help if you want.” She has such a great heart, and I’m so glad she’s my mom. We’ve both gone to hell and back. She managed to climb all the way out and start fresh while I’m still clinging to the rock wall, hoping not to slip and fall down the rabbit hole of hell again.
“Thanks, Mom.” I sniffle.
“You’re my daughter, and I love you. I’d do anything for you.” She pauses a moment then says, “Do you want to give today a miss? It’s okay. We can do something else.”
Shaking my head, I say, “No. I’ve been looking forward to it.”
We spend the rest of the day laughing and enjoying each other’s company. The uncertainty I had coming here is gone. Coming home was the best thing I could have done for my mental state. Being with Mom and my siblings has taught me that love is so much stronger than anything that my father showed me. He was a monster, and the best thing that happened to me was him dying—otherwise I’d still be there, living that life.
Poor, damaged Charity. That girl is still inside me, but I plan to push her so far into the back of my mind that she’s nothing more than a distant memory. Sure, there are going to be times when I break. But I have amazing people to help pick up the pieces, and that’s what matters.
When I finally got the chance to read her message yesterday, it brought the biggest smile to my face, and it even made dealing with my dad a whole lot better. She’d said she wanted to meet Mystery Man as her present. Too bad she’s already met him. With my dad on me and my brother coming home to give a talk at the college, I haven’t had a chance to reply.
Now, here we are on Monday, and I’ve still not seen her around campus like I normally would. It’s as though I have a Charity radar locked into me. When she’s near, it’s as though there’s a current pulsating between us. We’re drawn to each other.
“What’s up, little brother?” Lachlan steps in beside me. We’re very similar in height and build. I’m probably a little wider in the chest, but if that was ever brought up, he’d bring up that he’s lightning on his feet. He’s a great quarterback—a superstar, the news reporters say.
“Hey. How was Dad this morning? I had to get out of there before he gave me the ‘Be like Lachlan’ speech.” Rolling my eyes, I shove him with my shoulder.
“Trust me, once you get drafted somewhere, you’ll be home free to make any decision you want—except if you make some dick moves and end up in the papers and on the sports channel for the wrong reason.” He gives me a sideways glance. Lachlan is a popular and well-known ladies’ man. He recently got into some hot water with some girl he slept with. She tried to fake a pregnancy. That wasn’t happening on my father’s watch.
“Yeah, man, that was a dick move. I hope you’ve reined in Little Lachlan